© OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap
Moving to
West Odessa.
West Odessa is an unincorporated community in Ector County, TX. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.
What it's like to live in West Odessa
West Odessa is an unincorporated community in Texas with home prices that remain within reach and county unemployment below the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. West Odessa deals with household incomes below the national average, commute times longer than most cities, college degree attainment below the national average, and larger class sizes than the national average.
The good
- Affordable home prices
- Low unemployment in the county
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Above-average commute times
- Low college degree attainment
- High student-teacher ratio
- Hot summers
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
How West Odessa compares
Median household income
Median home value
What it takes to move to West Odessa
Based on West Odessa's median rent, home value and household income
To buy
$25,260
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $12,630
- Homes cost 1.9× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Job market
3.7% county unemployment
Unemployment in Ector County is 3.7%, a little below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Ector County (county-wide)
Safety
455 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
West Odessa doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Ector County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs above the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 2192/100k · Policed by Ector County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 30% above US
34 min average commute
Traffic is a real factor here. The 33.8 minute average means plenty of commuters are pushing 45 to 60 minutes on a bad day. Proximity to work matters more here than it might elsewhere. Nearly all 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
Education & workforce▼ 51% below US
18% 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
4 public schools inside the boundary
There are 4 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 20:1, above the national average of 16:1.
Bottom line
West Odessa's strongest points are home prices that remain within reach and county unemployment below the national average; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and commute times longer than most cities. It may be a harder fit for people who dread long commutes.
Other places near West Odessa
All Texas guides →Moving to Midland →
25 mi away · pop. 136,640
Rent $1,434/mo · Income $89,585
Compare with West Odessa →Moving to Andrews →
33 mi away · pop. 13,468
Rent $1,350/mo · Income $73,690
Compare with West Odessa →Moving to Big Spring →
65 mi away · pop. 23,975
Rent $1,050/mo · Income $67,581
Compare with West Odessa →Not sure West Odessa is the one?
Put it side by side with another city.