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Combes vs Harlingen

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: trails (22.2× in Harlingen) and size (22.7× in Harlingen).

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Combes, TXOne of the healthiest townsTexas · 3,178 people

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Harlingen, TXOne of the healthiest townsTexas · 72,087 people

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.

CombesOne of the healthiest towns

Health66% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates Housing$191K typical home36% below the TX typical home SchoolsBetter than 30%of TX districts All about Combes →

HarlingenOne of the healthiest towns

Health79% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates Housing$202K typical home33% below the TX typical home

Outdoors#127 most trails in TX27 miles of trails across 23 parks and preserves All about Harlingen →

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.

Harlingen has more miles of trail

Harlingen 26.6 miCombes 1.2 mi

Harlingen is the bigger place

Harlingen 72,087Combes 3,178

Jobs per worker4.7×

Harlingen is more of a job hub

Harlingen 1.49Combes 0.32

Work in town+40.9 pts

More of Harlingen’s workers stay in town

Harlingen 41.5%Combes 0.6%

Homeowners+32.6 pts renters

Harlingen has more renters

Combes 88.7%Harlingen 56.1%

Growth since 2010+7.2 pts

Harlingen has grown faster since 2010

Harlingen +10.8%Combes +3.6%

★ What stands out · Report cards

Combes places higher on 12 of 22 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

B−CombesSafer than 54% of U.S. towns C−HarlingenSafer than 20% of U.S. towns

Schools

CCombesBetter than 30% of districts in the state CHarlingenBetter than 30% of districts in the state

Health

CCombesHealthier than 34% of U.S. towns C−HarlingenHealthier than 21% of U.S. towns

12Combes

9Harlingen

Lists won, of 22 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

SafestSafety · 470 towns #179#382 Most conserved landOutdoors · 572 towns #465#256 Most walkableOutdoors · 653 towns #526#332 Most trailsOutdoors · 405 towns #244#127 Most educatedPeople · 653 towns #469#323 Fastest growingGrowth · 640 towns #400#282 Most new homesHousing · 535 towns #177#275 HealthiestHealth · 651 towns #327#441

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

Where they are

Combes and Harlingen share a border

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

CombesHarlingen

Combes ↔ Harlingen4.2 miles apart · They share a border

Who commutes between them

461 Combes residents work in Harlingen (42.8% of its workers)

Work & commute in Combes →

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.

Down paymentRate%

Combes$1,220/mo

Typical home $191K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.34% · or rent about $782/mo · Housing →

Harlingen$1,310/mo

Typical home $202K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.46% · or rent about $928/mo · Housing →

The difference: $90 a month, about $1,100 a year, between Harlingen and Combes.

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.

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

CombesHarlingen

Snow a year0″0″

January low51°F 51°F

July high97°F 97°F

Growing season (days)365d 365d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)70th 72nd

Outdoors & history

CombesHarlingen

Trails1 mi 27 mi

Conserved land0.7%2.3%

Settled—1904

National Register places—1

Community

CombesHarlingen

Library hours a week—57 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.

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

CombesHarlingen

People

Population 3,178Lowest 72,087Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +3.6%Lowest TX: +15.9% +10.8%Highest TX: +15.9%

Median age 38.3±7.7Highest 8% above TX 33.4±0.9Lowest 6% below TX

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

Kids under 18 30%±7.5Highest TX: 25% 28.8%±1.9Lowest TX: 25%

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

Age 65+ 16.2%±5.6Lowest TX: 13.4% 16.4%±1.1Highest TX: 13.4%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 15.5%Lowest TX: 33.8% 22.6%Highest TX: 33.8%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.7%±3.2Highest TX: 6.2% 3.5%±0.6Lowest TX: 6.2%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $45,504±$10kLowest 42% below TX $53,645±$5kHighest 32% below TX

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $143,900±$41kHighest 49% below TX $140,600±$10kLowest 50% below TX

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

Rentmedian gross, monthly $782±$481Lowest 44% below TX $928±$40Highest 34% below TX

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

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,924Lowest 55% below TX $2,059Highest 51% below TX

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 53.9%±32.1Highest TX: 51.7% 47.1%±5.5Lowest TX: 51.7%

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

Below poverty line 27.2%Highest TX: 13.8% 25.1%Lowest TX: 13.8%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 88.7%Highest TX: 62.6% 56.1%Lowest TX: 62.6%

Typical home builtmedian year 1999Highest 7 yrs newer than TX 1988Lowest 4 yrs older than TX

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 17 minLowest 37% below TX 18 minHighest 33% below TX

Work from home 7.9%±5.9Lowest TX: 14.4% 10.4%±1.3Highest TX: 14.4%

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

Work in townworking residents 0.6%Lowest 41.5%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.3 miHighest 8.8 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.32Lowest 1.49Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Harlingen (43%)Brownsville (9%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others 43% work in HarlingenFew work in Combes

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0.7%Lowest 2.3%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 1.2 miLowest 26.6 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 miLowest 0.7 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 23Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 35.4Lowest 60.8Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #539 of 583 in TX #439 of 583 in TX

School district HARLINGEN CISDHORIZON MONTESSORI PUBLIC SCHOOLS · JUBILEE ACADEMIES

High school in town None in townHarlingen H S

Students per teacherat that high school — 14.5

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.

Combes neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Combes’s Town Square.

Harlingen neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Harlingen’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Combes and Harlingen

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Combes

Primera5,344 people · $161K homes

Lasana54 people

Towns like Combes

Bishop3,103 people · $112K homes

Fritch2,293 people · $132K homes

Sullivan City3,902 people · $95K homes

Elmendorf2,389 people · $161K 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.