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Compare towns

Staples vs Sanctuary

218 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (3.8× in Sanctuary) and average commute (7 min in Sanctuary).

S ×
Staples, TXA small town of 288Texas · 288 people
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Sanctuary, TXA small town of 304Texas · 304 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.

StaplesA small town of 288
Quiet strengthsStaples doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Staples →
SanctuaryA small town of 304
Quiet strengthsSanctuary doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Sanctuary →
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.

Jobs per worker3.8×
Sanctuary is more of a job hub
Sanctuary 0.23Staples 0.06
Average commute7 min
Sanctuary has the shorter commute
Staples 38 minSanctuary 31 min
Street grid+55%
Sanctuary has the more walkable street grid
Sanctuary 18.6Staples 12.0
★ What stands out · 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.

Staples$1,510/mo
Typical home $247K (Census) · tax rate 1.04% · or rent about $1,271/mo · Housing →
Sanctuary$1,530/mo
Typical home $255K (Census) · tax rate 0.91% · or rent about $1,152/mo · Housing →

Within $50 a month of each other.

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
StaplesSanctuary
Snow a year0″0″
January low—33°F
July high—97°F
Growing season (days)—245d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)57th35th
Outdoors & history
StaplesSanctuary
Trails1 mi—
Conserved land0%—
Community
StaplesSanctuary
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

218 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

StaplesTXSanctuaryTX
Staples ↔ Sanctuary218 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.

StaplesSanctuary
People
Population 288Lowest 304Highest
Median age 46.8±12.2Highest 31% above TX 42.6±9.1Lowest 20% above TX
Staples and Sanctuary are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 14.2%±11.2Lowest TX: 25% 17.1%±4.9Highest TX: 25%
Sanctuary and Staples are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 25.3%±6.4Highest TX: 13.4% 20.7%±3.4Lowest TX: 13.4%
Staples and Sanctuary are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 20.6%Highest TX: 33.8% 15.1%Lowest TX: 33.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±7.4Lowest TX: 6.2% 3.9%±3.3Highest TX: 6.2%
Sanctuary and Staples are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $80,833±$34kLowest 3% above TX $103,125±$31kHighest 31% above TX
Sanctuary and Staples are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $246,700±$185kLowest 13% below TX $255,000±$128kHighest 10% below TX
Sanctuary and Staples are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,271±$176Highest 9% below TX $1,152±$63Lowest 18% below TX
Staples and Sanctuary are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,577Highest 39% below TX $2,318Lowest 45% below TX
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 63.6%±100Lowest TX: 51.7% 68.4%±90Highest TX: 51.7%
Sanctuary and Staples are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 0.7%Lowest TX: 13.8% 4%Highest TX: 13.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 81.1%Highest TX: 62.6% 78.5%Lowest TX: 62.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1982Highest 10 yrs older than TX 1971Lowest 21 yrs older than TX
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 38 minHighest 40% above TX 31 minLowest 14% above TX
Work from home 13.6%±14.9Highest TX: 14.4% 3.5%±4.7Lowest TX: 14.4%
Staples and Sanctuary are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0% 0%
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 30.8 miHighest 18.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.06Lowest 0.23Highest
Top workplaceoutside town San Antonio (19%)Fort Worth (36%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in SanctuaryFew work in Staples
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 1.0 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.7 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 12.0Lowest 18.6Highest
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.

Staples neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Staples’s Town Square.

Sanctuary neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Sanctuary’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Staples and Sanctuary

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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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