A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Down paymentRate%

Abernathy$1,180/mo

Typical home $184K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.43% · or rent about $868/mo · Housing →

Shallowater$2,090/mo

Typical home $308K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.85% · or rent about $1,202/mo · Housing →

The difference: $900 a month, about $10,800 a year, between Shallowater and Abernathy.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Shallowater places higher on 11 of 21 TX lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Texas ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety

AAbernathySafer than 91% of U.S. towns B+ShallowaterSafer than 65% of U.S. towns

Schools

B+AbernathyBetter than 74% of districts in the state A+ShallowaterBetter than 95% of districts in the state

Health

B−AbernathyHealthier than 54% of U.S. towns B+ShallowaterHealthier than 66% of U.S. towns

9Abernathy

11Shallowater

Lists won, of 21 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most conserved landOutdoors · 572 towns #283#534 Fastest growingGrowth · 640 towns #431#188 Lowest depressionHealth · 652 towns #148#383 Cheapest rentCost of living · 624 towns #94#316 Best schoolsSchools · 583 towns #162#22 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 652 towns #344#195 Lowest property taxCost of living · 647 towns #252#397 SafestSafety · 470 towns #14#109

Left end = #1 in Texas. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Abernathy’s rankings →

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons

AbernathyShallowater

Snow a year7″7″

January low24°F —

July high91°F —

Growing season (days)204d —

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)63rd 58th

Outdoors & history

AbernathyShallowater

Trails0 mi —

Conserved land2.1%—

Settled—1909

Archive photos5 —

Community

AbernathyShallowater

Library hours a week—20 hrs

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

12 miles apart

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

AbernathyShallowater

Abernathy ↔ Shallowater12 miles apart

Who commutes between them

13 Abernathy residents work in Shallowater (1.1% of its workers)

Work & commute in Abernathy →

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Only big differences vs Texas average

AbernathyShallowater

People

Population 3,278Highest 2,955Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +2.1%Lowest TX: +15.9% +19.3%Highest TX: +15.9%

Median age 34.8±4.1Lowest about the TX average 37.8±5.6Highest 6% above TX

Shallowater and Abernathy are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 33.4%±2.8Highest TX: 25% 31.1%±5Lowest TX: 25%

Abernathy and Shallowater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 12.5%±2Lowest TX: 13.4% 13.1%±3.4Highest TX: 13.4%

Shallowater and Abernathy are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 27%Highest TX: 33.8% 24.3%Lowest TX: 33.8%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.9%±1.9Lowest TX: 6.2% 7.2%±3.6Highest TX: 6.2%

Shallowater and Abernathy are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $87,531±$18kLowest 12% above TX $89,107±$18kHighest 14% above TX

Shallowater and Abernathy are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $176,400±$27kLowest 38% below TX $210,000±$73kHighest 26% below TX

Shallowater and Abernathy are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Rentmedian gross, monthly $868±$151Lowest 38% below TX $1,202±$349Highest 14% below TX

Shallowater and Abernathy are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $2,515Lowest 41% below TX $3,876Highest 8% below TX

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 28.5%±13.9Lowest TX: 51.7% 39.4%±13Highest TX: 51.7%

Shallowater and Abernathy are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 3%Lowest TX: 13.8% 3.7%Highest TX: 13.8%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 77.1%Highest TX: 62.6% 76.9%Lowest TX: 62.6%

Typical home builtmedian year 1966Lowest 26 yrs older than TX 1985Highest 7 yrs older than TX

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 22 minHighest 19% below TX 20 minLowest 27% below TX

Work from home 4.2%±2.2Lowest TX: 14.4% 6%±3.6Highest TX: 14.4%

Shallowater and Abernathy are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 12.2%Highest 9.5%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 19.8 miHighest 11.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.59Highest 0.56Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Lubbock (45%)Lubbock (56%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others 1% work in ShallowaterFew work in Abernathy

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 2.1%Highest 0.3%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 0.0 mi 0.0 mi

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Highest 0Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 80.5Lowest 83.0Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #162 of 583 in TX #22 of 583 in TX

School district ABERNATHY ISDSHALLOWATER ISD

High school in town Abernathy H SShallowater H S

Students per teacherat that high school 9.1Lowest 10.4Highest

Texas average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024

Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Abernathy neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Abernathy’s Town Square.

Shallowater neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Shallowater’s Town Square.

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Set another town beside Abernathy and Shallowater

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Towns like Abernathy

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Reno3,500 people · $236K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Abernathy vs Shallowater

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $900 more a month in Shallowater

Shallowater places higher on 11 of 21 TX lists

What daily life feels like in each

12 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Abernathy and Shallowater

Towns like Abernathy

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