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%

Kaufman$1,860/mo

Typical home $293K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.31% · or rent about $1,364/mo · Housing →

Keene$1,590/mo

Typical home $254K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.23% · or rent about $969/mo · Housing →

The difference: $260 a month, about $3,200 a year, between Kaufman and Keene.

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

Keene places higher on 15 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

BKaufmanSafer than 55% of U.S. towns B+KeeneSafer than 72% of U.S. towns

Schools

BKaufmanBetter than 63% of districts in the state B−KeeneBetter than 47% of districts in the state

Health

C−KaufmanHealthier than 19% of U.S. towns C+KeeneHealthier than 36% of U.S. towns

6Kaufman

15Keene

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

Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 632 towns #443#82 Highest graduation rateSchools · 584 towns #21#339 Cheapest rentCost of living · 624 towns #400#171 Lowest obesityHealth · 652 towns #363#157 Most trailsOutdoors · 405 towns #359#235 Fewest smokersHealth · 652 towns #469#309 Most conserved landOutdoors · 572 towns #152#289 HealthiestHealth · 651 towns #462#319

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

KaufmanKeene

Snow a year0″1″

January low—33°F

July high—95°F

Growing season (days)—240d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)27th 28th

Outdoors & history

KaufmanKeene

Trails1 mi 2 mi

Conserved land4.9%2%

Archive photos—4

Community

KaufmanKeene

Library hours a week48 hrs —

Colleges in town—1

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

60 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

KaufmanTX KeeneTX

Kaufman ↔ Keene60 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

KaufmanKeene

People

Population 8,538Highest 6,691Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +1.4%Lowest TX: +15.9% +4.6%Highest TX: +15.9%

Median age 34±2.8Highest 4% below TX 33.7±7.1Lowest 5% below TX

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

Kids under 18 25.8%±5.2Highest TX: 25% 24.3%±7Lowest TX: 25%

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

Age 65+ 13.2%±3Lowest TX: 13.4% 16%±5.1Highest TX: 13.4%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 16.8%Lowest TX: 33.8% 23.1%Highest TX: 33.8%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.6%±1.7Lowest TX: 6.2% 11%±2.6Highest TX: 6.2%

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $62,931±$20kHighest 20% below TX $51,695±$8kLowest 34% below TX

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $221,800±$19kLowest 22% below TX $225,300±$17kHighest 21% below TX

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

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,364±$99Highest about the TX average $969±$114Lowest 31% below TX

Property taxmedian, yearly $2,900Highest 31% below TX $2,769Lowest 35% below TX

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 45.1%±22.4Lowest TX: 51.7% 51.4%±11.9Highest TX: 51.7%

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

Below poverty line 10.6%Lowest TX: 13.8% 13.6%Highest TX: 13.8%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 46.7%Lowest TX: 62.6% 50.8%Highest TX: 62.6%

Typical home builtmedian year 1976Lowest 16 yrs older than TX 1985Highest 7 yrs older than TX

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 29 minHighest 9% above TX 26 minLowest about the TX average

Work from home 6.2%±3.6Highest TX: 14.4% 6%±3.4Lowest TX: 14.4%

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

Work in townworking residents 14.1%Highest 4.2%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 33.3 miHighest 23.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.18Highest 0.44Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Dallas (17%)Fort Worth (17%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in KeeneFew work in Kaufman

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 4.9%Highest 2%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 1.4 miLowest 2.0 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 0.4 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 4Highest 2Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 54.0Highest 49.9Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #277 of 583 in TX #274 of 583 in TX

School district KAUFMAN ISDKEENE ISD

High school in town Kaufman H SKeene H S

Students per teacherat that high school 14.5Highest 12.7Lowest

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.

Kaufman neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Kaufman’s Town Square.

Keene neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Keene’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like Kaufman

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Hillsboro8,506 people · $158K 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.

Kaufman vs Keene

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $260 more a month in Kaufman

Keene places higher on 15 of 22 TX lists

What daily life feels like in each

60 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Kaufman and Keene

Towns like Kaufman

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