Odessa, TX — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Texas·Odessa

Ector County · Odessa · population 119,748

First-time buyersRenter-friendly
Odessa, TX
Image: Wikipedia · Odessa, Texas
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
66
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Odessa stands

At or near all-time high. home values up 5.9% in the last year.

Median home $253,423
1-year +5.9%
5-yr CAGR +2.6%
vs 5-yr peak +0.0%
Population +1.1%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-04$253k$147k$186k$225k$264k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
35/100
Car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
30/100
Minimal transit
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
98/100
Excellent for remote work
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$1,606/mo$1,107$1,431$1,754202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent114132100120140202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 13.2
Buy

At a 13.2 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Odessa on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 13.2 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
78 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
51 · w22%
Distance from peak
90 · w18%
Population growth
67 · w16%
Rent YoY
42 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
57 · w10%
Long thesis

Odessa has held up across the cycle: home values at $253,423 with +2.6% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Odessa's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Odessa

Odessa is a city in Ector County, Texas, with an estimated population of 119,748. The population grew 1.1% annually from 2020 to 2024, a moderate gain. The median home value in Odessa is $253,423 as of 2026-04, up 5.9% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +2.6% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Odessa average $1,606 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (-0.6%). The composite momentum score is 66 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Quiet strength: +5.9% over the trailing year — not a melt-up, but the market is bid.
●Net positive migration: population up 1.1% per year — demand fundamentals are intact.
●Held the highs: currently +0.0% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.

▼ Bear case

○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Odessa (Wikipedia)

Odessa is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat of Ector County in West Texas, with portions extending into Midland County. The population was 114,428 at the 2020 census, making it the 34th-most populous city in Texas. It is the principal city of the Odessa metropolitan statistical area, which includes all of Ector County. The metropolitan area is also a component of the larger Midland–Odessa combined statistical area, which had 359,001 residents in 2020.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

Area51.36 sq mi
Elevation2900 ft
NicknameThe Jackrabbit-Roping Capital of Texas
Density2414.62/sq mi
Named forOdessa, Russian Empire

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Things to see in Odessa(Tourism)

  • White-Pool House
  • Stonehenge replica
  • University of Texas of the Permian Basin
  • Presidential Museum and Leadership Library
  • Republic of Texas
  • Odessa Meteor Crater

Extracted from the Wikipedia article. Names linked in the source — open the city’s Wikipedia page for details.

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Ector County right now.

NWS active alerts (TX)Texas Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Ector County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of Odessa

23 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Mission Estates$602,666+1.9%
2Castle Ridge Estates$513,631+2.9%
3North Country Club Estates$395,976+4.9%
4Stone Gate$391,106+6.8%
5Renaissance Estates$366,409+3.2%
6Fair Oaks$350,903+3.3%
7Esmond Estates$338,933+6.5%
8University Gardens$333,064+5.4%
9Scottsdale$314,361+4.3%
10Scottsdale West$304,809+6.3%
11Lakeside Estates$304,188+4.9%
12East Park$286,667+6.5%
13Kenwood Estates$286,191+5.8%
14Wedgewood$285,866+5.0%
15Cielo Vista$272,453+8.6%
16Windsor Heights$258,639+8.4%
17Beckwood Terrace$257,613+9.3%
18Springdale$249,490+5.1%
19Fleetwood$241,810+6.6%
20Sherwood$226,687+9.5%
21Hollywood View$225,935+7.3%
22Lyndale$224,538+8.4%
23Rochester Heights$196,592+8.8%

Cities like Odessa

Groves, TX65 · RisingAbilene, TX75 · RisingAndrews, TX69 · RisingCarthage, TX67 · Rising

Run the numbers for Odessa

ToolCan I afford Odessa?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Odessa rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Odessa to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolOdessa cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
60° / 39°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
95° / 73°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
232
~64% of year
Annual precip
29″ rain
1″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
High
Tornado
Very high
Wildfire
Moderate
Earthquake
Low
Flood
Very high

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Odessa listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Odessa area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
64%
Moderate climate
Median household income
$73,000
Texas state median
Top industries (state-level)
Energy/Oil & GasTech (Austin)Healthcare

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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