The 10 Best Counties To Live In Texas For 2024


The best counties in Texas are Rockwall County and Collin County for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

Some of you might be asking yourself, at this very moment, is Texas a good place?

The answer is unequivocally yes… if you know where to locate the best counties to live in Texas.

Lucky for you, we’re here to help you identify the best counties to live in the Lone Star State based on the most recently available data from the Census. And this isn’t our first rodeo — we’ve been using Saturday Night Science to rank places for years.

The question becomes if you wanted to relocate to the best part of Texas, where would you go? To answer that, we looked at crime, cost of living, and demographic data for all 253 counties in the state.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Table | FAQs | Summary


Rockwall County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in Texas. And you should avoid Hudspeth County if you can — at least according to the data.

Now you know exactly where to move in Texas. Keep on reading for more about the top ten and a detailed methodology.

Or, check out the best places to live in Texas and the cheapest places to live in Texas.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


The Best Counties To Live In Texas For 2024

1. Rockwall County

Dallas, TX

Source: Flickr User TexasExplorer98 | CC BY 2.0

Biggest Place: Dallas
Population: 110,631
Median Income: $121,303 (best)
Median Home Price: $418,509 (13th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.9% (9best)
More on Rockwall CountyData

2. Collin County

Allen, TX

Source: Wikipedia User MeekMark | CC BY-SA 3.0

Biggest Place: Dallas
Population: 1,079,153
Median Income: $113,255 (2nd best)
Median Home Price: $508,368 (4th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.2% (112th best)
More on Collin CountyData

3. Comal County

New Braunfels, TX

Source: Wikipedia User Billy Hathorn at en.wikipedia | GFDL

Biggest Place: San Antonio
Population: 165,201
Median Income: $93,744 (11th best)
Median Home Price: $450,175 (9th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.7% (83rd best)
More on Comal CountyData

4. Williamson County

Austin, TX

Source: Wikipedia User Argash | GFDL

Biggest Place: Austin
Population: 617,396
Median Income: $102,851 (8th best)
Median Home Price: $430,790 (11th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.4% (12best)
More on Williamson CountyData

5. Denton County

Aubrey, TX

Source: Wikipedia User Renelibrary | CC BY-SA 3.0

Biggest Place: Dallas
Population: 914,870
Median Income: $104,180 (7th best)
Median Home Price: $452,848 (8th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.0% (105th best)
More on Denton CountyData

6. Somervell County

Biggest Place: Glen Rose
Population: 9,337
Median Income: $87,899 (19th best)
Median Home Price: $376,510 (17th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.9% (98th best)
More on Somervell CountyData

7. Kendall County

Boerne, TX

Source: Public domain

Biggest Place: Boerne
Population: 45,376
Median Income: $104,196 (6th best)
Median Home Price: $580,678 (best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.8% (143rd best)
More on Kendall CountyData

8. Wilson County

Floresville, TX

Source: Wikipedia User Billy Hathorn | CC BY-SA 3.0

Biggest Place: Floresville
Population: 50,381
Median Income: $89,708 (16th best)
Median Home Price: $407,043 (15th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.4% (69th best)
More on Wilson CountyData

9. Randall County

Amarillo, TX

Source: Wikipedia User Who What Where Nguyen Why a/k/a Anonymous Cow | GFDL

Biggest Place: Amarillo
Population: 141,489
Median Income: $78,038 (33rd best)
Median Home Price: $242,374 (68th best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.8% (54th best)
More on Randall CountyData

10. Armstrong County

Biggest Place: Claude
Population: 1,912
Median Income: $70,417 (55th best)
Median Home Price: $185,741 (123rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.2% (7th best)
More on Armstrong CountyData

Methodology: How do you determine which Texas county is the best?

To give you the best county in Texas, we have to look at a handful of metrics that signal the quality of a place. To do that, we made assumptions about what’s in a “best county” and what isn’t. For reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, Saturday Night Science.

With that in mind, we went to two of the best data sources on the internet. Namely, the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent period.

We paid particular attention to:

  • Violent Crime Rates
  • Property Crime Rates
  • Median Home Values
  • Median Income
  • Unemployment Rates
  • Adult Education Levels
  • Health Insurance Coverage
  • Poverty Rates

We then ranked each county in Texas across each of the criteria from one to 253, with one being the best.

Taking the average rank across all criteria, we created a quality of life score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Best County To Live In Texas.”

The result is some of the safest, quietest, and best counties to raise a family in the Lone Star State.

We updated this article for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the best counties to live in Texas.

Read on to see why Rockwall County is the best county, while Hudspeth County is probably in contention for being the worst county in Texas.

Summary: The Best Counties In Texas To Call Home For 2024

Living in Texas can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?

The best counties in Texas are Rockwall County, Collin County, Comal County, Williamson County, Denton County, Somervell County, Kendall County, Wilson County, Randall County, and Armstrong County.

But now you know the outstanding parts and the parts to avoid, and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day.

You are welcome.

Here’s a look at the worst counties in Texas according to the data:

  1. Hudspeth County
  2. Starr County
  3. Willacy County

For more Texas reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Best Counties In Texas

Rank County Population Median Income Median Home Price
1 Rockwall County 110,631 $121,303 $418,509
2 Collin County 1,079,153 $113,255 $508,368
3 Comal County 165,201 $93,744 $450,175
4 Williamson County 617,396 $102,851 $430,790
5 Denton County 914,870 $104,180 $452,848
6 Somervell County 9,337 $87,899 $376,510
7 Kendall County 45,376 $104,196 $580,678
8 Wilson County 50,381 $89,708 $407,043
9 Randall County 141,489 $78,038 $242,374
10 Armstrong County 1,912 $70,417 $185,741
11 Parker County 151,188 $95,721 $421,065
12 Fayette County 24,564 $72,881 $437,169
13 Fort Bend County 832,607 $109,987 $376,638
14 Borden County 686 $80,625 $130,654
15 Guadalupe County 173,828 $88,111 $322,032
16 Travis County 1,289,054 $92,731 $507,742
17 Washington County 35,807 $70,043 $331,504
18 Mason County 3,959 $77,583 $291,445
19 Blanco County 11,608 $79,717 $577,316
20 Carson County 5,801 $83,199 $134,380
21 Montgomery County 629,989 $95,946 $347,339
22 Brazoria County 374,600 $91,972 $314,897
23 Medina County 51,432 $73,060 $299,689
24 Austin County 30,406 $73,556 $353,733
25 Ellis County 195,509 $93,248 $352,386
26 Hays County 245,351 $79,990 $409,545
27 Clay County 10,290 $75,227 $176,524
28 Hood County 62,459 $80,013 $363,193
29 Kaufman County 149,773 $84,075 $323,281
30 Wise County 70,062 $85,385 $376,171
31 Burnet County 49,684 $71,482 $456,731
32 Gillespie County 26,953 $70,162 $528,707
33 Lampasas County 21,829 $73,269 $291,494
34 Midland County 169,393 $90,123 $291,749
35 Johnson County 182,690 $77,058 $319,900
36 Galveston County 350,801 $83,913 $317,680
37 Roberts County 764 $62,667 $205,887
38 Mills County 4,501 $59,315 $182,553
39 Lavaca County 20,379 $58,530 $275,875
40 Kerr County 52,810 $66,713 $361,578
41 Glasscock County 1,068 $112,188 $248,875
42 Terrell County 862 $52,813 $102,034
43 Llano County 21,637 $64,241 $484,545
44 Lee County 17,543 $66,448 $337,870
45 Archer County 8,649 $69,954 $207,452
46 Franklin County 10,445 $67,915 $288,369
47 Grayson County 137,008 $66,608 $274,396
48 Rains County 12,257 $60,291 $284,604
49 Tom Green County 119,276 $67,215 $220,271
50 Hartley County 5,369 $78,065 $232,191
51 Cooke County 41,860 $66,374 $293,557
52 Burleson County 17,958 $71,745 $237,885
53 Tarrant County 2,113,854 $78,872 $323,680
54 Bandera County 21,182 $70,965 $351,662
55 Calhoun County 20,127 $62,267 $187,665
56 Kimble County 4,316 $62,386 $222,273
57 Chambers County 47,037 $106,103 $323,479
58 Taylor County 143,029 $61,806 $192,855
59 Sterling County 1,392 $63,558 $151,157
60 Coryell County 82,927 $63,281 $223,742
61 Kent County 635 $68,553 $95,796
62 Hardin County 56,576 $70,164 $214,324
63 Goliad County 7,092 $58,125 $252,453
64 Irion County 1,561 $54,708 $233,867
65 Fannin County 36,052 $65,835 $255,564
66 Smith County 234,667 $69,053 $267,587
67 Hemphill County 3,371 $67,798 $161,736
68 Bosque County 18,404 $63,868 $218,318
69 Bastrop County 98,435 $80,151 $366,386
70 Oldham County 2,171 $71,103 $156,735
71 Wood County 45,341 $61,748 $270,889
72 Hunt County 101,596 $66,885 $282,596
73 Callahan County 13,869 $63,906 $159,492
74 Colorado County 20,582 $63,352 $237,662
75 Montague County 20,197 $63,336 $214,254
76 Brewster County 9,454 $47,747 $227,593
77 Freestone County 19,599 $55,902 $213,677
78 Delta County 5,278 $68,491 $172,268
79 Orange County 84,761 $71,910 $169,184
80 Aransas County 24,048 $58,168 $328,292
81 Waller County 57,463 $71,643 $349,183
82 Van Zandt County 60,053 $62,334 $267,431
83 Bell County 372,821 $62,858 $255,051
84 Sherman County 2,414 $66,169 $126,281
85 Brazos County 234,548 $57,562 $297,269
86 Hamilton County 8,244 $54,890 $197,825
87 Fisher County 3,680 $60,461 $86,799
88 Upshur County 41,261 $60,456 $234,008
89 Shackelford County 3,134 $60,924 $139,151
90 Lubbock County 311,509 $61,911 $206,421
91 Madison County 13,556 $65,768 $264,125
92 Bexar County 2,014,059 $67,275 $265,393
93 Baylor County 3,475 $52,716 $88,547
94 Mclennan County 261,090 $59,781 $256,638
95 Gregg County 124,245 $63,811 $212,707
96 Reagan County 3,308 $70,319 $162,238
97 Caldwell County 46,141 $66,779 $308,559
98 Young County 17,903 $65,565 $156,120
99 Motley County 1,223 $66,528 $80,588
100 Crane County 4,636 $71,364 $169,458
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.