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Cost of living, pay and housing

32.28° N · 96.54° W · GEOID 4802044

Alma

Ellis County, Texas · part of the Dallas, TX metro

Computed by Citytistics from 13 public sources · Data bundle checked 2026-11-14 · How we calculate

Limited data population under 5,000

TexasAlma, TXAlmaAlma

The short answer

Alma is home to 541 people. Median household income is $108,750 a year and median rent is $945 a month, 10.4% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $292,300, about 2.7x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$945
31% below the median place
Median household income
$108,750
35% above the median place
Median home value
$292,300
8% below the median place
Unemployment
4.5%
9% below the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Alma

  • The median rent takes only 10.4% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 98% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track.
  • Household income has grown 11.2% a year across the last five survey releases, faster than in 95% of places its size.
  • The population has grown 19.6% since 2020, faster than in 93% of places its size.
  • Households average 3.07 people, larger than in 91% of places its size.
  • Half the homes were built after 1998, newer housing than in 88% of places its size.

Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 82 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

01

Moving to Alma

Ellis County gains about 36.5 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in17,849
Moved out11,240
Net+6,609

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Dallas County, TX6,6872,795+3,892
Tarrant County, TX3,0271,456+1,571
Johnson County, TX506677−171
Navarro County, TX419549−130
Denton County, TX490362+128
Collin County, TX437284+153
Kaufman County, TX333318+15
Harris County, TX193

Within Texas, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within TexasOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$70K
Leavers$61K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Ellis County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
6.7% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.7% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Ellis County report $69,900 a year in income on average; those leaving, $61,400, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$37,800 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $945 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,691 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $292,300.
Getting to work
27 minutes each way on average; 13.8% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Glendora, NJ matches it on character. Compare the two
Net movers per 1,000 people7
36.5
above the median place (median -0.6)
Income of households moving out7
$61,382
13% below the median place
Moved here in the past year1
6.7%
16% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureAlmaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure6.7%16% above
Moved from another state1County figure1.7%14% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure36.5above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$69,9431% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$61,38213% below
02

What it costs to live here

Rent to income is 10.4%, 49% below the median place.

Alma10.4%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$37,800
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
10.4%
49% below the median place
Home price to income
2.7x
29% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
10%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$97,600
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Alma, $945 a month, and local prices for everything else (100.1 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Alma.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Alma? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Median year built1
1998
1% above the median place
Homeownership1
84.1%
27% above the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$2,600
20% below the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureAlmaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$94531% below
Rent to income110.4%49% below
Property tax rate10.9%2% below
Home price to income12.7x29% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure103.12% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,80712% above
Property tax paid (median)1$2,60020% below
Median home value1$292,3008% below
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure-0.3%below (median 3.2%)
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure49.5%4% below
Homeownership184.1%27% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure50.5%0% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,69110% below
Vacant homes1County figure4.9%31% below
Median year built119981% above
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Median household income1
$108,750
35% above the median place
Mean commute1
27 min
9% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureAlmaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$108,75035% above
Income per person1$44,62611% above
Unemployment1County figure4.5%9% below
Average annual pay5County figure$59,28410% below
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure2.4%35% below
Jobs5County figure64,68657% below
Poverty rate1County figure6.9%36% below
Mean commute127 min9% above
Works from home113.8%11% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

No health insurance is 18.5%, 189% above the median place.

No health insurance1
18.5%
189% above the median place
Population change since 20206
19.6%
above the median place (median 1.1%)
Homes with broadband1
84.7%
8% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Household size3.1 +23%
Bachelor's or higher19.3% −40%
High school or higher88.2% −4%
Median age38.2 −2%
All 9 people measures
MeasureAlmaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population15416646th largest
Population change since 2020619.6%above (median 1.1%)
Median age138.22% below
Bachelor's or higher119.3%40% below
High school or higher188.2%4% below
Household size13.123% above
Born abroad1County figure8.5%4% below
No health insurance118.5%189% above
Homes with broadband184.7%8% below
05

Life in Alma

122 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars15.8 −24%
Shops20.5 −32%
Arts, recreation and fitness3.1 −24%
Doctors' offices and clinics11.5 −43%
Child care centers1.7 −26%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Shops per 10k8
20.5
32% below the median place
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8
11.5
43% below the median place
Restaurants and bars per 10k8
15.8
24% below the median place
All 9 schools and local life measures
MeasureAlmaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools10County figure76above (median 9)
Public school students10County figure46,344above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher10County figure15.61% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure15.824% below
Shops per 10k8County figure20.532% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure3.124% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure11.543% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure1.726% below
National Register listings9County figure122above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

July average high is 95°F, 10% above the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Alma. Larger places are fetched first.

July average high11
95°F
10% above the median place
Median air quality index13
35
19% below the median place
Good air days13
89.2%
30% above the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureAlmaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high11County figure95°F10% above
January average low11County figure36°F44% above
Average temperature11County figure66°F21% above
Annual precipitation11County figure40.1 in8% below
Natural hazard risk12County figure81.612% below
Hurricane risk12County figure52.226% below
Tornado risk12County figure87.88% above
Wildfire risk12County figure86.141% above
Heat wave risk12County figure90.61% above
Median air quality index13County figure3519% below
Good air days13County figure89.2%30% above
08

Alma in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 10% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 10% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$945/mo (2024)$1,230/mo$1,010 to $1,500/mo+4.5%
Median household income$108,750 (2024)$142,500$120,500 to $168,500+4.6%
Median home value$292,300 (2024)$429,000$311,000 to $591,000+6.6%
Population439 (2025)480460 to 500+1.9%

The median home would be worth 3.0 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.7 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Alma

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Glendora, NJ$986$98,053Compare
Unionville, NC$978$96,028Compare
Mount Washington, KY$1,008$96,239Compare
Sturtevant, WI$981$92,647Compare
Sturtevant, WIMount Washington, KYUnionville, NCGlendora, NJAlma, TXAlmaGlendoraUnionvilleMount WashingtonSturtevantAlmaGlendoraUnionvilleMount WashingtonSturtevant

Common questions

Is Alma a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. The median rent takes only 10.4% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 98% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. Household income has grown 11.2% a year across the last five survey releases, faster than in 95% of places its size. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Alma expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 10.4% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $292,300.

What salary do you need to live in Alma?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $37,800 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Alma?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Glendora, NJ, Unionville, NC, Mount Washington, KY and Sturtevant, WI.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  10. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  11. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  12. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  13. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Alma with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Alma itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/alma-texas

Citytistics. “Alma, Texas.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/alma-texas/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.