Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Albany’s best subject grade is an A− for cost of living; its weakest is a C− for incomes. Albany’s July high is 96°F, where Texas’ towns sit at 95°F and U.S. towns at 85°F. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 68% of U.S. towns. On history, just 56 of Texas’ 1,000 towns do better. Albany has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Albany beats most towns.
Shackelford County Courthouse Historic DistrictEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Albany is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 129 in 1880, 1,854 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper and 3 maps from 1892 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Albany, 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 Albany.
The typical Albany home is worth about $160,000, up 3.2% in a year, 46% below the Texas typical home. At $726 a month, Albany’s median rent is below both the Texas town median ($1,208 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month).
| Albany | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $726 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 76% | 69% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by Albany ISD. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nancy Smith ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 258 | B− |
| Albany Jr.-Sr. H SLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 216 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
Albany has mild winters and hot summers. Albany’s January low is 32°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
People 65 and older are 21% of residents (13% statewide); children under 18 are 19% of residents (25% statewide). 35% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Albany. Albany has grown 2.6% since 2020, to 1,905 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Albany | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 19% | 26% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 21% | 14% | 18% |
| Median age | 42.3 years | 35.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 35% | 23% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.2 points. Across Texas, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Albany | TX | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.3% | 13.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.8% | 11.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.8% | 9.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.8% | 14.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.8% | 14.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.6% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.5% | 11.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15.8% | 8.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.5% | 5.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.2% | 14% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.9% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.8% | 20.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.9% | 7.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24% | 21.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.3% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,900, single groups can be off by several points
Most working residents leave Albany for work: only 15% work in town. Since 2013, Albany has lost 454 jobs, to 568 in 2023. The average trip to work in Albany is 22 minutes.
| Albany | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $68,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 12% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Albany beats the Texas average on 11 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 34% of Albany adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Albany | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 39% | 36% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 20% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 77% | 74% | 79% |
| What stands out | Albany | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.9% | 12.5% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 11.1% | 19.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.9% | 6.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 52% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 13 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Albany.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Webb Memorial Park | — | 6 |
| 2. Spudder Park | — | 4 |
| 3. Creek Park | 0.1 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Albany; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 Albany residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Texas.
6 notable people were born in Albany.
City in Texas, United States
Albany is a city in Shackelford County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,854 at the 2020 Census. It is the county seat of Shackelford County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
6 notable people were born here, including Chick Halbert and Ai.
