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%

Covington$2,270/mo

Typical home $351K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.45% · or rent about $1,031/mo · Housing →

Penelope$1,690/mo

Typical home $250K (Zillow) · tax rate est. 1.8% · Housing →

The difference: $580 a month, about $7,000 a year, between Covington and Penelope.

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.

Schools

C+CovingtonBetter than 35% of districts in the state B−PenelopeBetter than 48% of districts in the state

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

CovingtonPenelope

Snow a year1″0″

January low—35°F

July high—95°F

Growing season (days)—250d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)32nd 27th

Outdoors & history

CovingtonPenelope

Trails0 mi —

Conserved land0%—

Settled1852 —

Famous people born here1 —

Community

CovingtonPenelope

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

30 miles apart

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

CovingtonPenelope

Covington ↔ Penelope30 miles apart

Who commutes between them

2 Covington residents work in Penelope (1.9% of its workers)

Work & commute in Covington →

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

CovingtonPenelope

People

Population 274Highest 235Lowest

Median age 42.9±19.8Highest 21% above TX 40.9±2.9Lowest 15% above TX

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

Kids under 18 23.4%±15Lowest TX: 25% 23.8%±9Highest TX: 25%

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

Age 65+ 25.2%±7.1Highest TX: 13.4% 17.9%±12.4Lowest TX: 13.4%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 18.7%Lowest TX: 33.8% 19.6%Highest TX: 33.8%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.6%±3.3Highest TX: 6.2% 2.6%±7.4Lowest TX: 6.2%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $43,977±$27kLowest 44% below TX $60,000±$25kHighest 24% below TX

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $132,500±$74k 53% below TX —

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,031±$141 27% below TX —

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,917 55% below TX —

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 100%±100Highest TX: 51.7% 40%±100Lowest TX: 51.7%

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

Below poverty line 15.9%Lowest TX: 13.8% 16.2%Highest TX: 13.8%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 87.8%Highest TX: 62.6% 86.3%Lowest TX: 62.6%

Typical home builtmedian year 1960Highest 32 yrs older than TX 1958Lowest 34 yrs older than TX

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 34 minHighest 26% above TX 21 minLowest 22% below TX

Work from home 2.8%±6 TX: 14.4% 2.8%±6.4 TX: 14.4%

Work in townworking residents 1.9%Highest 0%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 38.3 miLowest 56.8 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.36Highest 0.44Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Dallas (12%)Waco (11%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others 2% work in PenelopeFew work in Covington

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%

Trailsmapped miles 0.2 miHighest 0.0 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.3 miHighest 0.0 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Highest 0Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 48.6Highest 46.3Lowest

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.

Covington neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Covington’s Town Square.

Penelope neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Penelope’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like Covington

+ Compare

Iredell294 people · $69K homes

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Lovelady490 people · $127K homes

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Hallsburg400 people · $200K homes

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Ravenna272 people · $133K 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.

Covington vs Penelope

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $580 more a month in Covington

Grades and rankings, side by side

What daily life feels like in each

30 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Covington and Penelope

Towns like Covington

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