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Compare towns

Overton vs Taft

330 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (2.6× in Taft) and property tax bill (+39% in Taft).

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Overton, TXHomes around $186KTexas · 2,444 people
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Taft, TXHomes around $160KTexas · 2,871 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.

OvertonHomes around $186K
Housing$186K typical home38% below the TX typical home Health76% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates SchoolsBetter than 33%of TX districts All about Overton →
TaftHomes around $160K
Housing$160K typical home46% below the TX typical home Health93% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates Outdoors#170 most conserved land in TX0.6 miles of trails across 1 parks and preserves All about Taft →
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.

Street grid2.6×
Taft has the more walkable street grid
Taft 80.6Overton 30.5
Property tax bill+39%
Tax bills are bigger in Taft
Taft $2,121Overton $1,526
Work from home+9.9 pts
More people work from home in Overton
Overton 9.9%Taft 0%
Jobs per worker+67%
Overton is more of a job hub
Overton 0.95Taft 0.57
★ What stands out · 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.

Overton$1,180/mo
Typical home $186K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.32% · or rent about $783/mo · Housing →
Taft$1,070/mo
Typical home $160K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.71% · or rent about $1,179/mo · Housing →

The difference: $110 a month, about $1,300 a year, between Overton and Taft.

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

Grades and rankings, side by side

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−OvertonSafer than 52% of U.S. towns BTaftSafer than 63% of U.S. towns
Schools
COvertonBetter than 33% of districts in the state CTaftBetter than 30% of districts in the state
Health
C−OvertonHealthier than 24% of U.S. towns DTaftHealthier than 7% of U.S. towns
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
OvertonTaft
Snow a year1″0″
January low36°F45°F
July high94°F93°F
Growing season (days)247d324d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)20th77th
Outdoors & history
OvertonTaft
Trails0 mi1 mi
Conserved land2.2%4.4%
National Register places—2
Community
OvertonTaft
Library hours a week43 hrs43 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

330 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

OvertonTXTaftTX
Overton ↔ Taft330 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.

OvertonTaft
People
Population 2,444Lowest 2,871Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -10.9%Lowest TX: +15.9% -8.1%Highest TX: +15.9%
Median age 32.5±3Highest 9% below TX 30.9±7Lowest 13% below TX
Overton and Taft are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 23.2%±4.8Lowest TX: 25% 35.8%±8.6Highest TX: 25%
Taft and Overton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 12%±0.9Highest TX: 13.4% 11.9%±3.2Lowest TX: 13.4%
Overton and Taft are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 16.6%Highest TX: 33.8% 14%Lowest TX: 33.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.3%±2.4Highest TX: 6.2% 3.5%±2.4Lowest TX: 6.2%
Overton and Taft are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $52,279±$37kLowest 33% below TX $73,032±$22kHighest 7% below TX
Taft and Overton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $115,300±$14kLowest 59% below TX $124,200±$49kHighest 56% below TX
Taft and Overton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $783±$245Lowest 44% below TX $1,179±$442Highest 16% below TX
Taft and Overton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,526Lowest 64% below TX $2,121Highest 50% below TX
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 23.9%±19.5Lowest TX: 51.7% 46.8%±14.1Highest TX: 51.7%
Taft and Overton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 17%Lowest TX: 13.8% 21.3%Highest TX: 13.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 66.2%Lowest TX: 62.6% 69%Highest TX: 62.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1967Highest 25 yrs older than TX 1964Lowest 28 yrs older than TX
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 30 minHighest 14% above TX 27 minLowest about the TX average
Work from home 9.9%±5.7Highest TX: 14.4% 0%±1.6Lowest TX: 14.4%
Work in townworking residents 6.4%Lowest 10.3%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 19.8 miHighest 15.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.95Highest 0.57Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Tyler (15%)Corpus Christi (29%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in TaftFew work in Overton
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 2.2%Lowest 4.4%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 0.6 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.4 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1 1
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 30.5Lowest 80.6Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#498 of 583 in TX
School district OVERTON ISDERATH EXCELS ACADEMY INC · TAFT ISD
High school in town Overton H STaft H S
Students per teacherat that high school 11.8Highest 10.6Lowest
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.

Overton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Overton’s Town Square.

Taft neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Taft’s Town Square.

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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.

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