Skip to content

TownTapestry

Find a town

Guest, Sign inJoin

Compare towns

Smyer vs Carbon

214 miles apart. The biggest differences: average commute (10 min in Smyer) and street grid (+41% in Carbon).

S ×

Smyer, TXHomes around $144KTexas · 291 people

×

Carbon, TXHomes around $212KTexas · 280 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.

SmyerHomes around $144K

Housing$144K typical home52% below the TX typical home SchoolsBetter than 81%of TX districts All about Smyer →

CarbonHomes around $212K

Housing$212K typical home29% below the TX typical home All about Carbon →

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.

Average commute10 min

Smyer has the shorter commute

Carbon 36 minSmyer 26 min

Street grid+41%

Carbon has the more walkable street grid

Carbon 56.9Smyer 40.3

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $390 more a month in Carbon

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%

Smyer$910/mo

Typical home $144K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.35% · or rent about $1,292/mo · Housing →

Carbon$1,300/mo

Typical home $212K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.07% · or rent about $1,571/mo · Housing →

The difference: $390 a month, about $4,600 a year, between Carbon and Smyer.

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

A−SmyerBetter than 81% of districts in the state –CarbonNot graded

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

SmyerCarbon

Snow a year7″2″

January low—30°F

July high—96°F

Growing season (days)—222d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)60th 23rd

Community

SmyerCarbon

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

214 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

SmyerTX CarbonTX

Smyer ↔ Carbon214 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

SmyerCarbon

People

Population 291Highest 280Lowest

Median age 39.8±9Lowest 12% above TX 40±19.7Highest 12% above TX

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

Kids under 18 23%±10.1Lowest TX: 25% 26.1%±10.2Highest TX: 25%

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

Age 65+ 24.4%±9.7Highest TX: 13.4% 21.1%±15.1Lowest TX: 13.4%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 3.8%Lowest TX: 33.8% 8.7%Highest TX: 33.8%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±7.3Lowest TX: 6.2% 3.9%±4.2Highest TX: 6.2%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $45,625±$19kLowest 42% below TX $80,500±$24kHighest about the TX average

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $67,900±$26kLowest 76% below TX $84,500±$40kHighest 70% below TX

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

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,292±$803Lowest 8% below TX $1,571±$702Highest 12% above TX

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

Property taxmedian, yearly $918Highest 78% below TX $900Lowest 79% below TX

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 80%±100Highest TX: 51.7% 16.7%±100Lowest TX: 51.7%

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

Below poverty line 7.6%Highest TX: 13.8% 6.5%Lowest TX: 13.8%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 89.3%Highest TX: 62.6% 88.5%Lowest TX: 62.6%

Typical home builtmedian year 1984Highest 8 yrs older than TX 1981Lowest 11 yrs older than TX

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 26 minLowest about the TX average 36 minHighest 34% above TX

Work from home 8.2%±10.3Highest TX: 14.4% 0%±12.2Lowest TX: 14.4%

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

Work in townworking residents 1%Highest 0.8%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 16.3 miLowest 60.3 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.38Highest 0.27Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Lubbock (26%)Eastland (9%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in CarbonFew work in Smyer

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%

Trailsmapped miles 0.7 miHighest 0.0 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.9 miHighest 0.0 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 40.3Lowest 56.9Highest

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.

Smyer neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Smyer’s Town Square.

Carbon neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Carbon’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Smyer and Carbon

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Towns like Smyer

Blum336 people · $69K homes

Mullin220 people · $88K homes

Annona313 people · $67K homes

Scottsville297 people · $113K 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.