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-SAN-BENITO-TX · San Benito, TX 24,677 pop · income 9th 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 San Benito
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest San Benito on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Zanesville · lowest
39,085
Zanesville · lowest
39,085 median HH income
28.5% of the leader · rank #1
Galax · near
41,438
Galax · near
41,438 median HH income
30.2% of the leader · rank #2
San Benito · this city
41,445
San Benito · this city
41,445 median HH income
30.2% of the leader · rank #3
Clinton · near
41,447
Clinton · near
41,447 median HH income
30.2% of the leader · rank #4
Luttrell · near
41,453
Luttrell · near
41,453 median HH income
30.2% of the leader · rank #5
Elberton · near
41,454
Elberton · near
41,454 median HH income
30.2% of the leader · rank #6
Pecan Grove · highest
137,275
Pecan Grove · highest
137,275 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 San Benito 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: 24,677.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
San Benito - the verdict
San Benito ranks in the 9th percentile for household income and the 14th percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
9th
percentile, household income
5th
percentile, home value
40th
percentile, median rent
14th
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: San Benito, TX
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 24,677 residents in San Benito, a small city within Texas. Median household income here is $41,445 per year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 23.9%. San Benito's housing stock carries a median value of $85,100, and the median resident age is 32.3 years. About 13.2% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 48.7% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 111 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Building Boom), up 131% from five years earlier. San Benito's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: per-100,000 total crime stands at 3162.2 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: 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). 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 San Benito'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 schools and households to population change to reported crime to housing and income to work and mobility to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For San Benito, city-specific coverage includes FBI reported-crime rates, commute-mode shares, matched public-school count, local building permits, annual population history.
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.
1. Schools and households
What does the education layer cover for San Benito?
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.
The NCES join finds 32 public schools within the city match. 13.2% 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.
Is San Benito growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +20 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +0.1% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 111 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
The recent population line is broadly flat. That makes the composition of change more important than the headline count: housing turnover, household size, and age structure can shift even when the total barely moves.
What can the FBI record say about safety in San Benito?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 3162.2 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 39% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
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.
Which cities make useful reference points for San Benito?
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.
Within Texas, the closest population matches are Paris (24,678 residents, $45,439 income); Cloverleaf (24,630 residents, $56,371 income); Big Spring (24,769 residents, $70,532 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Morton Grove, IL (24,687 residents); Suitland, MD (24,667 residents); Socastee, SC (24,629 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.
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 San Benito?
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. The ratio makes housing the clearest place to start this profile, but a low multiple can coexist with slow demand, older stock, or household-level hardship. Compare the home-value distribution and same-state peer table before treating it as an advantage.
The home-value-to-income reference is relatively compact: the ACS median home value is 2.1 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 23.9%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Value / income
2.1×
Home value
$85,100
Household income
$41,445
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
What does the journey to work look like in San Benito?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 75.6%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
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.
Drive alone
75.6%
Work from home
9.7%
Public transit
0.9%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 8,837 workers age 16+.
Lowest-decile income · poverty 23.9% (Highest-decile poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
97.1 (US=100)
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Texas average
F
City profile score · San Benito, TX
24/100
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.
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
263 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share F
13.2%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income F
$41,445
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate F
23.9%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
San Benito profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 53/100 (C-) · 97.1 index
Violent crime: 39/100 (F) · 263 /100k
Bachelor's+ share: 15/100 (F) · 13.2%
Household income: 9/100 (F) · $41,445
Poverty rate: 7/100 (F) · 23.9%
Where San Benito sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
San Benito'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 - San Benito highlighted among 8 peers.Read the chart values
San Benito, TX (this city): home $85,100, crime 3,162/100k
Morton Grove, IL : home $377,000, crime 1,182/100k
Zanesville, OH : home $106,900, crime 3,174/100k
Belton, MO : home $185,400, crime 2,207/100k
Paris, TX : home $128,300, crime 3,327/100k
Big Spring, TX : home $138,800, crime 3,548/100k
Kerrville, TX : home $272,700, crime 728/100k
Saginaw, TX : home $270,300, crime 1,637/100k
How does San Benito compare to other US cities?
Where San Benito sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income9% higher than other cities
Home value5% pricier than other cities
Median rent40% pricier than other cities
Safety14% 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, San Benito ranks #570 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 San Benito 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 San Benito near the bottom of Texas's cities
Among the 1,663 Texas cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, San Benito ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares San Benito only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#1,341 of 1,520
12th percentile in Texas
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,663
0th percentile in Texas
Median Home Value
#1,251 of 1,505
17th percentile in Texas
Poverty Rate
#216 of 1,663
87th percentile in Texas
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#1,073 of 1,663
35th 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
9th percentile nationally for median household income · 14th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
San Benito's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
San Benito'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 San Benito's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$85,100Among the most affordablemore affordable than 95% 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
San Benito's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.1×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#1,836 of 15,516
More affordable than 88% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#83 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 2.1×, San Benito sits in the affordable band:
national rank #1,836 of 15,516 and #83 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
$41,445San Benito, TX median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context San Benito, 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 San Benito, TX.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)13.2%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)23.9%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)48.7%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
24,677
Median Income
$41,445
Median Home Value
$85,100
Median Age
32.3
Poverty Rate
23.9%
Labor force participation
48.7%
Bachelor's Degree+
13.2%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
3162.2
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
262.5
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
2899.7
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
32
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
San Benito's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
24,960 residents
2021
24,830 residents
2022
24,849 residents
2023
24,788 residents
2024
24,991 residents
2025
24,980 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
111
housing units authorized
Single-Family
111
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
4.5
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
48
44
4
$3.9M
2020
52
52
0
$6.5M
2021
60
60
0
$7.4M
2022
55
31
24
$5.4M
2023
99
99
0
$15.8M
2024
111
111
0
$22.0M
Permit volume increased 131% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
75.6%
Carpool
12.4%
Public Transit
0.9%
Walk
0.6%
Work from Home
9.7%
Other
0.8%
Based on 8,837 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 San Benito. 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 San Benito 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 San Benito sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How San Benito 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.