What it's like to live in Dickinson
Dickinson is a small city in Texas with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, household incomes running above the national average, and crime rates well below the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Dickinson deals with commute times longer than most cities, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, hot summers, and very rainy.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Low crime rates
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Above-average commute times
- Air quality concerns
- Hot summers
- Very rainy — 60" of rain per year
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Dickinson compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Dickinson
Based on Dickinson's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,462
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $49,240 a year
- 41% of Dickinson renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$55,600
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $27,800
- Homes cost 3.0× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 13% below US
$1,231/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,231 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $278,000. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $278,000 · 41% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.4% county unemployment
Unemployment in Galveston County is 4.4%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Galveston County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 57% below US
141 violent crimes per 100k
Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.
Property crime 861/100k · Dickinson Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 10% above US
29 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 28.7 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 10% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 91°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 48°F. It's a wet climate overall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 29% below US
26% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 26%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
3 public schools inside the boundary
There are 3 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 16:1, close to 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 Big Thicket National Preserve (80 miles away).
Bottom line
Dickinson's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are commute times longer than most cities and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks. A year of median rent ($1,231/mo) equals 16% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and anyone prioritizing low crime. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Dickinson
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