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%

Keene$1,590/mo

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

Kaufman$1,860/mo

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

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

Schools

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

Health

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

15Keene

6Kaufman

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

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

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

KeeneKaufman

Snow a year1″0″

January low33°F —

July high95°F —

Growing season (days)240d —

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

Outdoors & history

KeeneKaufman

Trails2 mi 1 mi

Conserved land2%4.9%

Archive photos4 —

Community

KeeneKaufman

Library hours a week—48 hrs

Colleges in town1 —

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.

KeeneTX KaufmanTX

Keene ↔ Kaufman60 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

KeeneKaufman

People

Population 6,691Lowest 8,538Highest

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

Median age 33.7±7.1Lowest 5% below TX 34±2.8Highest 4% 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 24.3%±7Lowest TX: 25% 25.8%±5.2Highest TX: 25%

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

Age 65+ 16%±5.1Highest TX: 13.4% 13.2%±3Lowest 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+ 23.1%Highest TX: 33.8% 16.8%Lowest TX: 33.8%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $51,695±$8kLowest 34% below TX $62,931±$20kHighest 20% 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 $225,300±$17kHighest 21% below TX $221,800±$19kLowest 22% 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 $969±$114Lowest 31% below TX $1,364±$99Highest about the TX average

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

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 51.4%±11.9Highest TX: 51.7% 45.1%±22.4Lowest 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 13.6%Highest TX: 13.8% 10.6%Lowest TX: 13.8%

Housing

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

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

Getting to work

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

Work from home 6%±3.4Lowest TX: 14.4% 6.2%±3.6Highest 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 4.2%Lowest 14.1%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 23.3 miLowest 33.3 miHighest

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

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

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in KaufmanFew work in Keene

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 2%Lowest 4.9%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 2.0 miHighest 1.4 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 miHighest 0.1 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Lowest 4Highest

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

Schools

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

School district KEENE ISDKAUFMAN ISD

High school in town Keene H SKaufman H S

Students per teacherat that high school 12.7Lowest 14.5Highest

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.

Keene neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Keene’s Town Square.

Kaufman neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Kaufman’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Keene and Kaufman

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

Bordering Keene

+ Compare

Cleburne34,344 people · $221K homes

Towns like Keene

+ Compare

Livingston5,718 people · $200K homes

+ Compare

Mabank5,187 people · $255K homes

+ Compare

Gilmer5,025 people · $167K homes

+ Compare

Hillsboro8,506 people · $158K homes

Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Texas towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

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.

Keene vs Kaufman

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 Keene and Kaufman

Bordering Keene

Towns like Keene

Post to Keene

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