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Pena vs Roma

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: work in town (+21.8 pts in Roma) and street grid (+78% in Pena).

P ×
Pena, TXA small town of 0Texas
×
Roma, TXAn outdoors townTexas · 11,545 people
Swap order
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.

PenaA small town of 0
Quiet strengthsPena doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Pena →
RomaAn outdoors town
Outdoors#71 most trails in TX5.9 miles of trails across 3 parks and preserves Health97% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates SchoolsBetter than 27%of TX districts All about Roma →
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.

Work in town+21.8 pts
More of Roma’s workers stay in town
Roma 21.8%Pena 0%
Street grid+78%
Pena has the more walkable street grid
Pena 134Roma 74.9
★ What stands out · Where they are

Pena and Roma share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

PenaRomaPenaRoma
Pena ↔ Roma2.0 miles apart · They share a border
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
–PenaNot graded BRomaSafer than 55% of U.S. towns
Schools
–PenaNot graded CRomaBetter than 27% of districts in the state
Health
–PenaNot graded D−RomaHealthier than 3% 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
PenaRoma
Snow a year0″0″
January low45°F49°F
July high99°F102°F
Growing season (days)321d363d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)50th38th
Outdoors & history
PenaRoma
Trails—6 mi
Conserved land—0.5%
Settled—1936
National Register places—2
Community
PenaRoma
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined01

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.

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.

PenaRoma
People
Population 0Lowest 11,545Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census — +18.4% TX: +15.9%
Median age — 28±2.8 21% below TX
Kids under 18 — 37.6%±5.4 TX: 25%
Age 65+ — 14.8%±3.2 TX: 13.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ — 16.4% TX: 33.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents — 5.6%±2.2 TX: 6.2%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian — $24,579±$6k 69% below TX
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied — $94,400±$21k 67% below TX
Rentmedian gross, monthly — $563±$170 60% below TX
Property taxmedian, yearly — $1,215 71% below TX
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent — 75.6%±10.3 TX: 51.7%
Below poverty line — 37.1% TX: 13.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes — 55.2% TX: 62.6%
Typical home builtmedian year — 1993 1 yr newer than TX
Getting to work
Average commuteone way — 26 min about the TX average
Work from home — 17.3%±7.2 TX: 14.4%
Work in townworking residents 0%Lowest 21.8%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 48.8 miLowest 49.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.00Lowest 0.63Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Rio Grande City (24%)Rio Grande City (11%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 12% work in RomaFew work in Pena
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 0.5%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 5.9 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi — 1.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 3Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 134Highest 74.9Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#338 of 583 in TX
School district —ROMA ISD
High school in town —None in town
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.

Pena neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Pena’s Town Square.

Roma neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Sunday Afternoon Plans

1 neighbor in Roma can answer.

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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