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Whitney vs Refugio

252 miles apart. The biggest differences: average commute (16 min in Refugio) and work in town (+19.3 pts in Refugio).

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Whitney, TXOne of the healthiest townsTexas · 2,050 people
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Refugio, TXAn outdoors townTexas · 2,766 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.

WhitneyOne of the healthiest towns
Health91% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates SchoolsBetter than 68%of TX districts Housing$231K typical home23% below the TX typical home All about Whitney →
RefugioAn outdoors town
Outdoors#46 most walkable in TX0.0 miles of trails across 1 parks and preserves Housing$131K typical home56% below the TX typical home Health90% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Refugio →
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 commute16 min
Refugio has the shorter commute
Whitney 38 minRefugio 22 min
Work in town+19.3 pts
More of Refugio’s workers stay in town
Refugio 28.9%Whitney 9.6%
Property tax bill+28%
Tax bills are bigger in Whitney
Whitney $1,883Refugio $1,468
Typical home built12 yrs
Refugio’s homes are older
Whitney 1979Refugio 1967
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $690 more a month in Whitney

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.

Whitney$1,540/mo
Typical home $231K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.73% · or rent about $809/mo · Housing →
Refugio$850/mo
Typical home $131K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.55% · or rent about $747/mo · Housing →

The difference: $690 a month, about $8,300 a year, between Whitney and Refugio.

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.

Safety
B−WhitneySafer than 45% of U.S. towns B−RefugioSafer than 48% of U.S. towns
Schools
B+WhitneyBetter than 68% of districts in the state C+RefugioBetter than 38% of districts in the state
Health
DWhitneyHealthier than 9% of U.S. towns DRefugioHealthier than 10% of U.S. towns
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
WhitneyRefugio
Snow a year0″1″
January low—45°F
July high—94°F
Growing season (days)—283d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)53rd84th
Outdoors & history
WhitneyRefugio
Trails—0 mi
Conserved land—5.3%
National Register places—4
Community
WhitneyRefugio
Library hours a week29 hrs45 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

252 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

WhitneyTXRefugioTX
Whitney ↔ Refugio252 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.

WhitneyRefugio
People
Population 2,050Lowest 2,766Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -4.6%Highest TX: +15.9% -6.2%Lowest TX: +15.9%
Median age 37.5±5.6Lowest 5% above TX 39.6±4.6Highest 11% above TX
Refugio and Whitney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 26.6%±5.1Highest TX: 25% 25.6%±5.6Lowest TX: 25%
Whitney and Refugio are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 23.3%±3.7Highest TX: 13.4% 20.2%±4.2Lowest TX: 13.4%
Whitney and Refugio are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 10.8%Lowest TX: 33.8% 13.2%Highest TX: 33.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5%±2.2Highest TX: 6.2% 0.8%±1.1Lowest TX: 6.2%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $48,571±$11kLowest 38% below TX $48,750±$27kHighest 38% below TX
Refugio and Whitney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $108,900±$29kHighest 62% below TX $94,800±$7kLowest 67% below TX
Whitney and Refugio are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $809±$197Highest 42% below TX $747±$60Lowest 47% below TX
Whitney and Refugio are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,883Highest 56% below TX $1,468Lowest 65% below TX
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 62.5%±7.4Lowest TX: 51.7% 73.8%±17.2Highest TX: 51.7%
Refugio and Whitney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 23.9%Lowest TX: 13.8% 25.3%Highest TX: 13.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 58.7%Lowest TX: 62.6% 58.9%Highest TX: 62.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1979Highest 13 yrs older than TX 1967Lowest 25 yrs older than TX
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 38 minHighest 40% above TX 22 minLowest 19% below TX
Work from home 5.8%±3.6Highest TX: 14.4% 2.1%±2.6Lowest TX: 14.4%
Whitney and Refugio are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 9.6%Lowest 28.9%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 50.3 miHighest 36.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.83Lowest 1.03Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Dallas (7%)Corpus Christi (11%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in RefugioFew work in Whitney
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 5.3% 5.3%
Trailsmapped miles 0.1 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 1Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 92.7Lowest 119Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#263 of 583 in TX
School district WHITNEY ISDREFUGIO ISD
High school in town Whitney H SRefugio H S
Students per teacherat that high school 11.0Lowest 11.3Highest
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.

Whitney neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Whitney’s Town Square.

Refugio neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Refugio’s Town Square.

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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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