Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Alvarado gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $299K, 3.3 years of the Dallas metro’s $90K median household income. It grades C+ overall, 275th of 640 graded towns in Texas. Alvarado’s average trip to work is 31 minutes, where Texas’ towns sit at 25 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Alvarado's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 87% of U.S. towns.
Where Alvarado beats most towns.
3,785 counted in 2010 and 4,739 in 2020; an estimated 7,539 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 41.2% since 2020, after 25.2% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Alvarado is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 377 in 1880, 4,739 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 2 maps from 1961 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Alvarado, 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 Alvarado.
Alvarado trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns.
Its public schools are run by Alvarado ISD. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Alvarado H S, with 1,163 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alvarado J HLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 862 | B− |
| Alvarado H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,163 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
Alvarado beats the Texas average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 71% of Alvarado adults had a checkup this year.
| Alvarado | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 74% | 79% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 39% | 36% |
| What stands out | Alvarado | TX |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 16.7% | 12.5% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 15.8% | 12.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.2% | 5.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Burleson weather station, 10 miles away, records that about 98 days a year reach 90°, more than in 95% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 95.1°, hotter than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 35.9°.
Alvarado has mild winters and hot summers. The July high in Alvarado is 95°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Alvarado | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 95°F | 95°F | 85°F |
| January low | 36°F | 37°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Alvarado for work: only 8% work in town. Jobs based in Alvarado grew to 3,219 in 2023, 610 more than in 2013. 14% of residents live below the poverty line in Alvarado.
| Alvarado | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $81,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 63% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Alvarado.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Alvarado’s violent crime rate is 2.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Alvarado | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.8 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 8.2 per 1,000 residents | 10.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Stonegate Park | — | 12 |
| 2. Moore Park | — | 10 |
| 3. Parkway Park | 0.1 mi | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Homes are within reach (about $299K for the typical one, B for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 24 miles.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1 within 15 miles of the center of Alvarado
About 4 of every 100 Alvarado residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
City in Texas, United States
Alvarado ( AL-və-RAY-doh) is the oldest city in Johnson County, Texas, United States. Its population was 4,739 in 2020. The community's first sheriff, A. H. Onstoott, is credited with naming the city for Alvarado, Veracruz, Mexico, where he fought in a battle during the Mexican–American War.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Alvarado.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Alvarado grades C+ overall, better than 36% of U.S. towns and #275 of 640 in Texas. It grades C for health, C+ for safety and C+ for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.