Copperas Cove vs Killeen

Which is the better fit for you?

Copperas Cove, TX
61
Area Score
Top 40% nationally
Killeen, TX
57
Area Score
Bottom 43% nationally

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Copperas Cove receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Copperas Cove to Killeen

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Everyday prices
About the same
Regional price level 92.3 against 92.3 (US = 100). Both places sit in the same price region, so the index cannot tell them apart.
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
The same
HUD benchmarks it at $1,233 in Killeen against $1,233 in Copperas Cove.
The median home
19% more
$215,400 in Killeen against $180,500 in Copperas Cove.
The weather you would swap
Similar winters
Normal January lows are 36°F in Killeen against 36°F in Copperas Cove; July highs are 96°F against 96°F (summers the same).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

Signals

Copperas Cove
Killeen
Opportunity: Copperas Cove is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
53 · Bottom 43%
vs
39 · Bottom 17%
Growth
69 · Top 16%
vs
69 · Top 16%
Climate
68 · Bottom 42%
vs
68 · Bottom 42%
Physical resilience: Killeen is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
66 · Top 42%
vs
79 · Top 26%
Housing affordability: Copperas Cove is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
79 · Top 15%
vs
70 · Top 41%
Schools: Copperas Cove is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
41 · Bottom 39%
vs
23 · Bottom 16%
Access: Killeen is the more favorable of the two.
Access
62 · Bottom 7%
vs
66 · Bottom 9%
Economic stability: Copperas Cove is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
51 · Bottom 38%
vs
38 · Bottom 18%

Measured values

MetricCopperas CoveKilleenSource period
Population37,947158,1592024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income$71,225 — more favorable$60,9772024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$33,864 — more favorable$29,5312024 ACS 5-Year
Population density2,105/sq mi2,895/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$180,500$215,4002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$1,043 — more favorable$1,2082024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,233$1,233FY2026
Cost of living index92.392.32023
Homeownership rate59.7%49.5%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate4.8% — more favorable6.0%July 2026
Employment change (year over year)−0.5% — more favorable−0.8%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher — the two are too close to separate21.8% ±3%21.9% ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate11.3% — more favorable17.6%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)37196512 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents9.8 — more favorable6.112 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)−15.9%−5.9% — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Average July high96°F96°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low36°F36°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation34.8"34.8"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport61 mi55 mi — more favorableNASR current cycle
Average commute30.8 min27.5 min — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age34.130.32024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools13402024-25 school year
Students per teacher13.4 — more favorable15.92024-25 school year
Math proficiency44.7% — more favorable41.0%2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency43.2% — more favorable37.8%2018-19 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility57.4%66.4%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.

One row above shows both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison.

Physical risk tradeoff

Copperas Cove

Elevated or high exposure: hail.

Killeen

Elevated or high exposure: hail.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Copperas Cove
—
Copperas Cove: Your Score
61
Area Score
Killeen
—
Killeen: Your Score
57
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Copperas Cove, TX · Killeen, TX · How this is calculated: methodology