Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Midland is a city of 147,615, and it grades C− overall, 398th among Texas's 640 graded towns. The median household earns $90K. The trade-offs: its crime rate is higher than 76% of U.S. towns, with 515 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, and its schools rank behind 76% of the state's. 52% of working residents work locally in Midland, where Texas’ towns sit at 8.3% and U.S. towns at 8%. Midland is home to Midland College.
Where Midland beats most towns.
111,147 counted in 2010 and 132,524 in 2020; an estimated 147,615 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 11.1% since 2020, after 19.2% 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 Midland is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,192 in 1910, 132,524 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1894 and 2 maps from 1965 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Midland, 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 Midland.
Midland has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and has seen reported crime fall beyond ordinary swings, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.
92 miles of trail in 97 parks and preserves. Midland’s trail density is 1.2 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Hogan Park, 143 acres with 4.6 miles of trail.
| Midland | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.8% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Westridge Park | 7.4 mi | 96 |
| 2. Beal Park | 6 mi | 111 |
| 3. Windlands Park | 4.9 mi | 56 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by Midland ISD. Three of its 59 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goddard J HLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 1,210 | C |
| Legacy H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,735 | C− |
| Carver CenterTop results in townGrades 1–6 | Grades 1–6 | 605 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 3,140 to 2,883 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Midland is 3.5 per 1,000 residents. Midland reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 76% report less. The property crime rate in Midland is 16.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Midland | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.5 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 16.2 per 1,000 residents | 10.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
92 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 10 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 68% of U.S. communities. Since 1981, 92 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Midland.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Midland 4 Ene weather station, 5 miles away, records that about 126 days a year reach 90°, more than in 98% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 95.4°, hotter than in 97% of U.S. towns; January nights average 31.5°.
Midland has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. About 2 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Midland | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 95°F | 95°F | 85°F |
| January low | 32°F | 37°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 61,618 working residents takes 20.1 minutes, against 26.7 across Texas.
Jobs based in Midland grew to 75,311 in 2023, 10,541 more than in 2013. 6.2% of Midland workers work from home. The top destinations are Odessa (10%), Lubbock (2%) and Houston (2%).
| Midland | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 6.2% | 9.7% | 11% |
| Median household income | $90,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 12% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Children under 18 are 30% of residents (25% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 34% of residents (38% statewide). 10% of residents are 65 or older in Midland. Midland has grown 11% since 2020, to 147,615 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Midland | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 30% | 26% | 22% |
| Median age | 31.5 years | 35.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 10% | 14% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 23% | 29% |
49.2% women, 50.8% men
About 103 men for every 100 women. Across Texas, 50.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 31.8, men 31.3.
| Midland | TX | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 18.1% | 13.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.7% | 11.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.3% | 9.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 18.2% | 14.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.3% | 14.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.6% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 8.6% | 11.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 5.9% | 8.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.3% | 5.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 13.4% | 14% | 10.4% |
| High school | 22.6% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.6% | 20.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.7% | 7.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24% | 21.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.7% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical Midland home is worth about $328,000, up 1.8% in a year, 11% above the Texas typical home.
| Midland | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,434 a month | $1,206 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 65% | 69% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 53% | 50% | 48% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Midland beats the Texas average on 2 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 0.
| Midland | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 74% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 39% | 36% |
| What stands out | Midland | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2.8% | 3.2% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 5% | 5.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Midland. Close and well known come first.
in town MuseumPermian Basin Petroleum Museumin town MuseumMuseum of the Southwest19 mi TheatreGlobe of the Great Southwest16 mi MuseumPresidential Museum and Leadership Library
38 mi MuseumHangar 25 Air MuseumPermian Basin Petroleum Museum: Plazak, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hangar 25 Air Museum: Barbara Brannon, CC BY 2.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Midland
About 5 of every 100 Midland residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Texas.
5 places in Midland on the National Register of Historic Places.
44 notable people were born in Midland.
City in Texas, United States
Midland is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat of Midland County in West Texas, with small portions extending into Martin County. The population was 132,524 at the 2020 census. Located in the Permian Basin, Midland is a major center for American oil and natural gas production. The Midland metropolitan area includes all of Midland County and had 169,983 residents at the 2020 census. The metropolitan area is part of the larger Midland–Odessa combined statistical area, which had a population of 340,391 in the 2020 census. Residents of Midland are referred to as "Midlanders". Midland was founded as the midway point between Fort Worth and El Paso on the Texas and Pacific Rai…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Midland grades C− overall, better than 19% of U.S. towns and #398 of 640 in Texas. It grades B− for health, C− for safety and C− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
44 notable people were born here, including Laura Bush and Woody Harrelson.
