78572 receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.
Signals
78572
78516
Opportunity
42 · Bottom 24%
vs36 · Bottom 15%
Growth
67 · Top 19%
vs65 · Top 23%
Climate
69 · Bottom 46%
vs69 · Bottom 46%
Physical resilience
23 · Bottom 17%
vs23 · Bottom 17%
Housing affordability
96 · Top 19%
vs100 · Top 10%
Schools
33 · Bottom 26%
vs16 · Bottom 6%
Access
69 · Bottom 11%
vs78 · Bottom 19%
Economic stability
21 · Bottom 3%
vs23 · Bottom 4%
Measured values
| Metric | 78572 | 78516 | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 78,024 | 34,370 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median household income | $54,298 | $53,229 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income | $25,886 | $19,701 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Population density | 1,454/sq mi | 909/sq mi | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value | $147,300 | $121,200 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median gross rent | $902 | $806 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate | 71.0% | 75.5% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment rate | 6.3% | 7.0% | June 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year) | 0.1% | 0.1% | June 2026 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 25.4% | 14.4% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate | 22.6% | 27.6% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units permitted (12 months) | 640 | 86 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permits per 1,000 residents | 7.4 | 4.2 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permit change (year over year) | -19.8% | -4.4% | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Average July high | 99°F | 99°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low | 53°F | 53°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual precipitation | 22.2" | 22.2" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Distance to major airport | 44 mi | 29 mi | NASR current cycle |
| Average commute | 22.1 min | 25.5 min | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median age | 37.8 | 30.1 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public schools | 43 | 12 | 2024-25 school year |
| Students per teacher | 15.35 | 15.63 | 2024-25 school year |
| Math proficiency | 25.3% | 16.8% | 2019-20 school year |
| Reading proficiency | 35.1% | 27.4% | 2019-20 school year |
| Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility | 82.9% | 94.9% | 2024-25 school year |
A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.
Physical risk tradeoff
78572
Elevated or high exposure: cold wave, hurricane, hail.
78516
Elevated or high exposure: cold wave, hurricane, hail.
Full profiles: 78572 — Mission, TX · 78516 — Alamo, TX · How this is calculated: methodology