Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Abilene earns a D, ranked 474th of 640 in Texas, mostly because of safety. Its crime rate is higher than 78% of U.S. towns, with 547 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. What it does well: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 66% of U.S. towns. 62% of working residents work locally in Abilene, where Texas’ towns sit at 8.3% and U.S. towns at 8%. Its National Register listings include Paramount Theater and First Presbyterian Church.
Where Abilene beats most towns.
Henry Sayles House
Jessica Simpson| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Abilene Christian University | 3,545 |
| Hardin-Simmons University | 1,509 |
| McMurry University | 1,012 |
Its 59 National Register listings are more than in 96% of Texas towns with a listing.
Census counts: 3,194 in 1890, 125,182 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1942 and 4 maps from 1957 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Abilene is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Abilene, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Abilene.
Abilene has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has home values rising while Texas’s fall.
53 miles of trail in 37 parks and preserves. Grover Nelson Park, at 167 acres with 1.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Abilene | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.9% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dyess Air Park | 3.3 mi | 46 |
| 2. Red Bud Park | 3 mi | 133 |
| 3. Grover Nelson Park | 1.8 mi | 167 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by Abilene ISD. Three of its 50 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wylie West J HLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 1,038 | A |
| Abilene H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,798 | B+ |
| Premier H S of AbileneTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 176 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 2,795 to 2,618 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Abilene is 4.1 per 1,000 residents. Abilene reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 78% report less. The property crime rate in Abilene is 15.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Abilene | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.1 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 15.7 per 1,000 residents | 10.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Values rose 10% in the past year while the Texas typical home fell 1.5%. Home values rose 29% in five years, to about $224K, against 10% across Texas.
The typical Abilene home is worth about $224,000, 24% below the Texas typical home. 56% of households own their home in Abilene.
| Abilene | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 56% | 69% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 53% | 50% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Abilene Rgnl Ap weather station records that about 102 days a year reach 90°, more than in 95% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 95.5°, hotter than in 97% of U.S. towns; January nights average 32.4°.
Abilene has mild winters and hot summers. Abilene’s July high is 96°F. About 4 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Abilene | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 96°F | 95°F | 85°F |
| January low | 32°F | 37°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 48,801 working residents takes 15.6 minutes, against 26.7 across Texas.
16% of Abilene residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in Abilene grew to 56,202 in 2023, 7,014 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Dallas (2%), Austin (2%) and Fort Worth (2%).
| Abilene | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $63,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 8.4% | 9.7% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Adults 18 to 34 are 31% of residents (24% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 33% of residents (38% statewide). Abilene has grown 5.3% since 2020, to 131,588 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 27% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 34% across Texas.
| Abilene | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 32.8 years | 35.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 14% | 14% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 23% | 26% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 27% | 23% | 29% |
48.6% women, 51.4% men
About 106 men for every 100 women. Across Texas, 50.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 33.4, men 32.3.
| Abilene | TX | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.9% | 13.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.2% | 11.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 15.1% | 9.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.4% | 14.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.5% | 14.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.1% | 11.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.8% | 8.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.1% | 5.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 12.3% | 14% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.3% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.9% | 20.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.1% | 7.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.7% | 21.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.6% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
686 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 68 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 62% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 686 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Abilene.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 9,535 U.S. towns with household incomes like Abilene’s, it is healthier than 65%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Abilene beats the Texas average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 2.
| Abilene | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 73% | 74% | 79% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| What stands out | Abilene | TX |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 6.6% | 5.7% |
| Fewer adults getting cholesterol checked | 82.6% | 84.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Abilene. Close and well known come first.
in town Zoo & aquariumAbilene Zoological Gardens225K visitors a year
in town MuseumThe Grace Museum60K visitors a year
13 mi MuseumBuffalo Gap Historic VillageAbilene Zoological Gardens: Keithimus (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · The Grace Museum: Keithimus (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Buffalo Gap Historic Village: Renelibrary, CC BY-SA 4.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Abilene
About 9 of every 100 Abilene residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
3 colleges in town.
59 places in Abilene on the National Register of Historic Places.
57 notable people were born in Abilene.
City in Texas, United States
Abilene ( AB-i-leen) is a city in Taylor and Jones counties, Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan statistical area, which had a population of 176,579 as of 2020. Abilene is home to three Christian universities: Abilene Christian University, McMurry University, and Hardin–Simmons University. It is the county seat of Taylor County. Dyess Air Force Base is located on the west side of the city. Abilene is located on Interstate 20, which forms a rounded bypass loop along the northern side of the city, between exits 279 on its western edge and 292 on the east. The city is located 150 miles (240 km) west of Fort W…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Abilene.
Tye has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Potosi reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Abilene with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Abilene grades D overall, better than 12% of U.S. towns and #474 of 640 in Texas. It grades C+ for health, C− for safety and C for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 3.3 years of the area's median household income ($67,328 across the Abilene, TX metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
57 notable people were born here, including Jessica Simpson and Ryan Guzman.
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