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%

Sweeny$1,570/mo

Typical home $246K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.39% · or rent about $1,203/mo · Housing →

Eagle Lake$1,040/mo

Typical home $171K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.05% · or rent about $1,229/mo · Housing →

The difference: $530 a month, about $6,400 a year, between Sweeny and Eagle Lake.

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

Sweeny places higher on 11 of 19 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.

Safety

B−SweenySafer than 54% of U.S. towns –Eagle LakeNot graded

Schools

B−SweenyBetter than 51% of districts in the state C−Eagle LakeBetter than 20% of districts in the state

Health

C+SweenyHealthier than 41% of U.S. towns C+Eagle LakeHealthier than 41% of U.S. towns

11Sweeny

7Eagle Lake

Lists won, of 19 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Highest graduation rateSchools · 584 towns #41#581 Best schoolsSchools · 583 towns #312#528 Lowest depressionHealth · 652 towns #256#18 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 652 towns #225#435 Lowest property taxCost of living · 647 towns #288#89 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 632 towns #362#520 Shortest commuteGetting around · 653 towns #538#381 Most affordableCost of living · 651 towns #282#144

Left end = #1 in Texas. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Sweeny’s rankings →

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

SweenyEagle Lake

Snow a year0″0″

January low47°F 39°F

July high91°F 96°F

Growing season (days)333d 255d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)74th 54th

Outdoors & history

SweenyEagle Lake

Trails1 mi 4 mi

Conserved land1.7%3.1%

National Register places—1

Archive photos—7

Famous people born here—6

Community

SweenyEagle Lake

Library hours a week41 hrs 36 hrs

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

53 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

SweenyTX Eagle LakeTX

Sweeny ↔ Eagle Lake53 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

SweenyEagle Lake

People

Population 3,591Highest 3,485Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -1.6%Highest TX: +15.9% -5.4%Lowest TX: +15.9%

Median age 32.3±5.4Highest 9% below TX 30.8±4Lowest 13% below TX

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

Kids under 18 24.3%±11.8Lowest TX: 25% 25.2%±8Highest TX: 25%

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

Age 65+ 18.1%±5.7Highest TX: 13.4% 14.7%±4.7Lowest TX: 13.4%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 23.5%Highest TX: 33.8% 20.3%Lowest TX: 33.8%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.8%±3.1Lowest TX: 6.2% 2.9%±2.2Highest TX: 6.2%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $73,457±$35kHighest 6% below TX $69,205±$25kLowest 12% below TX

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $199,100±$20kHighest 30% below TX $137,900±$29kLowest 51% below TX

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,203±$190Lowest 14% below TX $1,229±$267Highest 12% below TX

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

Property taxmedian, yearly $2,777Highest 34% below TX $1,448Lowest 66% below TX

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 24.5%±16.4Highest TX: 51.7% 15.4%±11Lowest TX: 51.7%

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

Below poverty line 3.3%Lowest TX: 13.8% 14.1%Highest TX: 13.8%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 73.9%Highest TX: 62.6% 72.3%Lowest TX: 62.6%

Typical home builtmedian year 1972Highest 20 yrs older than TX 1965Lowest 27 yrs older than TX

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 32 minHighest 20% above TX 27 minLowest about the TX average

Work from home 16%±10.2Highest TX: 14.4% 3%±1.9Lowest TX: 14.4%

Work in townworking residents 10.6%Highest 8.9%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 35.8 miLowest 38.3 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.71Highest 0.62Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Houston (18%)Houston (19%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Eagle LakeFew work in Sweeny

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 1.7%Lowest 3.1%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 0.5 miLowest 4.4 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.3 miLowest 1.5 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 2Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 101Highest 81.3Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #312 of 583 in TX #528 of 583 in TX

School district SWEENY ISDRICE CISD

High school in town Sweeny H SRice Challenge Academy

Students per teacherat that high school 12.0Lowest 28.5Highest

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.

Sweeny neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Sweeny’s Town Square.

Eagle Lake neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Eagle Lake’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Sweeny and Eagle Lake

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

Towns like Sweeny

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Abernathy3,278 people · $176K homes

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Bells2,497 people · $232K homes

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Jourdanton4,407 people · $171K homes

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.

Sweeny vs Eagle Lake

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $530 more a month in Sweeny

Sweeny places higher on 11 of 19 TX lists

What daily life feels like in each

53 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Sweeny and Eagle Lake

Towns like Sweeny

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