What it's like to live in Kilgore
Kilgore is a small city in Texas with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, air quality that stays clean most of the year, 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. Kilgore deals with household incomes below the national average, college degree attainment below the national average, a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin, and hot summers.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Clean air
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Low college degree attainment
- High rent burden for renters
- Hot summers
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Kilgore compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Kilgore
Based on Kilgore's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,020
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $40,400 a year
- 52% of Kilgore renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$34,320
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $17,160
- Homes cost 2.6× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 29% below US
$1,010/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $1,010 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 $171,600. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $171,600 · 52% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.6% county unemployment
Unemployment in Gregg County is 4.6%, 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.
Gregg County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 18% below US
271 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 1709/100k · Kilgore Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
24 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 24 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; 6% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 93°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 38°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 47% below US
19% 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.
Bottom line
Kilgore'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 ($1,010/mo) equals 18% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Kilgore
All Texas guides →Not sure Kilgore is the one?
Put it side by side with another city.