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Compare towns

Penitas vs Abram

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (22× in Penitas) and growth since 2010 (+93.1 pts in Penitas).

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Penitas, TXAn outdoors townTexas · 6,444 people
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Abram, TXOne of the healthiest townsTexas · 1,741 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.

PenitasAn outdoors town
Outdoors#86 most trails in TX8.1 miles of trails across 2 parks and preserves Health96% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates Housing$164K typical home45% below the TX typical home All about Penitas →
AbramOne of the healthiest towns
Health92% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates Housing$155K typical home48% below the TX typical home Outdoors16.4% conserved land1.6 miles of trails across 1 parks and preserves All about Abram →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Jobs per worker22×
Penitas is more of a job hub
Penitas 0.44Abram 0.02
Growth since 2010+93.1 pts
Penitas has grown faster since 2010
Penitas +46.7%Abram -46.4%
Trails5.1×
Penitas has more miles of trail
Penitas 8.1 miAbram 1.6 mi
Home values+80%
Homes cost more in Penitas
Penitas $167,000Abram $93,000
Property tax bill+91%
Tax bills are bigger in Penitas
Penitas $2,839Abram $1,484
Street grid2.4×
Penitas has the more walkable street grid
Penitas 15.3Abram 6.5
★ What stands out · Where they are

Penitas and Abram share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

PenitasAbramPenitasAbram
Penitas ↔ Abram3.8 miles apart · They share a border
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.

Penitas$1,090/mo
Typical home $164K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.70% · or rent about $697/mo · Housing →
Abram$1,020/mo
Typical home $155K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.60% · Housing →

The difference: $80 a month, about $1,000 a year, between Penitas and Abram.

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+PenitasSafer than 67% of U.S. towns –AbramNot graded
Schools
DPenitasBetter than 12% of districts in the state –AbramNot graded
Health
D−PenitasHealthier than 4% of U.S. towns DAbramHealthier than 8% 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
PenitasAbram
Snow a year0″0″
January low49°F49°F
July high98°F98°F
Growing season (days)365d365d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)41st61st
Outdoors & history
PenitasAbram
Trails8 mi2 mi
Conserved land2.4%16.4%
Community
PenitasAbram
Library hours a week53 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.

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.

PenitasAbram
People
Population 6,444Highest 1,741Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +46.7%Highest TX: +15.9% -46.4%Lowest TX: +15.9%
Median age 32.6±6Highest 8% below TX 25±6.1Lowest 30% below TX
Penitas and Abram are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 31.7%±7.4Lowest TX: 25% 36.7%±22.4Highest TX: 25%
Abram and Penitas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 10.8%±3.8Highest TX: 13.4% 6.5%±2.8Lowest TX: 13.4%
Penitas and Abram are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 11.7%Lowest TX: 33.8% 17.7%Highest TX: 33.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.3%±2.4Highest TX: 6.2% 2.4%±3.4Lowest TX: 6.2%
Penitas and Abram are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $48,993±$14kLowest 38% below TX $58,846±$43kHighest 25% below TX
Abram and Penitas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $167,000±$28kHighest 41% below TX $93,000±$23kLowest 67% below TX
Rentmedian gross, monthly $697±$627 50% below TX —
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,839Highest 33% below TX $1,484Lowest 65% below TX
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 55.1%±73.1Highest TX: 51.7% 51.7%±74.9Lowest TX: 51.7%
Penitas and Abram are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 23.8%Lowest TX: 13.8% 34.3%Highest TX: 13.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 85.8%Lowest TX: 62.6% 86.1%Highest TX: 62.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 2004Highest 12 yrs newer than TX 1996Lowest 4 yrs newer than TX
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 22 minHighest 17% below TX 21 minLowest 21% below TX
Work from home 12.2%±12Highest TX: 14.4% 0%±2.4Lowest TX: 14.4%
Penitas and Abram are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 1.9%Highest 0.3%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 15.3 miHighest 12.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.44Highest 0.02Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town McAllen (16%)McAllen (21%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in AbramFew work in Penitas
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 2.4%Lowest 16.4%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 8.1 miHighest 1.6 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.9 miHighest 0.5 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Highest 1Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 15.3Highest 6.5Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #409 of 583 in TX—
School district LA JOYA 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.

Penitas neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Penitas’s Town Square.

Abram neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Abram’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Penitas and Abram

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Bordering Penitas

L
+ Compare
La Joya4,763 people · $108K homes

Towns like Penitas

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Kermit5,689 people · $152K homes
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Muleshoe5,667 people · $99K homes
S
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Sullivan City3,902 people · $95K homes
R
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River Oaks7,584 people · $224K 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.

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