Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Corpus Christi grades D− overall, ranked 602nd of 640 in Texas, mostly because of safety. It reports more crime per resident than 95% of U.S. towns, including 2,513 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. What it does well: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 80% of U.S. towns. 61% of working residents work locally in Corpus Christi, above both the Texas town median (8.3%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Only 91 of Texas’ 1,000 towns score lower on hazard risk. Its National Register listings include USS Lexington and Old Bayview Cemetery.
Where Corpus Christi beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
USS Lexington
USS Lexington is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 100 in 1860, 317,863 in 2020. The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 1847 and 4 maps from 1925 on.
14 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Corpus Christi is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Corpus Christi, 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 Corpus Christi.
Corpus Christi has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, but it reports violent crime at about twice the Texas rate and carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Texas (mostly hurricanes).
Violent crime runs at 7.9 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Texas rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D. Reported crimes fell from 12,739 to 11,218 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Corpus Christi’s violent crime rate is 7.9 per 1,000 residents. Corpus Christi reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 95% report less. Corpus Christi’s property crime rate is 27.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Corpus Christi | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.9 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 27.5 per 1,000 residents | 10.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Each of its 4 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its C+, Port Aransas highest at A.
Its public schools are run by Corpus Christi ISD. Three of its 117 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaffie MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,154 | B+ |
| SST Corpus ChristiLargest public high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 2,343 | C+ |
| Windsor Park G/TTop results in townGrades 1–5 | Grades 1–5 | 602 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 91% of Texas towns, with expected losses of about $481 per resident a year; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on. 2,623 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 215 properties have flooded more than once.
The FEMA risk score in Corpus Christi is 77 of 100. Since 1978, 2,623 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Corpus Christi.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Corpus Christi beats the Texas average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 24% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Corpus Christi.
| Corpus Christi | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 24% | 19% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 20% | 14% |
| What stands out | Corpus Christi | TX |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 24.3% | 19.1% |
| More adults with diabetes | 15.9% | 12.7% |
| More adults in fair or poor health | 27.1% | 21.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Corpus Christi home is worth about $222,000, up 0.6% in a year, 25% below the Texas typical home. 58% of Corpus Christi households own their home.
| Corpus Christi | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,292 a month | $1,206 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 52% | 50% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
January nights average 49.3°, milder than in 98% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 90.7°. The Port Aransas weather station, 9 miles away, records that about 57 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 100% of Texas places with climate records.
Corpus Christi has warm winters and warm summers. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Corpus Christi | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 49°F | 37°F | 22°F |
| July high | 91°F | 95°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The top destinations are Houston (4%), San Antonio (4%) and Austin (2%). Half commute less than 9 miles.
| Corpus Christi | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 5.3% | 9.7% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Texas average. 24% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 34% across Texas.
| Corpus Christi | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 23% | 26% | 22% |
| Median age | 36.9 years | 35.8 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 14% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 24% | 23% | 29% |
50.1% women, 49.9% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±0.2 points. Across Texas, 50.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 38.3, men 35.6.
| Corpus Christi | TX | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.6% | 13.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.8% | 11.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.1% | 9.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14% | 14.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.7% | 14.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.6% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.7% | 11.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.4% | 8.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.3% | 5.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 14.4% | 14% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.3% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.5% | 20.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.4% | 7.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16% | 21.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.4% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
53 miles of trail in 126 parks and preserves. Mustang Island State Park, at 3,779 acres with 6.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Corpus Christi | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.3% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mustang Island State Park | 6.3 mi | 3,779 |
| 2. Oso Bay Wetlands Preserve | 2 mi | 165 |
| 3. West Guth Park | 1.8 mi | 84 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Corpus Christi. Close and well known come first.
Big drawin town MuseumUSS Lexington
in town Zoo & aquariumTexas State Aquarium
16 mi National SeashorePadre Island National Seashore573K visitors a year
in town MuseumArt Museum of South Texas
in town GardenSouth Texas Botanical Gardens & Nature CenterUSS Lexington: USN, Public domain · Texas State Aquarium: Smcafee87, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Padre Island National Seashore: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Art Museum of South Texas: Jim Evans, CC BY-SA 4.0 · South Texas Botanical Gardens & Nature Center: Phil Slattery, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Corpus Christi
About 6 of every 100 Corpus Christi residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Texas.
2 colleges in town.
14 places in Corpus Christi on the National Register of Historic Places.
52 notable people were born in Corpus Christi.
City in Texas, United States
Corpus Christi ( KOR-pəs KRIS-tee; Latin for 'Body of Christ') is a coastal city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and largest city of Nueces County in South Texas, with portions extending into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. With a population of 317,247 as of July 1, 2025, it is the eighth-most populous city in Texas. Corpus Christi is 130 miles (210 km) southeast of San Antonio and 208 miles (335 km) southwest of Houston. Its political boundaries encompass Nueces Bay and Corpus Christi Bay. Its zoned boundaries include small land parcels or water inlets of three neighboring counties. The Corpus Christi metropolitan area had an estimated population of 442,600. …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Corpus Christi.
All 4 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D−; Aransas Pass (D) is closest. Port Aransas next door grades higher for schools (A to Corpus Christi’s C+) and lower for cost of living (D− to C−).
| Town | TX rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corpus Christi | #602 | D− | C− | D | C+ | C |
| Portland | #281 | C | D | B | B | B− |
| Ingleside | #413 | C− | C | C− | B+ | C |
| Port Aransas | #323 | C | D− | D− | A | B− |
| Ingleside on the Bay | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Aransas Pass | #534 | D | C | C | B− | C− |
Ingleside on the Bay isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Corpus Christi with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Corpus Christi grades D− overall, better than 4% of U.S. towns and #602 of 640 in Texas. It grades C for health, D for safety and C+ for schools. Safety 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 C−.
52 notable people were born here, including Eva Longoria and Farrah Fawcett.
_underway_in_the_1960s.JPEG){kind=link}
