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Place dossier plate
SheetTX-COTTONWOOD-SHORES-TX · Cottonwood Shores, TX 1,626 pop · income 42nd 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 Cottonwood Shores
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Cottonwood Shores on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Comanche · lowest
39,667
Comanche · lowest
39,667 median HH income
20.6% of the leader · rank #1
Tipton · near
64,709
Tipton · near
64,709 median HH income
33.5% of the leader · rank #2
Cottonwood Sh… · this city
64,716
Cottonwood Sh… · this city
64,716 median HH income
33.5% of the leader · rank #3
Caruthers · near
64,722
Caruthers · near
64,722 median HH income
33.5% of the leader · rank #4
Inglewood · near
64,722
Inglewood · near
64,722 median HH income
33.5% of the leader · rank #5
Milton Center · near
64,722
Milton Center · near
64,722 median HH income
33.5% of the leader · rank #6
Southside Pla… · highest
193,021
Southside Pla… · highest
193,021 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 Cottonwood Shores 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: 1,626.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Cottonwood Shores - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Cottonwood Shores places in the 42nd percentile for household income and the 95th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
42nd
percentile, household income
52nd
percentile, home value
40th
percentile, median rent
95th
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: Cottonwood Shores, TX
Texas's Cottonwood Shores is a small town, with 1,626 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. Median household income here is $64,716 per year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 6.0%. Cottonwood Shores's housing stock carries a median value of $236,200, and the median resident age is 34.0 years. Educational attainment runs 21.6% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 73.7% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 13 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 65% from five years earlier. Cottonwood Shores reports a comparatively low crime rate: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 236.5 incidents per 100,000 residents, below the national average (voluntary agency reporting, reflects 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). Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,149 monthly. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Texas run around $223, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 49.0 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Cottonwood Shores'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 work and mobility to comparison shortlist to population change to housing and income to reported crime; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Cottonwood Shores, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, local building permits, commute-mode shares, FBI reported-crime rates.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles, matched public-school count; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Cottonwood Shores?
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 81.6%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Which cities make useful reference points for Cottonwood Shores?
Within Texas, the closest population matches are West Sharyland (1,624 residents, $43,288 income); Beverly Hills (1,631 residents, $50,515 income); Southside Place (1,631 residents, $193,021 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Roxana, IL (1,626 residents); Rio Rancho Estates, NM (1,626 residents); Ripley, OH (1,626 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.
Is Cottonwood Shores growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +273 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +19.1% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 13 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
How far does income reach against housing in Cottonwood Shores?
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.6 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 6.0%, 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.
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.
Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Cottonwood Shores?
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 236.5 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 90% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
236.5
Violent rate
0.0
Total reported rate
236.5
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Below median income · poverty 6.0% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
97.1 (US=100)
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Texas average
C
City profile score · Cottonwood Shores, TX
58/100
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.
Violent crime A+
0 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Poverty rate C
6.0%
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 D
$64,716
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Bachelor's+ share F
21.6%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Cottonwood Shores profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Violent crime: 97/100 (A+) · 0 /100k
Poverty rate: 59/100 (C) · 6.0%
Cost of living: 53/100 (C-) · 97.1 index
Household income: 42/100 (D) · $64,716
Bachelor's+ share: 39/100 (F) · 21.6%
Where Cottonwood Shores sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Cottonwood Shores'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 - Cottonwood Shores highlighted among 27 peers.Read the chart values
Cottonwood Shores, TX (this city): home $236,200, crime 237/100k
Roxana, IL : home $101,800, crime 1,141/100k
St. Matthews, SC : home $146,600, crime 1,756/100k
Beaver, OK : home $123,500, crime 636/100k
Comanche, OK : home $71,200, crime 1,274/100k
Beverly Hills, TX : home $116,500, crime 3,378/100k
Southside Place, TX : home $1,702,600, crime 1,128/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does Cottonwood Shores compare to other US cities?
Here's how Cottonwood Shores stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income42% higher than other cities
Home value52% pricier than other cities
Median rent40% pricier than other cities
Safety95% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to Texas alone, Cottonwood Shores ranks #33 of 624 Texas cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Cottonwood Shores 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 Cottonwood Shores near the bottom of Texas's cities
Among the 1,663 Texas cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Cottonwood Shores ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Cottonwood Shores only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#717 of 1,520
53rd percentile in Texas
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,663
0th percentile in Texas
Median Home Value
#429 of 1,505
71st percentile in Texas
Poverty Rate
#1,028 of 1,663
38th percentile in Texas
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#617 of 1,663
63rd 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
42nd percentile nationally for median household income · 95th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Cottonwood Shores's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Cottonwood Shores'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 Cottonwood Shores's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$236,20048th percentilemore affordable than 48% 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
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#9,546 of 15,516
More affordable than 38% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#7,622 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 3.6×, Cottonwood Shores sits in the moderate band:
national rank #9,546 of 15,516 and #7,622 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
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
$64,716Cottonwood Shores, TX median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Cottonwood Shores, 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 Cottonwood Shores, TX.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)21.6%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)6.0%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)73.7%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
1,626
Median Income
$64,716
Median Home Value
$236,200
Median Age
34.0
Poverty Rate
6.0%
Labor force participation
73.7%
Bachelor's Degree+
21.6%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
236.5
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
0.0
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
236.5
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.
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Cottonwood Shores's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
1,428 residents
2021
1,519 residents
2022
1,566 residents
2023
1,638 residents
2024
1,683 residents
2025
1,701 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
13
housing units authorized
Single-Family
13
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
8
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
37
37
0
$7.6M
2020
35
35
0
$5.0M
2021
25
25
0
$5.4M
2022
32
32
0
$8.2M
2023
40
40
0
$11.5M
2024
13
13
0
$3.9M
Permit volume decreased 65% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
81.6%
Carpool
10.2%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
6.6%
Other
1.6%
Based on 923 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 Cottonwood Shores. 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 Cottonwood Shores 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 Cottonwood Shores sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Cottonwood Shores 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, 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.