What it's like to live in Irving
Irving is a large city in Texas with unemployment below the national average, a highly educated workforce, hospitals with strong quality ratings, and schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Irving deals with air quality that falls short of national benchmarks and hot summers.
The good
- Low unemployment
- Highly educated workforce
- Strong hospital ratings
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Air quality concerns
- Hot summers
How Irving compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Irving
Based on Irving's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,238
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $64,760 a year
- 43% of Irving renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$63,120
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $31,560
- Homes cost 3.9× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 15% above US
$1,619/mo median rent
Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,619 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 $315,600. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $315,600 · 43% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▼ 14% below US
3.7% unemployment
Unemployment here is 3.7%, a little below the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 19% below US
268 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 1755/100k · Irving Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
24 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 24.1 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 20% 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 38°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
3 hospitals
There are 3 Medicare-certified hospitals inside city limits. They average 4.5 out of 5 on Medicare's star rating.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▲ 18% above US
42% bachelor's degree or higher
The population is well-educated, with 42% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.
Schools
58 public schools inside the boundary
There are 58 public schools inside the boundary and 16 private schools. 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 Waco Mammoth National Monument (87 miles away).
Bottom line
Irving's strongest points are unemployment below the national average and a highly educated workforce; the main tradeoffs are air quality that falls short of national benchmarks and hot summers. A year of median rent ($1,619/mo) equals 24% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (20% of workers here already work from home) and college-educated professionals.
Other places near Irving
All Texas guides →Not sure Irving is the one?
Put it side by side with another city.