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Moving to
Hornsby Bend.
Hornsby Bend is an unincorporated community in Travis County, TX. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.
What it's like to live in Hornsby Bend
Hornsby Bend is an unincorporated community in Texas with county unemployment below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Hornsby Bend deals with rent well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, and hot summers.
The good
- Low unemployment in the county
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- Above-average commute times
- Air quality concerns
- Hot summers
How Hornsby Bend compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Hornsby Bend
Based on Hornsby Bend's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$4,294
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $85,880 a year
- 36% of Hornsby Bend renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$62,980
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $31,490
- Homes cost 3.5× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 52% above US
$2,147/mo median rent
Rent is expensive here, at $2,147 a month median and well above the national average. This is the kind of city where housing costs deserve serious budgeting before committing to a move. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $314,900. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $314,900 · 36% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.4% county unemployment
Unemployment in Travis County is 3.4%, 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.
Travis County (county-wide)
Safety
319 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Hornsby Bend doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Travis County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs close to the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 1291/100k · Policed by Travis County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 30% above US
34 min average commute
Traffic is a real factor here. The 33.7 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; 23% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers run seriously hot, with average highs pushing 95°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 40°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforceNear US average
33% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 33% 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
3 public schools inside the boundary
There are 3 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 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
Hornsby Bend's strongest points are county unemployment below the national average and household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and commute times longer than most cities. A year of median rent ($2,147/mo) equals 29% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit job seekers (county-wide unemployment is low) and remote workers (23% of workers here already work from home). It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget and people who dread long commutes.
Other places near Hornsby Bend
All Texas guides →Moving to Austin →
11 mi away · pop. 979,539
Rent $1,729/mo · Income $93,658
Compare with Hornsby Bend →Moving to Pflugerville →
14 mi away · pop. 65,971
Rent $1,932/mo · Income $117,799
Compare with Hornsby Bend →Not sure Hornsby Bend is the one?
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