What it's like to live in Bryan
Bryan is a smaller city in Texas with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, unemployment below the national average, and commutes that run shorter than most cities. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Bryan deals with household incomes below the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, hospital ratings below the national average, and a poverty rate above the national average.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low unemployment
- Short commutes
- Growing population
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Air quality concerns
- Below-average hospital ratings
- High poverty rate
- High rent burden for renters
- Hot summers
How Bryan compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Bryan
Based on Bryan's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,390
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $47,800 a year
- 53% of Bryan renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$45,560
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $22,780
- Homes cost 3.8× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 15% below US
$1,195/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,195 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $227,800. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $227,800 · 53% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▼ 19% below US
3.5% unemployment
Unemployment here is 3.5%, a little below the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 13% below US
287 violent crimes per 100k
Crime runs about typical for a city this size. Some neighborhoods are safer than others, and one overall rate doesn't tell the whole story, so a neighborhood-level look matters more than the headline stat.
Property crime 1130/100k · Bryan Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 29% below US
19 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 18.5 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 8% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 95°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 43°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
2 hospitals
There are 2 Medicare-certified hospitals inside city limits. They average 2.0 out of 5 on Medicare's star rating.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 16% below US
30% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 30% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.
Schools
29 public schools inside the boundary
There are 29 public schools inside the boundary and 4 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 13:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail (70 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Bryan's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks. A year of median rent ($1,195/mo) equals 24% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and people who want short commutes. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.
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