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Elsa vs Sparks

621 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (9.4× in Elsa) and average commute (8 min in Elsa).

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Elsa, TXA regional job hubTexas · 5,697 people
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Sparks, TXHomes around $181KTexas · 4,134 people
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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.

ElsaA regional job hub
Work2,277 jobsbased in Elsa, a regional job hub Housing$140K typical home53% below the TX typical home Outdoors#75 most walkable in TX1.3 miles of trails across 1 parks and preserves All about Elsa →
SparksHomes around $181K
Housing$181K typical home40% below the TX typical home Health74% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates Outdoors#192 most walkable in TX0.0 miles of trails across 1 parks and preserves All about Sparks →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

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

Jobs per worker9.4×
Elsa is more of a job hub
Elsa 1.97Sparks 0.21
Average commute8 min
Elsa has the shorter commute
Sparks 21 minElsa 13 min
Growth since 2010+5 pts
Sparks has grown faster since 2010
Sparks +5.1%Elsa +0.1%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $250 more a month in Sparks

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.

Elsa$960/mo
Typical home $140K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.94% · or rent about $767/mo · Housing →
Sparks$1,220/mo
Typical home $181K (Zillow) · tax rate est. 1.8% · or rent about $1,080/mo · Housing →

The difference: $250 a month, about $3,100 a year, between Sparks and Elsa.

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

Elsa places higher on 12 of 16 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
C−ElsaSafer than 15% of U.S. towns –SparksNot graded
Schools
DElsaBetter than 11% of districts in the state –SparksNot graded
Health
C−ElsaHealthier than 25% of U.S. towns CSparksHealthier than 26% of U.S. towns
12Elsa
4Sparks

Lists won, of 16 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Lowest obesityHealth · 652 towns #570#252 Most conserved landOutdoors · 572 towns #349#545 Cheapest rentCost of living · 624 towns #48#257 Shortest commuteGetting around · 653 towns #5#160 Most walkableOutdoors · 653 towns #75#192 Highest graduation rateSchools · 584 towns #431#339 Fastest growingGrowth · 640 towns #468#374 Most remote workersWork · 624 towns #449#540

Left end = #1 in Texas. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Elsa’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
ElsaSparks
Snow a year0″3″
January low49°F35°F
July high96°F96°F
Growing season (days)355d261d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)67th14th
Outdoors & history
ElsaSparks
Trails1 mi0 mi
Conserved land1.5%0.2%
Settled1800—
Archive photos24—
Famous people born here1—
Community
ElsaSparks
Library hours a week42 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.

Where they are

621 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

ElsaTXSparksTX
Elsa ↔ Sparks621 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.

ElsaSparks
People
Population 5,697Highest 4,134Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +0.1%Lowest TX: +15.9% +5.1%Highest TX: +15.9%
Median age 34±6.8Highest 4% below TX 30.9±8.9Lowest 13% below TX
Elsa and Sparks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 29.6%±8.8Lowest TX: 25% 34%±5.2Highest TX: 25%
Sparks and Elsa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 13.1%±5.7Highest TX: 13.4% 6.3%±2.7Lowest TX: 13.4%
Elsa and Sparks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 7.9%Highest TX: 33.8% 4.5%Lowest TX: 33.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.5%±4.3Lowest TX: 6.2% 12.9%±6.8Highest TX: 6.2%
Sparks and Elsa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $42,439±$16kHighest 46% below TX $34,876±$23kLowest 56% below TX
Elsa and Sparks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $81,600±$36kLowest 71% below TX $103,800±$11kHighest 63% below TX
Sparks and Elsa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $767±$494Lowest 45% below TX $1,080±$194Highest 23% below TX
Sparks and Elsa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,582 63% below TX —
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 81.8%±76.3Lowest TX: 51.7% 84.3%±98Highest TX: 51.7%
Sparks and Elsa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 31.8%Lowest TX: 13.8% 51.7%Highest TX: 13.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 71.2%Highest TX: 62.6% 65.8%Lowest TX: 62.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1991Lowest 1 yr older than TX 1998Highest 6 yrs newer than TX
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 13 minLowest 53% below TX 21 minHighest 23% below TX
Work from home 5%±5.5Highest TX: 14.4% 3.1%±2.8Lowest TX: 14.4%
Elsa and Sparks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 4.2%Highest 0.6%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 16.3 miHighest 10.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.97Highest 0.21Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Edinburg (11%)El Paso (71%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in SparksFew work in Elsa
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1.5%Highest 0.2%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 1.3 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.6 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1 1
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 106Highest 81.0Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #576 of 583 in TX—
School district EDCOUCH-ELSA ISD—
High school in town Edcouch-Elsa H S—
Students per teacherat that high school 12.3 —
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.

Elsa neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Elsa’s Town Square.

Sparks neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Sparks’s Town Square.

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Towns like Elsa

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Karnes City3,605 people · $93K homes
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Colorado City3,976 people · $70K 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.

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