What it's like to live in Mission
Mission is a smaller 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. Mission deals with unemployment above the national average, household incomes below the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, and a poverty rate above the national average.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low crime rates
- Short commutes
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Above-average unemployment
- Below-average household incomes
- Air quality concerns
- High poverty rate
- Very hot summers
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Mission compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Mission
Based on Mission's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,900
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $38,000 a year
- 40% of Mission renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$35,140
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $17,570
- Homes cost 2.9× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 33% below US
$950/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $950 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 $175,700. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $175,700 · 40% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▲ 30% above US
5.6% unemployment
Unemployment here is 5.6%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 59% below US
134 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 1164/100k · Mission Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 21% below US
21 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 20.5 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 10% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers run seriously hot, with average highs pushing 98°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 51°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 4.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 18% below US
29% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 29%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
34 public schools inside the boundary
There are 34 public schools inside the boundary and 3 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 Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park (55 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Mission's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are unemployment above the national average and household incomes below the national average. A year of median rent ($950/mo) equals 19% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, anyone prioritizing low crime, and people who want short commutes. It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up, anyone who doesn't drive, and people who struggle with heat.
Other places near Mission
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