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%

Palestine$1,260/mo

Typical home $202K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.19% · or rent about $1,062/mo · Housing →

Plainview$780/mo

Typical home $121K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.42% · or rent about $851/mo · Housing →

The difference: $480 a month, about $5,700 a year, between Palestine and Plainview.

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

Plainview 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−PalestineSafer than 24% of U.S. towns C−PlainviewSafer than 20% of U.S. towns

Schools

B−PalestineBetter than 52% of districts in the state B−PlainviewBetter than 54% of districts in the state

Health

DPalestineHealthier than 11% of U.S. towns DPlainviewHealthier than 11% of U.S. towns

10Palestine

12Plainview

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

Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 632 towns #545#24 Most new homesHousing · 535 towns #245#512 Best schoolsSchools · 583 towns #332#78 Highest graduation rateSchools · 584 towns #179#431 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 652 towns #344#536 Most trailsOutdoors · 405 towns #355#254 Cheapest rentCost of living · 624 towns #240#86 Lowest depressionHealth · 652 towns #383#256

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

PalestinePlainview

Snow a year0″8″

January low35°F 26°F

July high94°F 92°F

Growing season (days)234d 209d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)10th 83rd

Outdoors & history

PalestinePlainview

Trails3 mi 5 mi

Conserved land7.2%5.2%

Settled1846 —

National Register places17 1

Community

PalestinePlainview

Library hours a week40 hrs 52 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

390 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

PalestineTX PlainviewTX

Palestine ↔ Plainview390 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

PalestinePlainview

People

Population 19,136Lowest 19,711Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -0.9%Highest TX: +15.9% -9%Lowest TX: +15.9%

Median age 35.7±1.8Highest about the TX average 32.7±1.7Lowest 8% below TX

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

Kids under 18 24.7%±2.7Lowest TX: 25% 27.5%±2.5Highest TX: 25%

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

Age 65+ 15.2%±1.9Highest TX: 13.4% 15%±1.8Lowest TX: 13.4%

Palestine and Plainview 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% 15.3%Lowest TX: 33.8%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.8%±1.9Lowest TX: 6.2% 7.2%±1.6Highest TX: 6.2%

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $44,981±$9kHighest 43% below TX $44,768±$3kLowest 43% below TX

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $166,000±$15kHighest 42% below TX $113,000±$12kLowest 60% below TX

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,062±$106Highest 24% below TX $851±$53Lowest 39% below TX

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,977Highest 53% below TX $1,609Lowest 62% below TX

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 57.9%±14.6Highest TX: 51.7% 48%±8.3Lowest TX: 51.7%

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

Below poverty line 17.6%Lowest TX: 13.8% 24%Highest TX: 13.8%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 54.8%Highest TX: 62.6% 52.6%Lowest TX: 62.6%

Typical home builtmedian year 1976Highest 16 yrs older than TX 1970Lowest 22 yrs older than TX

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 21 minHighest 22% below TX 19 minLowest 30% below TX

Work from home 5.4%±2.3Highest TX: 14.4% 2.9%±1.7Lowest TX: 14.4%

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

Work in townworking residents 33.5%Lowest 40.2%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 40.3 mi 40.3 mi

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.31Highest 0.90Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Tyler (6%)Lubbock (16%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in PlainviewFew work in Palestine

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 7.2%Highest 5.2%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 2.8 miLowest 4.5 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 0.3 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 11Lowest 13Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 56.8Lowest 71.2Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #332 of 583 in TX #78 of 583 in TX

School district ELKHART ISD · PALESTINE ISDABERNATHY ISD · ANTON ISD

High school in town Palestine H SPlainview H S

Students per teacherat that high school 12.5 12.5

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.

Palestine neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Palestine’s Town Square.

Plainview neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Plainview’s Town Square.

Add a town

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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.

Palestine vs Plainview

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $480 more a month in Palestine

Plainview places higher on 12 of 22 TX lists

What daily life feels like in each

390 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Palestine and Plainview

Towns like Palestine

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