Bay City and Edinburg receive effectively the same standardized Area Score. Which fits you better depends on which dimensions you weight — the differences below are where they actually diverge.
Signals
Bay City
Edinburg
Opportunity
48 · Bottom 33%
vs48 · Bottom 33%
Growth
54 · Top 43%
vs69 · Top 19%
Climate
81 · Top 16%
vs69 · Bottom 44%
Physical resilience
18 · Bottom 12%
vs23 · Bottom 18%
Housing affordability
89 · Top 34%
vs93 · Top 25%
Schools
43 · Bottom 38%
vs36 · Bottom 30%
Access
74 · Bottom 16%
vs77 · Bottom 19%
Economic stability
44 · Bottom 23%
vs38 · Bottom 15%
Measured values
| Metric | Bay City | Edinburg | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 17,730 | 104,550 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median household income | $53,840 | $59,466 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income | $28,635 | $28,336 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Population density | 1,913/sq mi | 2,244/sq mi | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value | $160,800 | $189,600 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median gross rent | $1,025 | $996 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate | 45.8% | 53.3% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment rate | 6.3% | 6.0% | June 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year) | 1.8% | 0.1% | June 2026 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 20.2% | 28.4% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate | 26.0% | 26.0% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units permitted (12 months) | 81 | 981 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permits per 1,000 residents | 4.6 | 9.4 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permit change (year over year) | -42.6% | -23.7% | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Average July high | 92°F | 99°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low | 46°F | 53°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual precipitation | 43.1" | 22.2" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Distance to major airport | 48 mi | 32 mi | NASR current cycle |
| Average commute | 22.5 min | 22.8 min | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median age | 31.6 | 30.2 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public schools | 5 | 45 | 2024-25 school year |
| Students per teacher | 18.67 | 15.19 | 2024-25 school year |
| Math proficiency | 45.2% | 24.9% | 2019-20 school year |
| Reading proficiency | 34.5% | 40.7% | 2019-20 school year |
| Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility | 60.3% | 79.4% | 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
Bay City
Elevated or high exposure: hurricane, drought.
Edinburg
Elevated or high exposure: cold wave, hurricane, hail.
Full profiles: Bay City, TX · Edinburg, TX · How this is calculated: methodology