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Compare towns

Tool vs Palacios

246 miles apart. The biggest differences: rent (+77% in Tool) and average commute (24 min in Palacios).

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Tool, TXOne of the healthiest townsTexas · 2,367 people
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Palacios, TXOne of the healthiest townsTexas · 4,388 people
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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.

ToolOne of the healthiest towns
Health78% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates SafetySafer than 75%of U.S. towns we grade SchoolsBetter than 75%of TX districts All about Tool →
PalaciosOne of the healthiest towns
Health62% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates Housing$198K typical home34% below the TX typical home Schools#238 for schools in TXof 583 towns All about Palacios →
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.

Rent+77%
Rent runs higher in Tool
Tool $1,386Palacios $785
Average commute24 min
Palacios has the shorter commute
Tool 47 minPalacios 24 min
Trails3.4×
Palacios has more miles of trail
Palacios 1.7 miTool 0.5 mi
Property tax bill+38%
Tax bills are bigger in Palacios
Palacios $2,695Tool $1,952
Seasonal homes+19 pts
Tool has more second homes
Tool 20.5%Palacios 1.5%
Typical home built19 yrs
Palacios’s homes are older
Tool 1983Palacios 1964
★ What stands out · 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.

Safety
A−ToolSafer than 75% of U.S. towns C+PalaciosSafer than 36% of U.S. towns
Schools
A−ToolBetter than 75% of districts in the state BPalaciosBetter than 58% of districts in the state
Health
C−ToolHealthier than 22% of U.S. towns C+PalaciosHealthier than 38% of U.S. towns
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.

Tool$1,280/mo
Typical home $213K (Census) · tax rate 0.92% · or rent about $1,386/mo · Housing →
Palacios$1,330/mo
Typical home $198K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.75% · or rent about $785/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
ToolPalacios
Snow a year0″0″
January low35°F46°F
July high95°F91°F
Growing season (days)246d321d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)37th87th
Outdoors & history
ToolPalacios
Trails—2 mi
Conserved land—2%
Settled—1903
National Register places—4
Community
ToolPalacios
Library hours a week—40 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

246 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

ToolTXPalaciosTX
Tool ↔ Palacios246 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.

ToolPalacios
People
Population 2,367Lowest 4,388Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -2.9%Highest TX: +15.9% -6.8%Lowest TX: +15.9%
Median age 49.6±5.9Highest 39% above TX 46.2±10.4Lowest 30% above TX
Tool and Palacios are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 16.7%±4.2Lowest TX: 25% 17.4%±7.3Highest TX: 25%
Palacios and Tool are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 22.9%±3 TX: 13.4% 22.9%±7.7 TX: 13.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 26.8%Highest TX: 33.8% 22.8%Lowest TX: 33.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.4%±1.2Lowest TX: 6.2% 3.7%±2.9Highest TX: 6.2%
Palacios and Tool are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $71,333±$17kHighest 9% below TX $52,620±$17kLowest 33% below TX
Tool and Palacios are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $213,300±$57kHighest 25% below TX $153,800±$67kLowest 46% below TX
Tool and Palacios are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,386±$260Highest about the TX average $785±$300Lowest 44% below TX
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,952Lowest 54% below TX $2,695Highest 36% below TX
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 62.9%±66.6Lowest TX: 51.7% 89.6%±26.4Highest TX: 51.7%
Palacios and Tool are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 17.3%Lowest TX: 13.8% 19.2%Highest TX: 13.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 81.1%Lowest TX: 62.6% 84%Highest TX: 62.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1983Highest 9 yrs older than TX 1964Lowest 28 yrs older than TX
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 47 minHighest 77% above TX 24 minLowest 12% below TX
Work from home 11.3%±11Highest TX: 14.4% 0%±0.8Lowest TX: 14.4%
Tool and Palacios are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 3.7%Lowest 10.9%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 40.3 miLowest 56.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.25Lowest 0.27Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Mabank (7%)Houston (15%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in PalaciosFew work in Tool
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 2%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.5 miLowest 1.7 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 0.3 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 2Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 59.0Highest 51.0Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#238 of 583 in TX
School district MALAKOFF ISDPALACIOS ISD
High school in town None in townPalacios Junior Senior H S
Students per teacherat that high school — 11.2
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.

Tool neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Tool’s Town Square.

Palacios neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Palacios’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Tool and Palacios

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

Bordering Tool

S
+ Compare
Seven Points1,167 people · $91K homes

Towns like Tool

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Henrietta3,167 people · $146K homes
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Panhandle2,505 people · $161K homes
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Castroville3,092 people · $300K homes
L
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Lytle2,492 people · $188K 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.

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