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%

Marble Falls$2,580/mo

Typical home $399K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.48% · or rent about $1,360/mo · Housing →

Keene$1,590/mo

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

The difference: $990 a month, about $11,900 a year, between Marble Falls 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 14 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−Marble FallsSafer than 23% of U.S. towns B+KeeneSafer than 72% of U.S. towns

Schools

B−Marble FallsBetter than 46% of districts in the state B−KeeneBetter than 47% of districts in the state

Health

CMarble FallsHealthier than 27% of U.S. towns C+KeeneHealthier than 36% of U.S. towns

7Marble Falls

14Keene

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

SafestSafety · 470 towns #365#83 Shortest commuteGetting around · 653 towns #22#362 Cheapest rentCost of living · 624 towns #396#171 Lowest property taxCost of living · 647 towns #473#287 Highest graduation rateSchools · 584 towns #179#339 Fastest growingGrowth · 640 towns #215#384 Most affordableCost of living · 651 towns #490#333 Lowest obesityHealth · 652 towns #314#157

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

Marble FallsKeene

Snow a year0″1″

January low—33°F

July high—95°F

Growing season (days)—240d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)49th 28th

Outdoors & history

Marble FallsKeene

Trails3 mi 2 mi

Conserved land1%2%

Settled1887 —

National Register places1 —

Archive photos—4

Community

Marble FallsKeene

Library hours a week38 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

139 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Marble FallsTX KeeneTX

Marble Falls ↔ Keene139 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

Marble FallsKeene

People

Population 7,752Highest 6,691Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +15.8%Highest TX: +15.9% +4.6%Lowest TX: +15.9%

Median age 35.5±2.9Highest about the TX average 33.7±7.1Lowest 5% below TX

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

Kids under 18 26.1%±4.3Highest TX: 25% 24.3%±7Lowest TX: 25%

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

Age 65+ 17%±3.2Highest TX: 13.4% 16%±5.1Lowest TX: 13.4%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 26.9%Highest TX: 33.8% 23.1%Lowest TX: 33.8%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.1%±3.3Lowest TX: 6.2% 11%±2.6Highest TX: 6.2%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $57,925±$7kHighest 26% below TX $51,695±$8kLowest 34% below TX

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $338,800±$37kHighest 19% above TX $225,300±$17kLowest 21% below TX

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,360±$66Highest 3% below TX $969±$114Lowest 31% below TX

Property taxmedian, yearly $5,020Highest 19% above TX $2,769Lowest 35% below TX

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 51%±14Lowest TX: 51.7% 51.4%±11.9Highest TX: 51.7%

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

Below poverty line 15.5%Highest TX: 13.8% 13.6%Lowest TX: 13.8%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 41.4%Lowest TX: 62.6% 50.8%Highest TX: 62.6%

Typical home builtmedian year 2001Highest 9 yrs newer than TX 1985Lowest 7 yrs older than TX

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 15 minLowest 44% below TX 26 minHighest about the TX average

Work from home 5.4%±2.9Lowest TX: 14.4% 6%±3.4Highest TX: 14.4%

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

Work in townworking residents 26.4%Highest 4.2%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 31.8 miHighest 23.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 2.01Highest 0.44Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Austin (15%)Fort Worth (17%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in KeeneFew work in Marble Falls

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 1%Lowest 2%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 3.1 miHighest 2.0 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miLowest 0.4 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 7Highest 2Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 28.5Lowest 49.9Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #325 of 583 in TX #274 of 583 in TX

School district MARBLE FALLS ISDKEENE ISD

High school in town Marble Falls H SKeene H S

Students per teacherat that high school 13.7Highest 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.

Marble Falls neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Marble Falls’s Town Square.

Keene neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Keene’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Marble Falls and Keene

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

Bordering Marble Falls

+ Compare

Meadowlakes1,861 people · $386K homes

Towns like Marble Falls

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Mabank5,187 people · $255K homes

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Kaufman8,538 people · $222K homes

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Wake Village5,867 people · $186K homes

+ Compare

Livingston5,718 people · $200K 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.

Marble Falls vs Keene

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $990 more a month in Marble Falls

Keene places higher on 14 of 22 TX lists

What daily life feels like in each

139 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Marble Falls and Keene

Bordering Marble Falls

Towns like Marble Falls

Post to Marble Falls

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