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Living in
Gatesville.
About
Life in Gatesville
Living in Gatesville means settling into a small Texas city with a solid, stable economy built on corrections infrastructure and light manufacturing—think Kalyn Siebert's heavy-haul trailers and Laerdal Medical's medical training equipment alongside the state prison system that employs thousands. The cost of living is genuinely affordable: median home values around $207,000 and rent averaging $1,007 a month give you real purchasing power, especially compared to Austin or Waco just 30 miles away. Summers are long and hot with that humid subtropical punch, winters are short and mild, so you're either running the AC or appreciating low heating bills depending on the season.
Gatesville at a Glance
Population, income, housing and more
Median Age
39.4 yrs
Poverty Rate
9.1%
Foreign-Born
6.2%
Broadband Internet
86.2%
of households
Population Growth
+1.8%
recent change · Census Bureau
Median household income
Demographics6.2% foreign-born, most often from Mexico
Who lives in Gatesville: race and ethnicity, ages, households, languages and countries of origin
In Gatesville, the largest foreign-born group is from Mexico (44.0%), and 17.6% of residents speak Spanish at home.
Under 18
8.6%
of residents
65 and Older
11.1%
of residents
Households with Kids
25.1%
anyone under 18
Living Alone
31.0%
of households
Married Couples
48.5%
of households
Avg Household Size
2.21
people
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino of any race; other groups are non-Hispanic
Top countries of origin (foreign-born)
Languages Spoken at Home
Cost of Livingrent 28% below TX average
Rent, home values, and income in Gatesville
In Gatesville, rent runs 28% below the TX average, and home values are 27% below the TX average.
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
Rent Burdened
31.6%
spending 30%+ of income on rent
Severely Rent Burdened
7.3%
spending 50%+
Cost of Living Index
91.1
metro area (BEA) · US avg = 100
Median Property Tax
$2,289
per year, owner-occupied homes
Homeowners
63.9%
of occupied homes are owned
Typical Home Built
1979
median year built
Home Value Trend
Latest: $240,247 (September 2026)
Jobs & Economyunemployment 0.5 pts above TX average
Unemployment in Gatesville
Unemployment in Coryell County, which includes Gatesville, is 0.5 percentage points higher than the TX average.
Unemployment rate
Gatesville: Coryell County rate (county-wide) · BLS annual average
Unemployment Rate — 10 Year Trend
Coryell County (county-wide) · Annual averages
What Gatesville Residents Do for Work · share of employed residents by industry
City residents, wherever they work
Commute22.8 min avg
How Gatesville residents get to work, and the nearest airports
In Gatesville, most residents drive alone to work (80%), and 66% get there in under 30 minutes.
How People Get to Work
Commute Time Distribution
Nearest airports · with airline service
- 26 mi
Killeen Regional Airport / Robert Gray Army Airfield (GRK)
Regional airport · few flights113k passengers boarded in 2025
- 86 mi
Austin Bergstrom International Airport (AUS)
Major hub10.7M passengers boarded in 2025
Straight-line distance. Size is the FAA’s hub category, based on passenger traffic: regional airports may have only a few flights a day.
Safetyviolent crime 58% below national average
Crime rates for 2025
Violent crime in Gatesville runs 58% below the national average.
Violent Crime Rate
139.8
per 100,000 residents
Below average (329 national, 2025)
Property Crime Rate
680.6
per 100,000 residents
Below average (1,552 national, 2025)
Gatesville Police Department
Natural DisastersDrought most common — 16 events in 2025
Natural hazard risk, storms and earthquakes
FEMA National Risk Index
Relatively Low
63.4 / 100
Compares expected losses from natural hazards, social vulnerability and community resilience against every US county (higher = more risk).
Coryell County, county-wide · FEMA NRI December 2025
In Coryell County, which includes Gatesville, the most common type is drought, with 16 recorded events in 2025.
Most common events:
Storm events by year
| Year | Events | Top Type | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 16 | Cold/Wind Chill | $92,000 |
| 2024 | 18 | Heat | $24,000 |
| 2023 | 35 | Drought | $1.1M |
| 2022 | 22 | Drought | None reported |
| 2021 | 13 | Drought | $1.8M |
| 2020 | 13 | Drought | $1,000 |
| 2019 | 14 | Heat | $511,000 |
| 2018 | 10 | Drought | None reported |
Property damage is the National Weather Service's estimate filed with each event. “None reported” means the events were logged with $0 damage; “Not estimated” means no estimate was filed. Storms covering several counties aren't counted here, since NOAA doesn't split their damage by county.
2 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5+ within 100 miles in the past year
Coryell County, county-wide
Air Quality45 median AQI — Good
Days by air quality category (2025)
Air quality in Bell County, TX (the nearest EPA-monitored county, about 31 miles from Gatesville) is typically good — 241 good-air days per year.
Median AQI
45
Good Days
241
per year
Moderate Days
120
per year
Unhealthy Days
0
per year
Nearest EPA monitor county: Bell County, TX (31 mi away)
Climate94°F summers, 37°F winters
30-year climate averages (1991–2020) — monthly temperatures and precipitation
Gatesville has hot summers (avg high 94°F) and mild winters (avg low 37°F).
Spring (Mar–May)
78°/55°F
avg high / low
Summer (Jun–Aug)
94°/71°F
avg high / low
Fall (Sep–Nov)
80°/55°F
avg high / low
Winter (Dec–Feb)
62°/37°F
avg high / low
Annual Precipitation
37.0"
Annual Snowfall
0.2"
Hot Days/Year
110
days above 90°F
Freeze Days/Year
43
days below 32°F
Rainy Days/Year
57
Average month
Show month-by-month table ↓Hide table ↑
| Month | High | Low | Precip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 60°F | 36°F | 2.32" |
| Feb | 64°F | 39°F | 2.54" |
| Mar | 71°F | 47°F | 3.22" |
| Apr | 78°F | 54°F | 3.19" |
| May | 85°F | 63°F | 4.14" |
| Jun | 91°F | 70°F | 3.39" |
| Jul | 95°F | 72°F | 2.97" |
| Aug | 96°F | 72°F | 2.97" |
| Sep | 90°F | 65°F | 2.94" |
| Oct | 80°F | 55°F | 4.18" |
| Nov | 70°F | 45°F | 2.63" |
| Dec | 61°F | 37°F | 2.53" |
Healthcare1 hospital
Hospitals, ratings, and health insurance in Gatesville
Gatesville has 1 hospital.
Hospitals
1
within city limits
Uninsured
10.6%
of residents
Coryell Memorial Hospital
Critical Access Hospitals · ER available
Adult Health · vs. the typical US place
Share of adults. Modeled estimates, not counted cases. “US” = the typical US place.
Medicare-certified hospitals only. Doesn’t include clinics, urgent care, or freestanding ERs.
Education14.0:1 student/teacher ratio
Schools and degree attainment in Gatesville
Gatesville's student/teacher ratio is 14.0:1 (lower than the national average of 16:1), and 8.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Public Schools
5
within city limits
Private Schools
0
within city limits
College Degree Rate
8.6%
adults 25+ with bachelor's or higher
Student/Teacher Ratio
14.0:1
National avg 16:1
Schools located within city limits (2023) — school-level metrics change slowly year to year
Parks & Recreationclosest: Waco Mammoth National Monument, 35 mi
Nearby national parks, recreation areas and public libraries for Gatesville
Gatesville has 3 nearby national parks or recreation areas, closest being Waco Mammoth National Monument (35 mi away).
Nearby National Parks & Recreation Areas
Waco Mammoth National Monument
National Monument
35 mi awayEl Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail
National Historic Trail
96 mi awayLyndon B Johnson National Historical Park
National Historical Park
97 mi awayPublic Libraries in Gatesville
Gatesville Public Library
111 N 8th St, Gatesville
Cities Near Gatesville
The closest cities within 60 miles
Planning a move to Gatesville?
Read our full moving guide — what it's really like to live here.
Gatesville FAQ
Is Gatesville, Texas affordable?⌄
Gatesville's median rent is $1,007/month, which is below the national average, making it relatively affordable. The median household income is $57,217/year. Median home value is $207,300.
Is Gatesville, Texas safe?⌄
Gatesville's violent crime rate was 140 per 100,000 residents in 2025, which is well below the national average — one of the safer cities in the country of 329/100k that year. Property crime rate is 681 per 100,000. As with any city, crime rates vary by neighborhood.
What is the job market like in Gatesville, Texas?⌄
Coryell County, which includes Gatesville, has an unemployment rate of 4.7%, which is close to the national average of 4.3%.
What is the cost of living in Gatesville, Texas?⌄
The cost of living in Gatesville is primarily driven by housing. Median rent is $1,007/month and median household income is $57,217/year. The median home value is $207,300. About 32% of renters spend more than 30% of their income on housing.
How is the commute in Gatesville, Texas?⌄
The average commute in Gatesville is 23 minutes, which is about average compared to the national average of 26 minutes.
Data from the US Census Bureau, BLS, FBI, NOAA, EPA, Zillow Research and other public sources. Where our data comes from