Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Harker Heights grades C− overall, 428th among Texas's 640 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. On the other side, homes are expensive, about $296K for a typical one and 4.2 times the Killeen metro’s $70K median household income. Its lowest everyday mark is in schools: its schools rank behind 76% of the state's. On history, just 3 of Texas’ 1,000 towns do worse. Harker Heights’ July high is 96°F, against 95°F in Texas’ towns and 85°F across U.S. towns. Harker Heights's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 90% of U.S. towns.
Where Harker Heights beats most towns.
26,700 counted in 2010 and 33,097 in 2020; an estimated 35,195 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 6.4% since 2020, after 24% 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 Harker Heights is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 4,216 in 1970, 33,097 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 5 maps from 1930 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Harker Heights, 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 Harker Heights.
Harker Heights has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and sees little violent crime.
Its public schools are run by Killeen ISD. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nolan MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,068 | B+ |
| Harker Heights H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,192 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Harker Heights for work: only 8% work in town. Since 2013, Harker Heights has added 1,309 jobs, to 6,915 in 2023. The top destinations are Killeen (18%), Temple (10%) and Austin (10%).
| Harker Heights | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 8.1% | 9.7% | 11% |
| Median household income | $81,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 10% | 12% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 71% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 46 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Harker Heights.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Killeen weather station records that about 105 days a year reach 90°, more than in 96% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 95.6°, hotter than in 97% of U.S. towns; January nights average 36.9°.
Harker Heights has mild winters and hot summers. Harker Heights’ January low is 37°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
2.3 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Harker Heights Community Park, at 63 acres.
| Harker Heights | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.5% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dana Peak Park | 0.6 mi | 13 |
| 2. Goode Connell Park | 0.4 mi | 17 |
| 3. Harker Heights Community Park | 0.1 mi | 63 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Children under 18 are 30% of residents (25% statewide). 10% of Harker Heights residents are 65 or older. Harker Heights has grown 6.4% since 2020, to 35,195 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Harker Heights | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 30% | 26% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 10% | 14% | 18% |
| Median age | 33 years | 35.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 30% | 23% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.1 points. Across Texas, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Harker Heights | TX | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.5% | 13.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 16.1% | 11.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.9% | 9.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.4% | 14.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.9% | 14.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10% | 11.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7% | 8.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 3.2% | 5.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7% | 14% | 10.4% |
| High school | 22.4% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 28.3% | 20.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.2% | 7.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.8% | 21.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.4% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Harker Heights beats the Texas average on 3 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 43% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Harker Heights.
| Harker Heights | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 39% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 37% | 35% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 22% | 23% |
| What stands out | Harker Heights | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 13.5% | 19.1% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 5% | 5.6% |
| More adults with obesity | 41.9% | 35.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Violent crime is rare: 43 reported in 2025, 1.2 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical Harker Heights home is worth about $296,000, up 0.5% in a year, close to the Texas typical home.
| Harker Heights | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 62% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,146 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
3 within 15 miles of the center of Harker Heights
About 7 of every 100 Harker Heights residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Texas.
Where Harker Heights’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Texas
Harker Heights is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, 33,097 people resided in the city, up from a population of 17,308 in 2000. This makes Harker Heights the third-largest city in Bell County, after Killeen and Temple. Incorporated in 1960, the city derives its name from one of the two original landowners and founder, Harley Kern. Harker Heights is part of the Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Harker Heights.
| Town | TX rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harker Heights | #428 | C− | D | B− | C− | C+ |
| Killeen | #622 | D− | C− | C− | C− | C− |
| Nolanville | #495 | D | C− | — | C− | B− |
Nolanville reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Harker Heights with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Harker Heights grades C− overall, better than 16% of U.S. towns and #428 of 640 in Texas. It grades C+ for health, B− for safety and C− 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.