Side-by-side metrics and state or size-class ranks use the same Census and FBI fields shown on this profile. Results stay in the URL so you can bookmark or share them.
Place dossier plate
SheetTX-PORT-ARANSAS-TX · Port Aransas, TX 3,141 pop · income 69th 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 Port Aransas
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Port Aransas on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Denmark · lowest
33,100
Denmark · lowest
33,100 median HH income
19.1% of the leader · rank #1
Buffalo · near
88,306
Buffalo · near
88,306 median HH income
50.8% of the leader · rank #2
New Franklin · near
88,306
New Franklin · near
88,306 median HH income
50.8% of the leader · rank #3
Port Aransas · this city
88,311
Port Aransas · this city
88,311 median HH income
50.8% of the leader · rank #4
South Miami · near
88,313
South Miami · near
88,313 median HH income
50.8% of the leader · rank #5
Elgin · near
88,316
Elgin · near
88,316 median HH income
50.8% of the leader · rank #6
Hopkinton · highest
173,750
Hopkinton · highest
173,750 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 Port Aransas 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: 3,141.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Port Aransas - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Port Aransas places in the 69th percentile for household income and the 3rd percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
69th
percentile, household income
84th
percentile, home value
40th
percentile, median rent
3rd
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: Port Aransas, TX
Port Aransas is a small town in Texas, home to 3,141 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Port Aransas households earn a median of $88,311 annually, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 4.4%. Home values in Port Aransas run a median of $490,200, and the median resident age is 53.5 years. Educational attainment runs 37.1% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 55.4% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 347 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Building Boom), up 89% from five years earlier. Port Aransas's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: per-100,000 total crime stands at 5386.1 in FBI UCR data, above the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score). The annual average temperature per NOAA climate normals runs 70.2°F with 39.6 inches of precipitation per year.
Texas tracks close to the national cost-of-living baseline: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Texas scores 97.1 (Near Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,149 monthly. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Texas's average monthly utility costs around $223 (state average). FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 49.0 out of 100 (Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Port Aransas'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 climate and hazard context to housing and income to work and mobility to population change to reported crime to schools and households to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Port Aransas, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, annual population history, FBI reported-crime rates, local building permits, matched public-school count.
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
What physical conditions frame life in Port Aransas?
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 70.2°F, with 39.6 inches of precipitation. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for Texas is 49.0 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
How far does income reach against housing in Port Aransas?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 5.6 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 4.4%, 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. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
What does the journey to work look like in Port Aransas?
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 69.1%. 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 Port Aransas?
Within Texas, the closest population matches are Henrietta (3,143 residents, $63,242 income); Bishop (3,133 residents, $58,385 income); Onalaska (3,133 residents, $44,216 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Beloit, KS (3,141 residents); Denmark, SC (3,141 residents); Bucksport, ME (3,140 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.
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.
Population change
Is Port Aransas 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 +849 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +29.0% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 347 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
+29.0%
2025 estimate
3,773
2020 estimate
2,924
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Port Aransas?
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 5386.1 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 136% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
5028.9
Violent rate
357.2
Total reported rate
5386.1
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
What does the education layer cover for Port Aransas?
The NCES join finds 3 public schools within the city match. 37.1% 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.
Matched public schools
3
Bachelor's degree+
37.1%
Poverty estimate
4.4%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
Above median income · poverty 4.4% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
97.1 (US=100)
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Texas average
C
City profile score · Port Aransas, TX
57/100
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.
Bachelor's+ share B
37.1%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate B-
4.4%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income B-
$88,311
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
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.
Violent crime F
357 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Port Aransas profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Bachelor's+ share: 70/100 (B) · 37.1%
Poverty rate: 69/100 (B-) · 4.4%
Household income: 68/100 (B-) · $88,311
Cost of living: 53/100 (C-) · 97.1 index
Violent crime: 25/100 (F) · 357 /100k
Where Port Aransas sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Port Aransas'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 - Port Aransas highlighted among 9 peers.Read the chart values
Port Aransas, TX (this city): home $490,200, crime 5,386/100k
Beloit, KS : home $99,100, crime 1,106/100k
Denmark, SC : home $73,000, crime 3,542/100k
Bucksport, ME : home $193,800, crime 595/100k
Hopkinton, MA : home $601,900, crime 327/100k
Bishop, TX : home $115,900, crime 590/100k
Onalaska, TX : home $121,900, crime 1,742/100k
Combes, TX : home $106,800, crime 1,385/100k
San Saba, TX : home $112,200, crime 289/100k
How does Port Aransas compare to other US cities?
Here's how Port Aransas stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income69% higher than other cities
Home value84% pricier than other cities
Median rent40% pricier than other cities
Safety3% 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, Port Aransas ranks #611 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 Port Aransas 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 Port Aransas near the bottom of Texas's cities
Among the 1,663 Texas cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Port Aransas ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Port Aransas only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#350 of 1,520
77th percentile in Texas
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,663
0th percentile in Texas
Median Home Value
#83 of 1,505
94th percentile in Texas
Poverty Rate
#1,174 of 1,663
29th percentile in Texas
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#265 of 1,663
84th 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
69th percentile nationally for median household income · 3rd percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Port Aransas's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Port Aransas'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 Port Aransas's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$490,20016th percentilemore affordable than 16% 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
Port Aransas's home-value-to-income ratio: 5.6×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#13,643 of 15,516
More affordable than 12% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#10,195 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 5.6×, Port Aransas sits in the pressured band:
national rank #13,643 of 15,516 and #10,195 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median, a comparison flag, not a verdict on any household.
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
$88,311Port Aransas, TX median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Port Aransas, 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 Port Aransas, TX.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)37.1%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)4.4%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)55.4%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
3,141
Median Income
$88,311
Median Home Value
$490,200
Median Age
53.5
Poverty Rate
4.4%
Labor force participation
55.4%
Bachelor's Degree+
37.1%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
5386.1
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
357.2
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
5028.9
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.
Climate
Avg Temperature
70.2°F
Annual Precipitation
39.6"
Annual Snowfall
N/A
Schools
Total Schools
3
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Port Aransas's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
2,924 residents
2021
3,089 residents
2022
3,264 residents
2023
3,434 residents
2024
3,607 residents
2025
3,773 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
347
housing units authorized
Single-Family
300
detached homes
Multifamily
47
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
110.5
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
184
162
22
$41.1M
2020
330
143
187
$72.3M
2021
398
164
234
$84.4M
2022
335
335
0
$85.8M
2023
344
275
69
$80.0M
2024
347
300
47
$83.8M
Permit volume increased 89% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
69.1%
Carpool
6.0%
Public Transit
0.7%
Walk
5.8%
Work from Home
11.1%
Other
7.3%
Based on 1,509 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 Port Aransas. 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 Port Aransas 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 Port Aransas sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Port Aransas 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, NOAA Climate Normals, 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.