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Place dossier plate
SheetTX-BALCH-SPRINGS-TX · Balch Springs, TX 27,181 pop · income 50th pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Balch Springs
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Balch Springs on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Kent · lowest
42,524
Kent · lowest
42,524 median HH income
23.8% of the leader · rank #1
Valencia CDP… · near
70,521
Valencia CDP… · near
70,521 median HH income
39.5% of the leader · rank #2
Lakewood · near
70,524
Lakewood · near
70,524 median HH income
39.5% of the leader · rank #3
Belton · near
70,525
Belton · near
70,525 median HH income
39.5% of the leader · rank #4
Balch Springs · this city
70,528
Balch Springs · this city
70,528 median HH income
39.5% of the leader · rank #5
Kingston · near
70,532
Kingston · near
70,532 median HH income
39.5% of the leader · rank #6
Fulshear · highest
178,398
Fulshear · highest
178,398 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Balch Springs on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 27,181.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Balch Springs - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Balch Springs lands in the 50th percentile for household income and the 13th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
50th
percentile, household income
45th
percentile, home value
40th
percentile, median rent
13th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Balch Springs, TX
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 27,181 residents in Balch Springs, a small city within Texas. The typical household in Balch Springs brings in $70,528 a year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 4.9%. Home values in Balch Springs run a median of $208,200, and the median resident age is 33.8 years. 11.4% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 61.2% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 67 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Rapid Growth), up 49% from five years earlier. Balch Springs's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: per-100,000 total crime stands at 3232.8 in FBI UCR data, above the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Texas tracks close to the national cost-of-living baseline: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Texas at 97.1 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Near Average). A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,149 per month statewide. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Texas's average monthly utility costs around $223 (state average). Natural-hazard exposure scores 49.0 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Balch Springs's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from comparison shortlist to schools and households to reported crime to work and mobility to housing and income to population change; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Balch Springs, city-specific coverage includes FBI reported-crime rates, local building permits, matched public-school count, annual population history, commute-mode shares.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
Which cities make useful reference points for Balch Springs?
Within Texas, the closest population matches are Celina (27,141 residents, $155,875 income); Fulshear (26,986 residents, $178,398 income); Alvin (27,700 residents, $68,769 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Wethersfield, CT (27,180 residents); Kent, OH (27,190 residents); New London, CT (27,199 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
What does the education layer cover for Balch Springs?
The NCES join finds 6 public schools within the city match. 11.4% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Balch Springs?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 3232.8 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 42% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
What does the journey to work look like in Balch Springs?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 72.8%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in Balch Springs?
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.0 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 4.9%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
Household income
$70,528
Home value
$208,200
Value / income
3.0×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Is Balch Springs growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -367 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -1.3% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 67 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
-1.3%
2025 estimate
27,258
2020 estimate
27,625
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
Above median income · poverty 4.9% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
97.1 (US=100)
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Texas average
D
City profile score · Balch Springs, TX
42/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Poverty rate B-
4.9%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Cost of living C-
97.1 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Household income C-
$70,528
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Violent crime F
418 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share F
11.4%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Balch Springs profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Poverty rate: 66/100 (B-) · 4.9%
Cost of living: 53/100 (C-) · 97.1 index
Household income: 50/100 (C-) · $70,528
Violent crime: 21/100 (F) · 418 /100k
Bachelor's+ share: 10/100 (F) · 11.4%
Where Balch Springs sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Balch Springs's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Balch Springs highlighted among 12 peers.Read the chart values
Balch Springs, TX (this city): home $208,200, crime 3,233/100k
Wethersfield, CT : home $300,500, crime 1,430/100k
Kent, OH : home $210,700, crime 1,399/100k
New London, CT : home $234,800, crime 1,594/100k
Mason City, IA : home $130,000, crime 2,546/100k
Pooler, GA : home $289,000, crime 1,796/100k
Celina, TX : home $458,000, crime 1,467/100k
Fulshear, TX : home $546,200, crime 422/100k
Alvin, TX : home $212,500, crime 1,863/100k
Lake Jackson, TX : home $248,900, crime 2,000/100k
Eagle Pass, TX : home $192,600, crime 2,041/100k
Forney, TX : home $323,500, crime 808/100k
How does Balch Springs compare to other US cities?
Balch Springs measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income50% higher than other cities
Home value45% pricier than other cities
Median rent40% pricier than other cities
Safety13% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at Texas, Balch Springs ranks #572 of 624 Texas cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Balch Springs against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Texas only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Texas-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Balch Springs near the bottom of Texas's cities
Among the 1,663 Texas cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Balch Springs ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Balch Springs only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#599 of 1,520
61st percentile in Texas
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,663
0th percentile in Texas
Median Home Value
#529 of 1,505
65th percentile in Texas
Poverty Rate
#1,127 of 1,663
32nd percentile in Texas
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#1,181 of 1,663
29th percentile in Texas
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Texas only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
50th percentile nationally for median household income · 13th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Balch Springs's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Balch Springs's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Balch Springs's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$208,200Among the most affordablemore affordable than 55% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Balch Springs's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.0×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#6,437 of 15,516
More affordable than 59% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#836 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 3.0×, Balch Springs sits in the affordable band:
national rank #6,437 of 15,516 and #836 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$70,528Balch Springs, TX median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Balch Springs, TX median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Balch Springs, TX.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)11.4%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)4.9%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)61.2%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
27,181
Median Income
$70,528
Median Home Value
$208,200
Median Age
33.8
Poverty Rate
4.9%
Labor force participation
61.2%
Bachelor's Degree+
11.4%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
3232.8
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
417.6
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
2815.2
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
6
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Balch Springs's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
27,625 residents
2021
27,168 residents
2022
27,029 residents
2023
27,055 residents
2024
27,340 residents
2025
27,258 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Rapid Growth
Total Permits (2024)
67
housing units authorized
Single-Family
67
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
2.5
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
45
45
0
$4.0M
2020
7
7
0
$1.5M
2021
9
9
0
$2.1M
2022
42
38
4
$10.3M
2023
94
94
0
$26.8M
2024
67
67
0
$19.2M
Permit volume increased 49% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
72.8%
Carpool
17.0%
Public Transit
1.2%
Walk
0.1%
Work from Home
8.5%
Based on 12,154 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Texas statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $223
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Texas at $223 (electricity about $130 , water and sewer about $48 ).
These are Texas statewide averages, not a meter reading for Balch Springs. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Texas's BEA cost-of-living index is 97.1 (Near Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Balch Springs is $1,149/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Texas statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 49.0 / 100 (Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Texas statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Balch Springs sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Balch Springs compares to similar-size Texas cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.