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%

Albany$1,100/mo

Typical home $172K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.37% · or rent about $726/mo · Housing →

Lorena$2,260/mo

Typical home $345K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.55% · or rent about $867/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,160 a month, about $13,900 a year, between Lorena and Albany.

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

Grades and rankings, side by side

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

–AlbanyNot graded B−LorenaSafer than 46% of U.S. towns

Schools

B−AlbanyBetter than 53% of districts in the state ALorenaBetter than 87% of districts in the state

Health

BAlbanyHealthier than 62% of U.S. towns A−LorenaHealthier than 83% of U.S. towns

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

AlbanyLorena

Snow a year2″0″

January low32°F —

July high95°F —

Growing season (days)225d —

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)48th 8th

Outdoors & history

AlbanyLorena

Trails0 mi —

Conserved land0%—

Settled1874 —

National Register places1 —

Archive photos1 8

Famous people born here7 —

Community

AlbanyLorena

Library hours a week34 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

153 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

AlbanyTX LorenaTX

Albany ↔ Lorena153 miles apart

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

AlbanyLorena

People

Population 1,849Highest 1,497Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -8.8%Lowest TX: +15.9% +5.6%Highest TX: +15.9%

Median age 42.3±3Highest 19% above TX 41.4±6.5Lowest 16% above TX

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

Kids under 18 19.1%±3.9Lowest TX: 25% 27.6%±4.3Highest TX: 25%

Age 65+ 21.3%±4.4Highest TX: 13.4% 18.6%±2.5Lowest TX: 13.4%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 35.3%Lowest TX: 33.8% 37.7%Highest TX: 33.8%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.1%±3.2Highest TX: 6.2% 5.9%±3Lowest TX: 6.2%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $68,000±$14kLowest 13% below TX $88,250±$15kHighest 12% above TX

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $173,600±$41kLowest 39% below TX $281,000±$16kHighest about the TX average

Rentmedian gross, monthly $726±$210Lowest 48% below TX $867±$832Highest 38% below TX

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

Property taxmedian, yearly $2,372Lowest 44% below TX $4,346Highest about the TX average

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 40.3%±13Lowest TX: 51.7% 74.1%±16.7Highest TX: 51.7%

Below poverty line 10.5%Highest TX: 13.8% 4.6%Lowest TX: 13.8%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 76.4%Lowest TX: 62.6% 79.9%Highest TX: 62.6%

Typical home builtmedian year 1961Lowest 31 yrs older than TX 1983Highest 9 yrs older than TX

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 22 minHighest 16% below TX 20 minLowest 25% below TX

Work from home 9.7%±6.2Highest TX: 14.4% 6.7%±3.8Lowest TX: 14.4%

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

Work in townworking residents 15%Highest 6.2%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 34.8 miHighest 12.8 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.77Lowest 1.64Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Abilene (19%)Waco (39%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in LorenaFew work in Albany

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 1.7%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 0.4 miHighest 0.0 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.3 miHighest 0.0 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 4Highest 0Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 133Highest 32.3Lowest

Schools

School district ALBANY ISDLORENA ISD

High school in town Albany Jr.-Sr. H SLorena High

Students per teacherat that high school 9.5Lowest 12.7Highest

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.

Albany neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Albany’s Town Square.

Lorena neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lorena’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like Albany

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Claude1,163 people · $171K homes

Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Texas towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

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.

Albany vs Lorena

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $1,160 more a month in Lorena

Grades and rankings, side by side

What daily life feels like in each

153 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Albany and Lorena

Towns like Albany

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