Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Belton is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C− overall, 370th of 640 graded towns in Texas, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is schools: its schools rank ahead of 55% of Texas towns. Expect to pay for it: homes are expensive, about $312K for a typical one and 4.5 times the Killeen metro’s $70K median household income. Its National Register listings include Bell County Courthouse and Old St. Luke's Episcopal Church. On walkability, just 96 of Texas’ 999 towns do better. Belton is home to University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.
Where Belton beats most towns.
Old St. Luke's Episcopal Church
Census counts: 281 in 1870, 23,054 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1881 and 4 maps from 1931 on.
41 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Belton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Belton, 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 Belton.
Belton has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has home values still below their peak.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 78% of U.S. communities. Since 1994, 27 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Belton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by Belton ISD. Three of its 15 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chisholm Trail ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 766 | C |
| Belton H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,763 | B+ |
| Sparta ElTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 549 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
Against the 8,696 U.S. towns with household incomes like Belton’s, it is healthier than 51%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
27% of Belton adults have been diagnosed with depression, where Texas’ towns sit at 22% and U.S. towns at 23%. 41% of adults have obesity in Belton. Belton beats the Texas average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 9.
| Belton | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 22% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 37% | 35% |
| What stands out | Belton | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with high cholesterol | 31.5% | 35.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 15.9% | 12.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Stillhouse Hollow Dam weather station records that about 118 days a year reach 90°, more than in 98% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 95.9°, hotter than in 97% of U.S. towns; January nights average 36.6°.
Belton has mild winters and hot summers. At 96°F, Belton’s July high is against 95°F in Texas’ towns and 85°F across U.S. towns. Belton’s January low is 37°F.
| Belton | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 96°F | 95°F | 85°F |
| January low | 37°F | 37°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here grew from 8,750 in 2013 to 12,439.
Most working residents leave Belton for work: only 16% work in town. 17% of Belton residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in Belton grew to 12,439 in 2023, 3,689 more than in 2013.
| Belton | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $59,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Adults 18 to 34 are 30% of residents (24% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 32% of residents (38% statewide). Belton has grown 13% since 2020, to 25,964 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. The median age in Belton is 32.4 years.
| Belton | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 32.4 years | 35.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 14% | 14% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 24% | 26% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 28% | 23% | 29% |
53% women, 47% men
About 90 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.4 points). Across Texas, 50.1% of residents are women. Among residents 18 to 24, 72% are women (TX 49%). Median age: women 33.3, men 32.0.
| Belton | TX | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.2% | 13.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.1% | 11.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 14.7% | 9.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.2% | 14.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.7% | 14.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.6% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.6% | 11.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.5% | 8.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.3% | 5.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 14.6% | 14% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.7% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.6% | 20.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.7% | 7.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.8% | 21.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.5% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Belton's reported crime rate is below Texas's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 24 violent crimes were reported in 2024.
| Belton | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 19.4 per 1,000 residents | 13 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 0.9 per 1,000 residents | 2.1 | 1.7 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
2.6 miles of trail in 16 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Heritage Park, at 221 acres.
| Belton | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 8.2% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Stillhouse Park | 1 mi | 54 |
| 2. Heritage Park | 0.1 mi | 221 |
| 3. Miller Springs Park | 0.1 mi | 154 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical value, about $312K, is 10% below its September 2022 peak.
The typical Belton home is worth about $312,000, down 1.8% in a year, 5% above the Texas typical home.
| Belton | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 56% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,252 a month | $1,206 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
2 within 15 miles of the center of Belton
About 11 of every 100 Belton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
18,216 counted in 2010 and 23,054 in 2020; an estimated 25,964 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 12.7% since 2020, after 26.6% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
41 places in Belton on the National Register of Historic Places.
11 notable people were born in Belton.
City in Texas, United States
Belton is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. Belton is the county seat of Bell County and is the fifth largest city in the Killeen-Temple metropolitan area. In 2020, the population of Belton was 23,054, and the metro region had a population of 450,051 according to US Census estimates.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Belton.
Belton and Temple report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Belton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Belton grades C− overall, better than 22% of U.S. towns and #370 of 640 in Texas. It grades C for health and B for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
11 notable people were born here, including Rudy Youngblood and Walton H. Walker.
