Matagorda County, Texas
Population 36,329 · Bay City, Palacios
- Overall cost of living: −12.2% vs the US average, lower than 56% of US counties.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
- Terrain relief: 63.1 ft, lower than 97% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−12.2% | lower than 56% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for all of Texas outside its metro areas. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $172,900 | lower than 56% of US counties |
| Median rent | $999 | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $184/mo | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $8,684/yr | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 1.35% | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 6.25% | higher than 66% of US counties |
| State income tax | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| Property tax paid / yr | $2,328 | higher than 72% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $58,628 | lower than 70% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 5.8% | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +8.6% | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 217.1 | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈234 days | higher than 81% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 92°F | higher than 79% of US counties |
| January low | 44°F | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | ≈1 in | lower than 75% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Danevang 1 W, TX, 17 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Hot days (90°F+) | 88 days | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 7 days | lower than 97% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 16.8% of weeks | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈73.4°F | higher than 97% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 46.6 in | higher than 62% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $342/yr | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $95/yr | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $240/yr | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $0.24/yr | lower than 89% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $3.4/yr | lower than 71% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $2.1/yr | higher than 67% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 9.5 µg/m³ | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 6.1 mi | lower than 94% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈63.1 ft | lower than 97% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 81% | lower than 93% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 22.2% | higher than 50% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 8% | higher than 57% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 1 | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 14.3:1 | higher than 57% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 94.3% | higher than 85% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | N/A | |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 6.92 | lower than 85% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.96 | lower than 56% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 0.9 | lower than 90% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 33/100k | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 2 | lower than 60% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 5★ | the highest in the US |
| Life expectancy | 74.2 yrs | lower than 64% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 21% | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 60/100k | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 36/100k | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 72.3% | higher than 64% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 74 min | higher than 74% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 119 min | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 24 min | lower than 47% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 86% | lower than 57% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.8% | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 6.1% | lower than 74% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 99 min | lower than 65% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 58 per sq mi | higher than 84% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 3.5 per 1k | higher than 77% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 13.5 per 1k | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Population | 36,329 | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Median age | 37.8 | lower than 81% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | -4.3 per 1k/yr | lower than 82% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 24.3% Dem | lower than 61% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 74.8% Rep | higher than 62% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 0.9% | lower than 66% of US counties |
| % White | 41.4% | lower than 91% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 43.7% | higher than 96% of US counties |
| % Black | 9.7% | higher than 75% of US counties |
| % Asian | 1.6% | higher than 78% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.1% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 2.6% | lower than 75% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.9% | higher than 92% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 52 parks | higher than 50% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 16.5 | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 3.3 | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 24 min | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 5.6% | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 7 | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 39 | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 32 km | lower than 80% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 0 km | lower than 57% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 3 | lower than 68% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 9 | lower than 57% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 3 | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 102 | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 4 | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 65 | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 0 km | the lowest in the US |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data