White-Pool House · National Register of Historic Places
Odessa’s story
145 years in pictures
1 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1881Odessa is settled
OdessaTX
A city of 115,322, settled in 1881. Home to Odessa College.
1 bordering townMap →
Photo: Vasiliymeshko · CC BY 4.0
Population
115,322
+14.5% since 2010
Typical home
$252K
+4.4% in a year
Household income
$73K
median
Median age
31.1
years
Jobs based here
52,929
Balanced
What makes Odessa stand out
The 3 things Odessa does most differently from other towns.
2colleges
College town
2 colleges
Odessa College
Students are part of everyday life here.
Outdoors
#201 most walkable in TX
22 miles of trails across 41 parks and preserves
1.7% of the town is conserved land.
$252Ktypical home
Housing
$252K typical home
16% below the TX typical home
Up 4.4% in a year.
College town
Odessa College calls Odessa home
2 colleges in town.
Odessa College5,057 students on campus
- Admission
- Open
- Net price
- $6,368
- Graduate
- 37%
- Admission
- 95%
- Net price
- $12,723
- Graduate
- 40%
College Scorecard · IPEDS
Odessa’s report card
Outdoors22 miof trails · 1.7% conservedHousing$252K16% below the TX typical homeCommute7 miHalf of commuters travel lessSchoolsDBeats 11% of TX districtsHealthCHealthier than 31% of U.S. townsSafetyCLess crime than 30% of U.S. townsClimate95°/31°Summer high · winter low · 2″ snowHazards45/100Moderate risk of storm & flood damage
Now in Odessa
Be the first to start the conversation.
Residents weigh in
Odessa is #631 of 632 in TX for “Closest to a top hospital”. Fair?
Your answer becomes a post in Odessa’s Town Square.
Start a conversation
Weather
Forecast →77°
Clear
H 93° · L 73°
Local news
All →- Motorcyclist dead after crash in OdessaCBS7 | Permian Basin, West Texas News | Midland, TX · Sep 20
- Ector County school bus with 14 students crashes into parked vehiclesCBS7 | Permian Basin, West Texas News | Midland, TX · Sep 17
- What is the unemployment rate in the Odessa, TX area right now?USAFacts · Sep 8
Upcoming events
Nothing on the calendar.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Odessa. Another town gets a different order.
Outdoors
1.7% of Odessa is conserved land
22 miles of trails across 41 parks and preserves.
1.7%conserved
1.7%
conserved · 567 of 33,407 acres
22 mi
of trails · 0.4 per sq mi
#201
most walkable in TX
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. UTPB Park | 2.2 mi | 99 |
| 2. Sherwood Park | 1.4 mi | 56 |
| 3. Comanche Trail West Park | 1 mi | 78 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-USParks & trails →
Housing
A typical Odessa home is worth about $252K
The typical Odessa home is worth about $252,000, up 4.4% in a year, 16% below the Texas typical home.
$252KZillow home value
Typical home value
Odessa$252K
Texas$299K
+4.4%
value change, 1 year
3
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →
Work & commute
About one in two working residents works right in Odessa
43% of Odessa’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Midland (17%), West Odessa (3%) and Lubbock (2%). Half commute less than 7 miles.
43%work in town
Where working residents work
In Odessa43%
Midland17%
West Odessa3%
Lubbock2%
Houston2%
7 mi
median commute distance
52,929
jobs based in Odessa
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACSCommute map →
Schools
Odessa’s public schools outperform 11% of Texas districts
The public schools Odessa’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, trail 89% of Texas’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the bottom.
DSchool Grade
| School | Grades | Students | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lee Buice El | K–5 | 844 | B− |
| Barbara Jordan El | K–5 | 807 | B |
| Idea Yukon Academy | K–5 | 736 | Not graded |
| El Magnet at Zavala | PK–5 | 726 | Not graded |
| El Magnet at Blackshear | K–5 | 715 | C− |
| Dowling El | K–5 | 712 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduationAll 55 schools →
Health
Healthier than 31% of U.S. towns
Odessa beats the Texas average on 1 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 4.
CHealth Grade
26 measures vs. Texas
1 better21 too close to call4 worse
| What stands out | Odessa | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.3% | 6.1% |
| More uninsured adults | 25.4% | 19.1% |
Medical Center Hospital
2.4 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
47th
percentile among TX towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSAFull health report →
Safety
Less crime per resident than 30% of U.S. towns
Odessa reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 70% report less. Compared with places its own size, it does better than 69%.
CSafety Grade
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Odessa2.8
Texas3.5
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Odessa11.5
Texas18.1
U.S.15.5
30th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
29th
percentile among TX towns
342
violent crimes reported in 2025
1,389
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeFull safety report →
Climate
Mild winters, hot summers
Odessa has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 95°, a January night drops to 31°, and about 2 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
2″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter33–61°
Spring51–80°
Summer70–95°
Fall52–78°
Nov 11
typical first frost
Mar 19
typical last frost
+1.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020Full climate →
Natural hazards
Moderate risk, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 45% of U.S. communities.
45risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHailTornadoes
110
paid flood claims since 1982
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMANatural hazards →
A growing town
Odessa has grown 14.5% since 2010
99,940 people in 2010; 115,322 today.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 · ACS
About Odessa
City in Texas, United States
Odessa () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat of Ector County in West Texas, with portions extending into Midland County. The population was 114,428 at the 2020 census, making it the 34th-most populous city in Texas. It is the principal city of the Odessa metropolitan statistical area, which includes all of Ector County. The metropolitan area is also a component of the larger Midland–Odessa combined statistical area, which had 359,001 residents in 2020. The city is famous for being featured in the book Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream, and the movie adaptation, Friday Night Lights. The University of Texas Permian Basin is located in the city and enrol…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1881
- Population
- 114,428
- Area
- 45 sq mi
- Elevation
- 2,900 ft
- ZIP code
- 79760, 79761, 79762
- Area code
- 432
Odessa’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Odessa.
West OdessaOdessa
More about Odessa
Still missing for Odessa:archive photosupcoming events