What it's like to live in Elgin
Elgin is a small city in Texas with county unemployment below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, crime rates well below the national average, and a population that has grown fast since 2020. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Elgin deals with commute times longer than most cities, larger class sizes than the national average, and hot summers.
The good
- Low unemployment in the county
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Low crime rates
- Fast-growing population
The not so good
- Above-average commute times
- High student-teacher ratio
- Hot summers
How Elgin compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Elgin
Based on Elgin's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,880
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $57,600 a year
- 34% of Elgin renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$65,280
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $32,640
- Homes cost 3.6× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of livingNear US average
$1,440/mo median rent
Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,440 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $326,400. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $326,400 · 34% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.7% county unemployment
Unemployment in Bastrop County is 3.7%, a little below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Bastrop County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 38% below US
204 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 1128/100k · Elgin Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 24% above US
32 min average commute
Traffic is a real factor here. The 32.3 minute average means plenty of commuters are pushing 45 to 60 minutes on a bad day. Proximity to work matters more here than it might elsewhere. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 21% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 94°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 41°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 36% below US
23% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 23%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
7 public schools inside the boundary
There are 7 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 18:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail (18 miles away). There are 4 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Elgin's strongest points are county unemployment below the national average and household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoffs are commute times longer than most cities and hot summers. A year of median rent ($1,440/mo) equals 19% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit anyone prioritizing low crime and remote workers (21% of workers here already work from home). It may be a harder fit for people who dread long commutes.
Other places near Elgin
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