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Alma vs Ennis

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: size (41.8× in Ennis) and trails (17× in Ennis).

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Alma, TXA small town of 541Texas · 541 people
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Ennis, TXA history townTexas · 22,588 people
Swap order
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

AlmaA small town of 541
Quiet strengthsAlma doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Alma →
EnnisA history town
HistorySettled in 187240 places on the National Register Housing$264K typical home12% below the TX typical home SchoolsBetter than 62%of TX districts All about Ennis →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Size41.8×
Ennis is the bigger place
Ennis 22,588Alma 541
Trails17×
Ennis has more miles of trail
Ennis 3.4 miAlma 0.2 mi
Street grid5.4×
Ennis has the more walkable street grid
Ennis 32.1Alma 6.0
Property tax bill+56%
Tax bills are bigger in Ennis
Ennis $4,061Alma $2,600
Rent+44%
Rent runs higher in Ennis
Ennis $1,362Alma $945
Work in town+23.2 pts
More of Ennis’s workers stay in town
Ennis 24.3%Alma 1.1%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

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.

Alma$1,750/mo
Typical home $292K (Census) · tax rate 0.89% · or rent about $945/mo · Housing →
Ennis$1,730/mo
Typical home $264K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.56% · or rent about $1,362/mo · Housing →

Within $50 a month of each other.

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.

Where they are

Alma and Ennis share a border

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

AlmaEnnisAlmaEnnis
Alma ↔ Ennis6.3 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
36 Alma residents work in Ennis (19.7% of its workers)
Work & commute in Alma →
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
–AlmaNot graded B−EnnisSafer than 48% of U.S. towns
Schools
–AlmaNot graded BEnnisBetter than 62% of districts in the state
Health
–AlmaNot graded C−EnnisHealthier than 22% 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
AlmaEnnis
Snow a year0″0″
January low36°F36°F
July high94°F94°F
Growing season (days)256d256d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)9th12th
Outdoors & history
AlmaEnnis
Trails—3 mi
Conserved land—1.7%
Settled—1872
National Register places—40
Community
AlmaEnnis
Library hours a week—44 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

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.

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.

AlmaEnnis
People
Population 541Lowest 22,588Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census — +8.9% TX: +15.9%
Median age 38.2±8.7Highest 7% above TX 34.4±1.4Lowest 3% below TX
Alma and Ennis are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 17.6%±5.4Lowest TX: 25% 25.7%±3Highest TX: 25%
Ennis and Alma are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 10%±3.9Lowest TX: 13.4% 12.7%±2Highest TX: 13.4%
Ennis and Alma are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 19.3%Lowest TX: 33.8% 20.7%Highest TX: 33.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 8.3%±8.4Highest TX: 6.2% 4.2%±1.3Lowest TX: 6.2%
Alma and Ennis are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $108,750±$51kHighest 39% above TX $75,074±$7kLowest 4% below TX
Alma and Ennis are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $292,300±$46kHighest about the TX average $260,100±$22kLowest 8% below TX
Alma and Ennis are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $945±$249Lowest 33% below TX $1,362±$70Highest about the TX average
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,600Lowest 39% below TX $4,061Highest 4% below TX
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 45.5%±100Lowest TX: 51.7% 48.4%±9.2Highest TX: 51.7%
Ennis and Alma are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 3.5%Lowest TX: 13.8% 10.9%Highest TX: 13.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 84.1%Highest TX: 62.6% 63.1%Lowest TX: 62.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1998Highest 6 yrs newer than TX 1990Lowest 2 yrs older than TX
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 27 minLowest about the TX average 28 minHighest 3% above TX
Work from home 13.8%±8.1Highest TX: 14.4% 8.6%±2.8Lowest TX: 14.4%
Alma and Ennis are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 1.1%Lowest 24.3%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 40.3 miHighest 32.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.62Lowest 1.03Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Ennis (20%)Dallas (14%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 20% work in EnnisFew work in Alma
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 1.7%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.2 miLowest 3.4 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.1 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 12Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 6.0Lowest 32.1Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#302 of 583 in TX
School district —ENNIS ISD
High school in town —Ennis H S
Students per teacherat that high school — 15.4
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.

Alma neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Alma’s Town Square.

Ennis neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Ennis’s Town Square.

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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.

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