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%

Donna$1,020/mo

Typical home $154K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.63% · or rent about $806/mo · Housing →

Roma$600/mo

Typical home $94K (Census) · tax rate 1.29% · or rent about $563/mo · Housing →

The difference: $420 a month, about $5,100 a year, between Donna and Roma.

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

Roma 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

D−DonnaSafer than 1% of U.S. towns BRomaSafer than 55% of U.S. towns

Schools

DDonnaBetter than 7% of districts in the state CRomaBetter than 27% of districts in the state

Health

D−DonnaHealthier than 3% of U.S. towns D−RomaHealthier than 3% of U.S. towns

10Donna

12Roma

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

Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 632 towns #81#546 SafestSafety · 470 towns #467#169 Most remote workersWork · 624 towns #463#120 Best schoolsSchools · 583 towns #566#338 Most trailsOutdoors · 405 towns #227#71 Fastest growingGrowth · 640 towns #357#197 Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 180 towns #136#179 Lowest depressionHealth · 652 towns #256#148

Left end = #1 in Texas. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Donna’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

DonnaRoma

Snow a year0″0″

January low—49°F

July high—102°F

Growing season (days)—363d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)60th 38th

Outdoors & history

DonnaRoma

Trails3 mi 6 mi

Conserved land0.5%0.5%

Settled—1936

National Register places—2

Community

DonnaRoma

Library hours a week49 hrs —

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 1

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

62 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

DonnaTX RomaTX

Donna ↔ Roma62 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

DonnaRoma

People

Population 16,833Highest 11,545Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +6.3%Lowest TX: +15.9% +18.4%Highest TX: +15.9%

Median age 28.2±2.6Highest 21% below TX 28±2.8Lowest 21% below TX

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

Kids under 18 39%±5.2Highest TX: 25% 37.6%±5.4Lowest TX: 25%

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

Age 65+ 14.5%±2Lowest TX: 13.4% 14.8%±3.2Highest TX: 13.4%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 13.7%Lowest TX: 33.8% 16.4%Highest TX: 33.8%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.1%±1.2Lowest TX: 6.2% 5.6%±2.2Highest TX: 6.2%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $40,438±$5kHighest 48% below TX $24,579±$6kLowest 69% below TX

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $86,100±$16kLowest 70% below TX $94,400±$21kHighest 67% below TX

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

Rentmedian gross, monthly $806±$97Highest 43% below TX $563±$170Lowest 60% below TX

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

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,401Highest 67% below TX $1,215Lowest 71% below TX

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 56.5%±8.5Lowest TX: 51.7% 75.6%±10.3Highest TX: 51.7%

Below poverty line 40.7%Highest TX: 13.8% 37.1%Lowest TX: 13.8%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 57.5%Highest TX: 62.6% 55.2%Lowest TX: 62.6%

Typical home builtmedian year 1989Lowest 3 yrs older than TX 1993Highest 1 yr newer than TX

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 25 minLowest 8% below TX 26 minHighest about the TX average

Work from home 4.6%±1.9Lowest TX: 14.4% 17.3%±7.2Highest TX: 14.4%

Work in townworking residents 15.1%Lowest 21.8%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 11.3 miLowest 49.3 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.07Highest 0.63Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town McAllen (17%)Rio Grande City (11%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in RomaFew work in Donna

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0.5% 0.5%

Trailsmapped miles 3.2 miLowest 5.9 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 miLowest 1.0 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 5Highest 3Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 78.7Highest 74.9Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #566 of 583 in TX #338 of 583 in TX

School district IDEA PUBLIC SCHOOLS · DONNA ISDROMA ISD

High school in town Donna H SNone in town

Students per teacherat that high school 13.4 —

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.

Donna neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Donna’s Town Square.

Roma neighborsTown Square →

T Weaver · 1w

Sunday Afternoon Plans

1 neighbor in Roma can answer.

Add a town

Set another town beside Donna and Roma

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

Bordering Donna

+ Compare

Scissors4,267 people · $82K homes

+ Compare

Midway South2,308 people · $108K homes

Towns like Donna

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Beeville13,412 people · $95K homes

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Plainview19,711 people · $113K homes

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Alton20,214 people · $156K homes

+ Compare

Mount Pleasant16,136 people · $171K 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.

Donna vs Roma

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $420 more a month in Donna

Roma places higher on 12 of 22 TX lists

What daily life feels like in each

62 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Sunday Afternoon Plans

Set another town beside Donna and Roma

Bordering Donna

Towns like Donna

Post to Donna

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