The 10 Best Counties To Live In Texas For 2022


Using science and data, we can tell you which counties in Texas have the most for people looking to make the move to Texas.

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 places 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 helping people find the best places to live in America for years.

So, 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 251 counties in the state.

After the analytic dust settled, we identified the 10 best counties to live in Lone Star State for 2022.

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

So if you’re thinking of making the move Texas, we’ve got you covered. Keep on reading for a detailed methodology.

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

The Best Counties To Live In Texas For 2022

1. Armstrong County

Biggest Place: Claude

Population: 1,950
Median Income: $69,386.0 (28th best)
Median Home Price: $156,100.0 (56th best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.5% (9th best)
More on Armstrong County: Data

2. Rockwall County

Dallas, TX

Source: Flickr User TexasExplorer98 | CC BY 2.0

Biggest Place: Dallas

Population: 101,175
Median Income: $105,956.0 (best)
Median Home Price: $283,000.0 (8th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.7% (68th best)
More on Rockwall County: Photos | Data

3. Randall County

Amarillo, TX

Source: Wikipedia User Who What Where Nguyen Why | GFDL

Biggest Place: Amarillo

Population: 136,005
Median Income: $68,186.0 (3best)
Median Home Price: $174,100.0 (43rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.6% (62nd best)
More on Randall County: Photos | Data

4. Carson County

Panhandle, TX

Source: Wikipedia User The original uploader was | CC BY-SA 2.5-2.0-1.0

Biggest Place: Panhandle

Population: 5,957
Median Income: $74,246.0 (2best)
Median Home Price: $108,700.0 (139th best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.6% (19th best)
More on Carson County: Photos | Data

5. Kendall County

Boerne, TX

Source: Public domain

Biggest Place: Boerne

Population: 45,491
Median Income: $98,692.0 (4th best)
Median Home Price: $378,500.0 (best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.3% (99th best)
More on Kendall County: Photos | Data

6. Comal County

New Braunfels, TX

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

Biggest Place: San Antonio

Population: 148,921
Median Income: $80,781.0 (13th best)
Median Home Price: $293,600.0 (7th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.0% (82nd best)
More on Comal County: Photos | Data

7. Roberts County

Biggest Place: Miami

Population: 784
Median Income: $61,964.0 (50th best)
Median Home Price: $134,200.0 (89th best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.3% (15th best)
More on Roberts County: Data

8. Borden County

Biggest Place: Gail

Population: 653
Median Income: $83,281.0 (10th best)
Median Home Price: $156,300.0 (55th best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.5% (15best)
More on Borden County: Data

9. Williamson County

Austin, TX

Source: Wikipedia User Argash | GFDL

Biggest Place: Austin

Population: 570,437
Median Income: $90,834.0 (6th best)
Median Home Price: $282,700.0 (9th best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.0% (132nd best)
More on Williamson County: Photos | Data

10. Wilson County

Floresville, TX

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

Biggest Place: Floresville

Population: 50,110
Median Income: $80,082.0 (15th best)
Median Home Price: $210,600.0 (24th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.0% (80th best)
More on Wilson County: Photos | Data

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 need to make some assumptions about what’s a “best county” and what isn’t. And, for reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, don’t take this analysis to court.

With that in mind, we went to two of the best sources of data on the internet; the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent time 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
Best Places To Buy A House In Texas

We then ranked each county in Texas across each of the criteria from one to 251, 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, quiet, and best counties to raise a family in the Lone Star State.

Read on to see why Armstrong 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 2018

It turns out living in Texas can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?

But now you the know the really good parts and the parts to avoid and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day. And for that, you are welcome.

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

  1. Hudspeth County
  2. Culberson County
  3. Cochran County

For more Texas reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Best Counties In Texas

County Rank Population Median Income Median Home Price
Armstrong County 1 1,950 $69,386.0 $156,100.0
Rockwall County 2 101,175 $105,956.0 $283,000.0
Randall County 3 136,005 $68,186.0 $174,100.0
Carson County 4 5,957 $74,246.0 $108,700.0
Kendall County 5 45,491 $98,692.0 $378,500.0
Comal County 6 148,921 $80,781.0 $293,600.0
Roberts County 7 784 $61,964.0 $134,200.0
Borden County 8 653 $83,281.0 $156,300.0
Williamson County 9 570,437 $90,834.0 $282,700.0
Wilson County 10 50,110 $80,082.0 $210,600.0
Blanco County 11 11,733 $70,397.0 $261,300.0
Travis County 13 1,250,884 $80,668.0 $347,700.0
Denton County 14 861,690 $90,354.0 $297,100.0
Guadalupe County 15 163,030 $75,774.0 $207,700.0
Ellis County 16 179,484 $79,834.0 $214,500.0
Collin County 17 1,006,038 $100,541.0 $337,200.0
Parker County 18 138,447 $84,189.0 $236,300.0
Oldham County 19 2,110 $64,250.0 $103,800.0
Fayette County 20 25,247 $62,872.0 $193,200.0
Archer County 21 8,754 $63,958.0 $152,000.0
Gillespie County 22 26,668 $61,445.0 $311,300.0
Clay County 23 10,444 $63,125.0 $110,000.0
Taylor County 24 137,521 $55,568.0 $137,600.0
Midland County 25 171,238 $83,217.0 $233,200.0
Medina County 26 50,869 $62,701.0 $151,600.0
Lavaca County 27 20,072 $54,211.0 $171,000.0
Washington County 28 35,275 $59,623.0 $193,000.0
Austin County 29 29,892 $64,468.0 $197,200.0
Mason County 30 4,248 $61,434.0 $219,900.0
Hood County 31 60,025 $71,253.0 $208,700.0
Somervell County 32 8,958 $64,394.0 $205,800.0
Franklin County 33 10,767 $59,632.0 $144,300.0
Burnet County 34 47,548 $59,919.0 $203,300.0
Fort Bend County 35 790,892 $100,189.0 $277,600.0
Fisher County 36 3,827 $52,683.0 $63,900.0
Llano County 37 21,452 $58,941.0 $235,700.0
Brazoria County 38 368,062 $83,325.0 $213,100.0
Kerr County 39 52,195 $57,196.0 $193,900.0
Bosque County 40 18,428 $57,337.0 $135,500.0
Montgomery County 41 590,188 $83,274.0 $248,100.0
Johnson County 42 171,359 $65,311.0 $168,500.0
Hardin County 43 57,356 $61,221.0 $135,600.0
Martin County 44 5,676 $70,000.0 $145,700.0
Lampasas County 45 21,152 $64,808.0 $166,500.0
Wise County 46 67,884 $67,726.0 $178,200.0
Hartley County 47 5,588 $53,722.0 $179,200.0
Galveston County 48 337,600 $74,633.0 $212,600.0
Fannin County 49 35,046 $57,898.0 $139,200.0
Coryell County 50 75,576 $54,712.0 $120,700.0
Calhoun County 51 21,470 $57,170.0 $117,400.0
Hays County 52 222,827 $68,724.0 $258,000.0
Lee County 53 17,174 $56,696.0 $162,800.0
Chambers County 54 42,571 $95,989.0 $224,400.0
Tom Green County 55 118,645 $57,670.0 $149,700.0
Kaufman County 56 129,792 $72,179.0 $195,400.0
Van Zandt County 57 55,970 $57,203.0 $152,200.0
Kent County 58 704 $61,706.0 $64,700.0
Parmer County 59 9,639 $58,558.0 $110,000.0
Cooke County 60 40,428 $62,733.0 $166,700.0
Colorado County 61 21,357 $52,663.0 $131,400.0
Callahan County 62 13,959 $51,955.0 $100,000.0
Grayson County 63 133,527 $58,296.0 $152,400.0
Montague County 64 19,640 $57,511.0 $120,100.0
Erath County 65 42,226 $55,383.0 $166,300.0
Tarrant County 66 2,077,153 $70,306.0 $209,600.0
Terrell County 67 903 $42,823.0 $81,400.0
Wood County 68 45,054 $56,749.0 $151,400.0
Madison County 69 14,329 $60,499.0 $113,200.0
Hunt County 70 96,202 $57,467.0 $135,800.0
Bandera County 71 22,770 $60,361.0 $202,000.0
Irion County 72 1,553 $53,778.0 $122,000.0
Hamilton County 73 8,434 $46,893.0 $123,600.0
Hopkins County 74 36,708 $54,600.0 $119,600.0
Upton County 75 3,651 $59,008.0 $78,900.0
Waller County 76 53,626 $61,752.0 $222,700.0
Goliad County 77 7,578 $50,000.0 $129,000.0
Andrews County 78 18,227 $75,147.0 $153,200.0
Jack County 79 8,888 $54,087.0 $95,200.0
Rains County 80 12,001 $52,612.0 $131,100.0
Orange County 81 83,776 $63,488.0 $116,100.0
Burleson County 82 18,237 $60,058.0 $126,500.0
Bastrop County 83 86,839 $71,820.0 $199,300.0
Bell County 84 355,700 $54,987.0 $153,500.0
Kimble County 85 4,375 $46,602.0 $151,700.0
Freestone County 86 19,744 $52,232.0 $116,800.0
Gonzales County 87 20,828 $58,210.0 $113,700.0
Donley County 88 3,317 $51,875.0 $70,200.0
Smith County 89 230,184 $59,450.0 $164,200.0
Mcmullen County 90 724 $67,386.0 $111,300.0
Walker County 91 72,295 $41,508.0 $160,100.0
Comanche County 92 13,597 $54,889.0 $110,900.0
Panola County 93 23,186 $51,297.0 $117,000.0
Delta County 94 5,277 $49,868.0 $107,600.0
Glasscock County 95 1,447 $74,375.0 $303,300.0
Baylor County 96 3,560 $40,946.0 $69,100.0
Brazos County 97 226,370 $50,289.0 $217,700.0
Runnels County 98 10,280 $48,489.0 $85,200.0
Jackson County 99 14,822 $58,243.0 $110,100.0
Sterling County 100 1,274 $53,194.0 $75,000.0
Mills County 101 4,877 $50,198.0 $141,700.0
Download The Entire Texas Ranking Data
Editor’s Note: We updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the best counties to live in Texas.

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.

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