What it's like to live in Terrell
Terrell is a small city in Texas with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, a population that has grown fast since 2020, 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. Terrell deals with household incomes below the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, college degree attainment below the national average, and a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Fast-growing population
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Air quality concerns
- Low college degree attainment
- High rent burden for renters
- Hot summers
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Terrell compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Terrell
Based on Terrell's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,464
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $49,280 a year
- 61% of Terrell renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$43,700
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $21,850
- Homes cost 3.3× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 13% below US
$1,232/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,232 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $218,500. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $218,500 · 61% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.1% county unemployment
Unemployment in Kaufman County is 4.1%, 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.
Kaufman County (county-wide)
SafetyNear US average
327 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 1250/100k · Terrell Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
27 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 27.3 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.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 95°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 38°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 56% below US
16% 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
9 public schools inside the boundary
There are 9 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Waco Mammoth National Monument (94 miles away).
Bottom line
Terrell'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 air quality that falls short of national benchmarks. A year of median rent ($1,232/mo) equals 22% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget.
Other places near Terrell
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