Is West Lake Hills a good place to live?
West Lake Hills’s strongest subject is health (A+). The drawback is cost of living (D−): the typical home is worth about $2.1 million, 20.8 years of the Austin metro’s $100K median household income. All told, that adds up to a B+ overall, better than 69% of U.S. towns. That places it 79th of 640 in Texas. The biggest park or preserve is Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve, at 34 acres. 81% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more here, against 23% in Texas’ towns and 29% across U.S. towns. Only 62 of Texas’ 1,000 towns score higher on hazard risk. West Lake Hills's public schools beat 96% of Texas towns on state tests and graduation.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index · schools, state test and graduation results · OpenStreetMap.
What makes West Lake Hills stand out
Where West Lake Hills beats most towns.
| Widest gap | West Lake Hills | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 4.1% | 19.3% |
Jobs vs. working residents
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Eanes El | PK–5 | 529 |
| Forest Trail El | K–5 | 500 |
| Trinity Episcopal School of Austin | PK–8 | 653 |
West Lake Hills has grown 5% since 2010
3,063 counted in 2010 and 3,444 in 2020; an estimated 3,229 in 2025.
Since 2020 the trend has turned: down 6.9%, after 12.4% growth in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How West Lake Hills grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far West Lake Hills is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium and 44 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around West Lake Hills. Close and well known come first.
Big draw5 mi Stadium & arenaDarrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium
5 mi Stadium & arenaMoody Center
26 mi CaveJacob's Well (Texas)
2 mi LakeLake Austin
7 mi LakeLady Bird Lake
4 mi MuseumHarry Ransom CenterPhoto credits
Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium: Brint03, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Moody Center: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0 · Jacob's Well (Texas): Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0 · Lake Austin: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0 · Lady Bird Lake: Arvindn on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Harry Ransom Center: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0
Moving to West Lake Hills: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in West Lake Hills, 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in West Lake Hills.
West Lake Hills carries less natural-hazard risk than most of Texas (mostly inland flooding), has schools in the top 5% of Texas and draws workers from Austin and beyond.
The median rent in West Lake Hills is higher than in the typical Texas or U.S. town
At 20.8 years of the Austin metro’s $100K median household income, the typical home (about $2.09M) costs more against local pay than in 99% of Texas towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. Values rose 8.2% in the past year while the Texas typical home fell 1.5%.
The share of households in West Lake Hills who own their home: 86%. In the year to September 2026, typical home values climbed 8.2%. The typical West Lake Hills home is worth about $2,087,000, 7 times the Texas typical home.
| West Lake Hills | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $3,501 a month | $1,206 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 86% | 69% | 73% |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
West Lake Hills’ grade for schools is an A+
That grade ranks #5 of the 642 Texas towns we grade for schools. It comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $2.09M.
Eanes ISD runs its public schools. Of its 4 schools, three are listed below, each with the reason. The 2 public schools in West Lake Hills teach 1,029 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eanes ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 529 | A |
| Fusion Academy Aus: Austin PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 90 | – |
| Forest Trail ElTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 500 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
West Lake Hills stands out in Texas and nationally, with fewer of its adults who sleep under 7 hours
Only 6 of the 641 Texas towns we compare have a lower share of adults who get no exercise outside work than West Lake Hills. West Lake Hills: 5.8% of adults smoke cigarettes. Also worth knowing: of 31 CDC measures, West Lake Hills beats the Texas average on 23 and trails it on 3.
| West Lake Hills | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 18% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 30% | 25% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 39% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 5.8% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | West Lake Hills | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 4.1% | 19.3% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 4.3% | 16.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.2% | 6.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
More than half of West Lake Hills’ working residents commute to Austin
5,039 jobs are based in West Lake Hills, 3.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 16.6 minutes, against 26.7 across Texas.
The top destinations are Austin (56%), Houston (4%) and San Antonio (3%). West Lake Hills’ typical household income stands at $198,000. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in West Lake Hills dropped by 1,244, to 5,039. 4.5% of working residents work locally in the town.
| West Lake Hills | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $198,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.5% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 9.5% | 12% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
West Lake Hills faces a very low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 90% of Texas towns, with expected losses of about $726 per resident a year; that rating is what its A for hazard risk is built on.
Paid flood insurance claims in West Lake Hills since 1991: 9. In West Lake Hills, the risk rating from FEMA is 15 of 100. Households here have drawn federal disaster aid in 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2023. Expected losses in West Lake Hills break down as 52% from inland flooding and 26% from tornadoes.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
More crime per resident in West Lake Hills than in 76% of U.S. towns
West Lake Hills’ violent offense rate comes in at 1 per 1,000 residents. The rate of thefts and burglaries in the town is 30.4 per 1,000 residents.
| West Lake Hills | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 30.4 per 1,000 residents | 10.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Property crime per 1,000 residents
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
West Lake Hills has mild winters and hot summers
The Austin-camp Mabry weather station records that about 123 days a year reach 90°, more than in 98% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 96°, hotter than in 97% of U.S. towns; January nights average 38.5°.
For West Lake Hills, the peak summer temperature is 96°F. It almost never snows. Snow is almost unheard of.
| West Lake Hills | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 96°F | 95°F | 85°F |
| January low | 39°F | 37°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Protected land: 3% of West Lake Hills
Across 1 park or preserve: 0.8 miles of trail. The concentration of trails for West Lake Hills comes to 0.2 miles per square mile.
| West Lake Hills | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve | 0.6 mi | 34 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about West Lake Hills
Colleges nearby
11 within 15 miles of the center of West Lake Hills
About 6 of every 100 West Lake Hills residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Texas.
Every workday, about 4,980 people come to West Lake Hills for work
Where West Lake Hills’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About West Lake Hills
City in the United States
West Lake Hills (locally referred to as "Westlake") is a city in Travis County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 3,444. It is a suburb west of central Austin.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 3.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 781 ft
- Area code
- 512
West Lake Hills’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with West Lake Hills.
| Town | TX rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Lake Hills | #79 | B+ | D− | C− | A+ | A+ |
| Austin | #294 | C | D | D | B− | A |
| Rollingwood | — | — | D− | C+ | A+ | A+ |
Rollingwood has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Compare West Lake Hills with a neighbor →
Questions about West Lake Hills
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is West Lake Hills, TX a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. West Lake Hills grades B+ overall, better than 69% of U.S. towns and #79 of 640 in Texas. It grades A+ for health, C− for safety and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is West Lake Hills, TX expensive?
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−.