Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A typical home costs 3 years of the Abilene metro’s $67K median household income.
Baird’s best subject grade is an A+ for cost of living; its weakest is a C− for incomes. Only 17 of Texas’ 998 towns score higher on cost of living. Only 64 of Texas’ 1,000 towns score higher on history. Baird has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Baird beats most towns.
Texas and Pacific Railway DepotEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Baird is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 850 in 1890, 1,479 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 3 maps from 1931 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Baird, 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 Baird.
Baird’s median rent is $622 a month, below both Texas’ towns ($1,208 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Typical home values rose 8.1% in the year to September 2026.
| Baird | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $622 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 69% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by Baird ISD. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baird ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 208 | B |
| Baird H SLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 140 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
Baird beats the Texas average on 7 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 39% of adults have high blood pressure in Baird, above both the Texas town median (35%) and the median of U.S. towns (35%). 14% of Baird adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance.
| Baird | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 35% | 35% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 22% | 23% |
| What stands out | Baird | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 13.9% | 19.1% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 13% | 16.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 9% | 5.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Baird has mild winters and hot summers. Baird’s July high is 95°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Baird for work: only 10% work in town. Jobs based in Baird grew to 461 in 2023, 233 more than in 2013. The median household income in Baird is $51,000.
| Baird | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $51,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 10% | 8.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Only 4 of the 473 Texas towns we compare have a lower violent crime rate than Baird. Baird's reported crime rate is well below Texas's. Most reported incidents are property crimes.
| Baird | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2022) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 2.4 | 1.9 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2022) | 7.8 per 1,000 residents | 14.9 | 14.1 |
FBI crime data, 2022 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 52% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Baird since 2021.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bell Park | — | 15 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Baird; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Baird residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
City in Texas, United States
Baird is a city in and the county seat of Callahan County, Texas, United States. Its population was 1,479 at the 2020 census. The city is named after Matthew Baird, the owner and director of the Texas and Pacific Railway. The railway depot is now operated as the visitor center and a transportation museum. Baird is part of the Abilene metropolitan area.
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+.