What it's like to live in Gatesville
Gatesville is a small city in Texas with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, crime rates well 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. Gatesville deals with household incomes below the national average, college degree attainment below the national average, hot summers, and fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low crime rates
- Short commutes
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Low college degree attainment
- Hot summers
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Gatesville compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Gatesville
Based on Gatesville's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,014
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $40,280 a year
- 32% of Gatesville renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$41,460
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $20,730
- Homes cost 3.6× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 29% below US
$1,007/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $1,007 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $207,300. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $207,300 · 32% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.7% county unemployment
Unemployment in Coryell County is 4.7%, 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.
Coryell County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 58% below US
140 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 681/100k · Gatesville Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 12% below US
23 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 22.8 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 9 in 10 workers drive to work.
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 37°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 76% below US
9% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
5 public schools inside the boundary
There are 5 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 14:1, 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 Waco Mammoth National Monument (35 miles away). There are 3 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Gatesville'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 college degree attainment below the national average. A year of median rent ($1,007/mo) equals 21% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and anyone prioritizing low crime.
Other places near Gatesville
All Texas guides →Moving to Fort Hood →
23 mi away · pop. 26,814
Rent $1,406/mo · Income $62,835
Compare with Gatesville →Moving to Copperas Cove →
25 mi away · pop. 37,947
Rent $1,043/mo · Income $71,225
Compare with Gatesville →Moving to Killeen →
25 mi away · pop. 158,159
Rent $1,208/mo · Income $60,977
Compare with Gatesville →Not sure Gatesville is the one?
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