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Place dossier plate
SheetTX-TOMBALL-TX · Tomball, TX 13,032 pop · income 52nd 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 Tomball
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Tomball on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Mountain Home · lowest
42,103
Mountain Home · lowest
42,103 median HH income
24.2% of the leader · rank #1
Tomball · this city
71,426
Tomball · this city
71,426 median HH income
41.1% of the leader · rank #2
Perdido Beach · near
71,429
Perdido Beach · near
71,429 median HH income
41.1% of the leader · rank #3
Hudson · near
71,429
Hudson · near
71,429 median HH income
41.1% of the leader · rank #4
Russellville · near
71,429
Russellville · near
71,429 median HH income
41.1% of the leader · rank #5
Reardan · near
71,429
Reardan · near
71,429 median HH income
41.1% of the leader · rank #6
Linganore · highest
173,763
Linganore · highest
173,763 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 Tomball 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: 13,032.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Tomball - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Tomball lands in the 52nd percentile for household income and the 27th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
52nd
percentile, household income
66th
percentile, home value
40th
percentile, median rent
27th
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: Tomball, TX
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 13,032 residents in Tomball, a small town within Texas. Median household income here is $71,426 per year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 6.4%. Tomball's housing stock carries a median value of $306,400, and the median resident age is 38.6 years. 32.1% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 58.2% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 345 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Building Boom), up 252% from five years earlier. Crime here tracks close to the national norm: per-100,000 total crime stands at 2237.2 in FBI UCR data, near 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). 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 Tomball'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 population change to housing and income to work and mobility 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 Tomball, city-specific coverage includes FBI reported-crime rates, commute-mode shares, local building permits, annual population history, 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.
1. Population change
Is Tomball 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 +3,459 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +28.1% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 345 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 Tomball?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 4.3 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 6.4%, 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 Tomball?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 67.3%. 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 Tomball?
Within Texas, the closest population matches are Athens (13,013 residents, $70,601 income); Manvel (12,873 residents, $113,938 income); Santa Fe (12,828 residents, $95,815 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Smyrna, DE (13,031 residents); D'Iberville, MS (13,033 residents); Mango, FL (13,037 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.
Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Tomball?
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 2237.2 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, near the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 2% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
1968.4
Violent rate
268.7
Total reported rate
2237.2
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
The NCES join finds 22 public schools within the city match. 32.1% 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
22
Bachelor's degree+
32.1%
Poverty estimate
6.4%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
Above median income · poverty 6.4% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
97.1 (US=100)
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Texas average
C-
City profile score · Tomball, TX
51/100
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 C+
32.1%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate C
6.4%
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-
$71,426
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Violent crime F
269 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Tomball profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Bachelor's+ share: 62/100 (C+) · 32.1%
Poverty rate: 56/100 (C) · 6.4%
Cost of living: 53/100 (C-) · 97.1 index
Household income: 51/100 (C-) · $71,426
Violent crime: 38/100 (F) · 269 /100k
Where Tomball sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Tomball'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 - Tomball highlighted among 10 peers.Read the chart values
Tomball, TX (this city): home $306,400, crime 2,237/100k
Smyrna, DE : home $273,400, crime 2,450/100k
Blytheville, AR : home $101,200, crime 5,780/100k
Mountain Home, AR : home $160,200, crime 2,532/100k
Athens, TX : home $205,700, crime 1,830/100k
Manvel, TX : home $321,600, crime 1,168/100k
Santa Fe, TX : home $290,200, crime 820/100k
Henderson, TX : home $166,900, crime 3,163/100k
Robinson, TX : home $269,000, crime 623/100k
Andrews, TX : home $186,700, crime 1,563/100k
How does Tomball compare to other US cities?
Where Tomball sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income52% higher than other cities
Home value66% pricier than other cities
Median rent40% pricier than other cities
Safety27% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Zoom in to just Texas and the picture shifts: Tomball ranks #486 of 624 Texas cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Tomball 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 Tomball near the bottom of Texas's cities
Among the 1,663 Texas cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Tomball ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Tomball only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#572 of 1,520
62nd percentile in Texas
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,663
0th percentile in Texas
Median Home Value
#257 of 1,505
83rd percentile in Texas
Poverty Rate
#994 of 1,663
40th percentile in Texas
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#343 of 1,663
79th 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
52nd percentile nationally for median household income · 27th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Tomball's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Tomball'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 Tomball's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$306,40034th percentilemore affordable than 34% 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
Tomball's home-value-to-income ratio: 4.3×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#11,494 of 15,516
More affordable than 26% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#2,216 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 4.3×, Tomball sits in the moderate band:
national rank #11,494 of 15,516 and #2,216 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
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
$71,426Tomball, TX median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Tomball, 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 Tomball, TX.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)32.1%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)6.4%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)58.2%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
13,032
Median Income
$71,426
Median Home Value
$306,400
Median Age
38.6
Poverty Rate
6.4%
Labor force participation
58.2%
Bachelor's Degree+
32.1%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
2237.2
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
268.7
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1968.4
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
22
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Tomball's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
12,309 residents
2021
12,733 residents
2022
13,659 residents
2023
14,342 residents
2024
15,123 residents
2025
15,768 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
345
housing units authorized
Single-Family
345
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
26.5
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
98
98
0
$21.2M
2020
350
350
0
$81.8M
2021
448
448
0
$106.5M
2022
339
339
0
$85.1M
2023
332
332
0
$82.3M
2024
345
345
0
$85.8M
Permit volume increased 252% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
67.3%
Carpool
13.0%
Public Transit
0.1%
Walk
0.6%
Work from Home
18.4%
Other
0.6%
Based on 6,005 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 Tomball. 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 Tomball 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 Tomball sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Tomball 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.