Is Hale Center, TX a Good Place to Live?
Hale Center is a small town of 1,866 in Texas, with a median household income of $47,130 and a 2.1% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 88 (US average = 100), which is 12% below the national average.
Strengths: Hale Center 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: No major red flags stand out in the available data. Whether Hale Center is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All Hale Center 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: 87.5Hale Center's overall cost of living index is 87.5, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in Hale Center costs roughly 12% less than the average American city.
| Metric | Hale Center, TX | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $83,700 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $673 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 84.0% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $47,130 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Very SafeHale Center's violent crime rate is 50.6 per 100,000 residents — 87% lower than the national average of ~380 per 100,000.
Vertical marker = national average. Source: FBI UCR Program.
Schools & Education
Hale Center is served primarily by HALE CENTER ISD. The student-to-teacher ratio is 10.0:1 (better than the national average of ~16:1).
| Metric | Hale Center, TX | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | HALE CENTER ISD | — |
| Elementary Schools | 1 | — |
| Middle Schools | 1 | — |
| High Schools | 1 | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | 10.0:1 | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 7.6% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 63.8% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
Hale Center sees average highs of 52.6°F in January and 91.4°F in July, with 18.4 inches of annual precipitation and 7.0 inches of snow per year.
| Metric | Hale Center, TX |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 52.6°F |
| Average High — July | 91.4°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 18.4" |
| Annual Snowfall | 7.0" |
Demographics
| Metric | Hale Center, TX | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,866 | — |
| Median Age | 50.5 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 2.1% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 13.7 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 59.4% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 8.3% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 24.6% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 0.0% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 18.8% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 18.7% | 16.8% |
Nearby Cities
ZIP Codes in Hale Center
Hale Center, TX is covered by 1 ZIP code: