Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Cotulla gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $116K, 2 years of the county’s $58K median household income. It grades C− overall, ranked 354th of 640 in Texas. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 89% of the country, and the median household income is $70K, and 27% of residents live below the poverty line. 27% of residents live below the poverty line in Cotulla, above both Texas’ towns (12%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Cotulla has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Cotulla Ranch and Welhausen School and Florita Plaza. Only 8 of the 642 Texas towns we compare have a higher peak summer temperature than Cotulla.
Where Cotulla beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Cotulla is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 672 in 1890, a low of 672 in 1890, 3,718 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 4 maps from 1929 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cotulla, 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 Cotulla.
Cotulla trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, but it is a long drive from an emergency room.
Homes are within reach (about $116K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 39 miles. At 2 years of the county’s $58K median household income, the typical home (about $116K) costs less against local pay than in 92% of Texas towns; that ratio is one input to that grade.
The typical Cotulla home is worth about $116,000, down 9.4% in a year, 61% below the Texas typical home. The rent at the middle of the market for Cotulla comes to $821 a month.
| Cotulla | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $821 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 69% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. Its public schools are run by Cotulla ISD. Also worth knowing: the 2 public schools in Cotulla teach 727 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ramirez-Burks ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 468 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
The nearest emergency room, Frio Regional Hospital, is 31.8 miles away in a straight line.
The share of adults in Cotulla who say their health is fair or poor: 37%. This Texas town beats the Texas average on 2 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 21. A fifth of adults in the town have diabetes; 19% report frequent physical distress.
| Cotulla | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 24% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 13% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 30% | 25% |
| What stands out | Cotulla | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 13.8% | 17% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 77.5% | 74.1% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 40.4% | 19.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
January nights average 42.2°, milder than in 95% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 98.8°.
Cotulla’s January low comes in at 42°F. Snow is a rarity.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 1,335 working residents takes 17.1 minutes, against 26.7 across Texas.
In Cotulla, the mean commuting time is 17 minutes. Employers in Cotulla added 201 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 1,224. For working residents in the town, the share who work locally is 31%. The top destinations are San Antonio (13%), Laredo (3%) and Del Rio (3%).
| Cotulla | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 31% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Of the losses FEMA expects in Cotulla, 45% come from cold waves and 34% from inland flooding. Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in 53% of U.S. communities. Paid flood insurance claims in the town since 2002: 6.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Just 4 of its 1,284 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Cotulla itself; its outdoors grade is D.
Cotulla has one park or preserve, 2 acres in all.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Veterans Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Cotulla; the nearest are
About 7 of every 100 Cotulla residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Texas.
City in Texas, United States
Cotulla ( kə-TEW-lə) is a city in and the county seat of La Salle County, Texas, United States. Its population was 3,718 as of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cotulla grades C− overall, better than 24% of U.S. towns and #354 of 640 in Texas. It grades D for health and B− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
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 B+.
