What it's like to live in Odessa
Odessa is a mid-size city in Texas with home prices that remain within reach, unemployment below the national average, commutes that run shorter than most cities, and a growing population. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Odessa deals with college degree attainment below the national average, larger class sizes than the national average, a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin, and hot summers.
The good
- Affordable home prices
- Low unemployment
- Short commutes
- Growing population
The not so good
- Low college degree attainment
- High student-teacher ratio
- High rent burden for renters
- Hot summers
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Odessa compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Odessa
Based on Odessa's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,630
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $52,600 a year
- 51% of Odessa renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$44,620
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $22,310
- Homes cost 3.0× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of livingNear US average
$1,315/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,315 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $223,100. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $223,100 · 51% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▼ 16% below US
3.6% unemployment
Unemployment here is 3.6%, a little below the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 13% below US
286 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 1159/100k · Odessa Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 14% below US
22 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 22.4 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 34°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
2 hospitals
There are 2 Medicare-certified hospitals inside city limits. They average 3.0 out of 5 on Medicare's star rating.
Medicare-certified hospitals
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
46 public schools inside the boundary
There are 46 public schools inside the boundary and 5 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 19:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Bottom line
Odessa's strongest points are home prices that remain within reach and unemployment below the national average; the main tradeoffs are college degree attainment below the national average and a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin. A year of median rent ($1,315/mo) equals 21% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.
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