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Is El Paso, TX a Good Place to Live?
El Paso is a large city of 677,181 in Texas, with a median household income of $55,710 and a 6.8% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 90 (US average = 100), which is 10% below the national average.
Strengths: El Paso stands out for an affordable cost of living, below-average home prices, lower-than-average crime, solid school ratings (B-), short average commutes.
Trade-offs: Potential downsides include an elevated unemployment rate. Whether El Paso is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All El Paso city data on this page comes from official government sources — the US Census Bureau, FBI, NCES, BEA, and NOAA — updated annually.
Cost of Living
Index: 90.2El Paso's overall cost of living index is 90.2, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in El Paso costs roughly 10% less than the average American city.
| Metric | El Paso, TX | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $159,300 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $976 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 59.5% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $55,710 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Safer than AverageEl Paso's violent crime rate is 278.4 per 100,000 residents — 27% lower than the national average of ~380 per 100,000.
Vertical marker = national average. Source: FBI UCR Program.
Schools & Education
El Paso is served primarily by EL PASO ISD. The student-to-teacher ratio is 14.5:1 (better than the national average of ~16:1).
| Metric | El Paso, TX | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | EL PASO ISD | — |
| Elementary Schools | 51 | — |
| Middle Schools | 9 | — |
| High Schools | 17 | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | 14.5:1 | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 27.1% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 81.5% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
El Paso sees average highs of 58.6°F in January and 95.8°F in July, with 10.3 inches of annual precipitation and 2.8 inches of snow per year.
| Metric | El Paso, TX |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 58.6°F |
| Average High — July | 95.8°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 10.3" |
| Annual Snowfall | 2.8" |
Demographics
| Metric | El Paso, TX | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 677,181 | — |
| Median Age | 33.7 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 6.8% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 23.7 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 49.4% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 3.6% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 42.8% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 1.4% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 25.4% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 13.5% | 16.8% |
Nearby Cities
ZIP Codes in El Paso
El Paso, TX is covered by 18 ZIP codes: