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Compare towns

Selma vs Joshua

206 miles apart. The biggest differences: growth since 2010 (+64.2 pts in Selma) and trails (2.8× in Selma).

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Selma, TXAn outdoors townTexas · 11,503 people
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Joshua, TXHomes around $354KTexas · 8,550 people
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.

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.

★ What stands out · Report cards

Selma places higher on 15 of 20 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.

Monthly cost

A typical home costs $460 more a month in Joshua

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.

Selma$1,890/mo
Typical home $284K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.71% · or rent about $1,774/mo · Housing →
Joshua$2,350/mo
Typical home $354K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.69% · or rent about $1,361/mo · Housing →

The difference: $460 a month, about $5,500 a year, between Joshua and Selma.

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.

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
SelmaJoshua
Snow a year0″0″
January low41°F34°F
July high95°F95°F
Growing season (days)277d236d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)81st23rd
Outdoors & history
SelmaJoshua
Trails7 mi3 mi
Conserved land0.4%0.4%
Settled19641881
National Register places2—
Famous people born here—1
Community
SelmaJoshua
Library hours a week—42 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

206 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Selma ↔ Joshua206 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.

SelmaJoshua
People
Population 11,503Highest 8,550Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +97.7%Highest TX: +15.9% +33.5%Lowest TX: +15.9%
Median age 34.9±2.6Lowest about the TX average 36.7±4.9Highest 3% above TX
Joshua and Selma are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 27.5%±4.7Lowest TX: 25% 28.7%±5.2Highest TX: 25%
Joshua and Selma are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 9.2%±2.5Lowest TX: 13.4% 16.3%±4Highest TX: 13.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 36.6%Highest TX: 33.8% 27.8%Lowest TX: 33.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.9%±2.9Highest TX: 6.2% 3.5%±1.8Lowest TX: 6.2%
Selma and Joshua are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $97,066±$9kHighest 24% above TX $68,117±$20kLowest 13% below TX
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $313,900±$17kLowest 11% above TX $338,100±$23kHighest 19% above TX
Joshua and Selma are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,774±$106Highest 26% above TX $1,361±$152Lowest about the TX average
Property taxmedian, yearly $5,353Lowest 26% above TX $5,726Highest 35% above TX
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 36.2%±12.6Lowest TX: 51.7% 82.3%±16.5Highest TX: 51.7%
Below poverty line 6.2%Lowest TX: 13.8% 19.2%Highest TX: 13.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 64%Highest TX: 62.6% 62.5%Lowest TX: 62.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 2010Highest 18 yrs newer than TX 1997Lowest 5 yrs newer than TX
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 30 minLowest 12% above TX 30 minHighest 14% above TX
Work from home 20.2%±6.8Highest TX: 14.4% 8.3%±3.8Lowest TX: 14.4%
Work in townworking residents 2.2%Lowest 6.4%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 14.8 miLowest 20.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.57Highest 0.60Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town San Antonio (48%)Fort Worth (24%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in JoshuaFew work in Selma
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.4% 0.4%
Trailsmapped miles 7.4 miHighest 2.6 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.5 miHighest 0.3 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 5Highest 1Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 50.6Highest 37.4Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#171 of 583 in TX
School district —JOSHUA ISD
High school in town —Joshua H S
Students per teacherat that high school — 13.9
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.

Selma neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Selma’s Town Square.

Joshua neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Joshua’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Selma

Towns like Selma

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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