Skip to content

TownTapestry

Find a town

Guest, Sign inJoin

Compare towns

Harlingen vs Combes

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

×

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

×

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

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 →

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 →

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

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

Schools

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

Health

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

9Harlingen

12Combes

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

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

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

Where they are

Harlingen and Combes share a border

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

HarlingenCombes

Harlingen ↔ Combes4.2 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%

Harlingen$1,310/mo

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

Combes$1,220/mo

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

HarlingenCombes

Snow a year0″0″

January low51°F 51°F

July high97°F 97°F

Growing season (days)365d 365d

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

Outdoors & history

HarlingenCombes

Trails27 mi 1 mi

Conserved land2.3%0.7%

Settled1904 —

National Register places1 —

Community

HarlingenCombes

Library hours a week57 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

HarlingenCombes

People

Population 72,087Highest 3,178Lowest

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

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

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

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

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

Age 65+ 16.4%±1.1Highest TX: 13.4% 16.2%±5.6Lowest 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+ 22.6%Highest TX: 33.8% 15.5%Lowest TX: 33.8%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.5%±0.6Lowest TX: 6.2% 5.7%±3.2Highest 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 $53,645±$5kHighest 32% below TX $45,504±$10kLowest 42% 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 $140,600±$10kLowest 50% below TX $143,900±$41kHighest 49% 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 $928±$40Highest 34% below TX $782±$481Lowest 44% 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 $2,059Highest 51% below TX $1,924Lowest 55% below TX

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 47.1%±5.5Lowest TX: 51.7% 53.9%±32.1Highest 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 25.1%Lowest TX: 13.8% 27.2%Highest TX: 13.8%

Housing

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

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

Getting to work

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

Work from home 10.4%±1.3Highest TX: 14.4% 7.9%±5.9Lowest 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 41.5%Highest 0.6%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 8.8 miLowest 9.3 miHighest

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

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

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Combes43% work in Harlingen

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 2.3%Highest 0.7%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 26.6 miHighest 1.2 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.7 miHighest 0.4 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 23Highest 1Lowest

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

Schools

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

School district HORIZON MONTESSORI PUBLIC SCHOOLS · JUBILEE ACADEMIESHARLINGEN CISD

High school in town Harlingen H SNone in town

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.

Harlingen neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Harlingen’s Town Square.

Combes neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Combes’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Harlingen and Combes

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

Bordering Harlingen

San Benito24,709 people · $85K homes

Juarez196 people

Las Palmas II808 people · $147K homes

Palm Valley2,155 people · $275K homes

Towns like Harlingen

Wichita Falls102,581 people · $157K homes

Longview82,923 people · $203K homes

Victoria65,625 people · $207K homes

Beaumont113,279 people · $166K 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.