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Compare towns

Rule vs Joaquin

350 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (5.5× in Rule) and jobs per worker (2.4× in Joaquin).

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Rule, TXHomes around $83KTexas · 823 people
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Joaquin, TXKnown for its schoolsTexas · 869 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.

RuleHomes around $83K
Housing$83K typical home72% below the TX typical home SchoolsBetter than 22%of TX districts All about Rule →
JoaquinKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 85%of TX districts Housing$240K typical home20% below the TX typical home All about Joaquin →
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 grid5.5×
Rule has the more walkable street grid
Rule 147Joaquin 26.9
Jobs per worker2.4×
Joaquin is more of a job hub
Joaquin 1.28Rule 0.53
Average commute7 min
Rule has the shorter commute
Joaquin 25 minRule 17 min
Typical home built17 yrs
Rule’s homes are older
Joaquin 1978Rule 1961
Property tax bill+15%
Tax bills are bigger in Rule
Rule $722Joaquin $627
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,000 more a month in Joaquin

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.

Rule$510/mo
Typical home $83K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.02% · or rent about $1,027/mo · Housing →
Joaquin$1,500/mo
Typical home $240K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.21% · or rent about $663/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,000 a month, about $11,900 a year, between Joaquin and Rule.

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.

Schools
C−RuleBetter than 22% of districts in the state AJoaquinBetter than 85% of districts in the state
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
RuleJoaquin
Snow a year3″0″
January low29°F—
July high95°F—
Growing season (days)225d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)30th20th
Outdoors & history
RuleJoaquin
Trails0 mi0 mi
Conserved land0%0%
Community
RuleJoaquin
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

350 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

RuleTXJoaquinTX
Rule ↔ Joaquin350 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.

RuleJoaquin
People
Population 823Lowest 869Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -11.8%Lowest TX: +15.9% -10.9%Highest TX: +15.9%
Median age 40±7.4Highest 12% above TX 39±9.5Lowest 10% above TX
Rule and Joaquin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 24.1%±4Highest TX: 25% 21.1%±6.3Lowest TX: 25%
Rule and Joaquin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 21.6%±5Highest TX: 13.4% 18.4%±5.2Lowest TX: 13.4%
Rule and Joaquin 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% 12.1%Highest TX: 33.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0.5%±2Lowest TX: 6.2% 2%±1.8Highest TX: 6.2%
Joaquin and Rule are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $34,792±$15kLowest 56% below TX $35,625±$20kHighest 55% below TX
Joaquin and Rule are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $71,000±$28kHighest 75% below TX $52,000±$36kLowest 82% below TX
Rule and Joaquin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,027±$345Highest 27% below TX $663±$181Lowest 53% below TX
Rule and Joaquin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $722Highest 83% below TX $627Lowest 85% below TX
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 78.9%±33Highest TX: 51.7% 31.9%±31.5Lowest TX: 51.7%
Rule and Joaquin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 38.3%Highest TX: 13.8% 25.9%Lowest TX: 13.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 76.4%Highest TX: 62.6% 69.5%Lowest TX: 62.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1961Lowest 31 yrs older than TX 1978Highest 14 yrs older than TX
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 17 minLowest 36% below TX 25 minHighest 8% below TX
Work from home 6.9%±7.7Highest TX: 14.4% 0.8%±1Lowest TX: 14.4%
Rule and Joaquin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 5%Lowest 9.3%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 55.3 miHighest 20.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.53Lowest 1.28Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Haskell (14%)Center (26%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in JoaquinFew work in Rule
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 0.1 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1 1
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 147Highest 26.9Lowest
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.

Rule neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Rule’s Town Square.

Joaquin neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Joaquin’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.

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