Windmills Across, 2014
Odem’s story
Odem in pictures
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2004.
Explore the history →OdemTX
A town of 2,291.
Population
2,291
2025 Census estimate · +1.4% since 2020
Typical home
$187K
−4.5% in a year
Household income
$69K
median
Median age
39.0
years
Jobs based here
430
A commuter town
Is Odem a good place to live?
Odem’s best subject grade is an A+ for cost of living; its weakest is a D for health. Only 66 of Texas’ 998 towns score higher on cost of living. Odem's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 90% of U.S. towns. Odem has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Odem stand out
Where Odem beats most towns.
A commuter town
93% of working residents leave Odem for work
Where Odem’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
430jobs based in Odem
7%of working residents work in town
18 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Odem grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Odem is from typical.
Cost of livingA+Open →HealthChristus Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi 16.9 miles awayDOpen →Hazard riskhurricanes tops the listCOpen →SchoolsCOpen →Jobs & income$69K median household income; 430 jobs based hereC+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.7 of 20; 9.7% of households have no car; 3.7% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsConserved land, trails and parksC−Open →HistoryC−Open →Civic life2.7 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsDOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateMild winters, 95° summer afternoons–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 39.0; 15% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Odem: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Odem, and how to reach them.
PowerSan Patricio Electric Coop14.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCity of Odem water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Odem’s trash rules yet
Register to voteIn personTexas has no online registration; you can register in person until 30 days before Election Day or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereSan Patricio County Early Voting ClerkSan Patricio County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2026
ZIP code7837078370 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Odem.
HealthD
Odem is less healthy than 87% of U.S. towns
Odem beats the Texas average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 19. 33% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Odem, where Texas’ towns sit at 24% and U.S. towns at 19%. 20% of Odem adults have diabetes.
13%healthier than U.S. townsDHealth Grade
| Odem | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 24% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 13% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 30% | 25% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 18% | 8.1% |
31 measures vs. Texas
0 better12 too close to call19 worse
| What stands out | Odem | TX |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 31.3% | 19.1% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 30% | 19.3% |
| More adults with diabetes | 19.5% | 12.7% |
Christus Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi
16.9 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsC
Odem’s schools rank behind 68% of Texas districts
Its public schools are run by Odem-Edroy ISD. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
32%of TX districts it outscoresCSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Odem ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 247 | – |
| Odem H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 278 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
HousingCost of living grade A+
A typical Odem home is worth about $187K
The typical Odem home is worth about $187,000, down 4.5% in a year, 37% below the Texas typical home. At $780 a month, Odem’s median rent is below both the Texas town median ($1,208 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month).
$187KZillow home value
| Odem | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $780 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 71% | 69% | 73% |
Typical home value
Odem$187K
Texas$296K
−4.5%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
With 0.5 jobs for every working resident, most of Odem’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Odem for work: only 7% work in town. Odem’s average trip to work is 23 minutes. The top destinations are Corpus Christi (36%), San Antonio (5%) and Sinton (4%).
7%work in town
| Odem | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 12% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Odem7%
Corpus Christi36%
San Antonio5%
Sinton4%
Houston4%
18 mi
median commute distance
430
jobs based in Odem
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 48% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Odem has mild winters and hot summers
Odem has warm winters and hot summers. The July high in Odem is 94°F.
95°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter49–69°
Spring64–82°
Summer75–93°
Fall64–84°
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
95°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C
High risk in Odem, with hurricanes at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 65% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 39 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Odem.
65risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
HurricanesInland floodingCold waves
39
paid flood claims since 1980
6
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Safety
Odem stands out in Texas and nationally: property crime there is lower
Among 482 Texas towns, just 6 have a lower violent crime rate than Odem. Odem's reported crime rate is well below Texas's. Among 482 Texas towns, just 7 have a lower property crime rate than Odem.
| Odem | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2023) | 1.3 per 1,000 residents | 14.8 | 13.1 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2023) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.8 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Odem0
Texas4.2
U.S.3.9
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Odem1.3
Texas22.7
U.S.19.5
0
violent crimes reported in 2023
3
property crimes reported in 2023
FBI crime data, 2023 · crimes reported to police
Nearby attractions
All 6 attractions →USS Lexington and 4 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Odem. Close and well known come first.
Big draw15 mi MuseumUSS Lexington
15 mi Zoo & aquariumTexas State Aquarium
34 mi National SeashorePadre Island National Seashore573K visitors a year
15 mi MuseumArt Museum of South Texas
23 mi GardenSouth Texas Botanical Gardens & Nature CenterSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
USS 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
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Keep exploring
Everything we know about Odem
18pages on Odem
The big questions
SchoolsCBehind 68% of TX districts · 4 schoolsSafety0 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2023)HealthDBetter than TX on 0 of 31 CDC measuresCost of livingA+$187K typical home · down 4.5% in a yearWork & commuteC+$69K median household income · 430 jobs hereNatural hazardsCFEMA risk higher than 65% of U.S. communities · hurricanes
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Odem; the nearest are
Del Mar CollegeCommunity college · Public · Corpus Christi16.7 mi$3,440 in-state tuitionTexas A & M University-Corpus ChristiUniversity or college · Public · Corpus Christi22.7 mi$9,748 in-state tuitionCoastal Bend CollegeCommunity college · Public · Beeville35.3 mi$2,916 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Odem residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
About Odem
City in Texas, United States
Odem is a city in San Patricio County, Texas, United States. Its population was 2,255 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 72 ft
- ZIP code
- 78370
- Area code
- 361
Questions about Odem
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Odem, TX expensive?
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 A+.