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Cost of living, pay and housing

29.50° N · 95.47° W · GEOID 4803708

Arcola

Fort Bend County, Texas · part of the Houston, TX metro

Limited data population under 5,000

TexasArcola, TXArcolaArcola

The short answer

Arcola is home to 1,911 people. Median household income is $75,086 a year and median rent is $1,130 a month, 18.1% 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 $242,600, about 3.2x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,130
17% below the median place
Median household income
$75,086
6% below the median place
Median home value
$242,600
24% below the median place
Unemployment
5.0%
3% above 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 Arcola

  • The median resident is 26.8 years old, younger than in 97% of the 2,479 places under 10,000 people we track.
  • The population has grown 21.7% since 2020, faster than in 94% of places its size.
  • Half the homes were built after 2001, newer housing than in 91% of places its size.
  • Households average 3.07 people, larger than in 91% of places its size.
  • 13% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, a smaller share than in 90% of places its size.
01

Moving to Arcola

Fort Bend County gains about 13.9 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in56,259
Moved out45,677
Net+10,582

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within Texas, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within TexasOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$82K
Leavers$86K

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

Who moves here
6.2% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.6% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Fort Bend County report $81,600 a year in income on average; those leaving, $86,200, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$45,200 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,130 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,940 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $242,600.
Getting to work
35 minutes each way on average; 17.7% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Port LaBelle, FL matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
6.2%
8% above the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people7
13.9
above the median place (median -0.6)
Income of households moving out7
$86,227
23% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureArcolaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year16.2%8% above
Moved from another state1County figure1.6%20% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure13.9above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$81,58016% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$86,22723% above
02

What it costs to live here

Median year built is 2001, 1% above the median place.

Arcola18.1%
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
$45,200
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
18.1%
11% below the median place
Home price to income
3.2x
15% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
18%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$63,100
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Arcola, $1,130 a month, and local prices for everything else (97.4 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 Arcola.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Arcola? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Median year built1
2001
1% above the median place
Vacant homes1
15.8%
124% above the median place
Property tax rate1
1.6%
70% above the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureArcolaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,13017% below
Rent to income118.1%11% below
Property tax rate11.6%70% above
Home price to income13.2x15% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure98.62% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,4977% below
Property tax paid (median)1$3,75415% above
Median home value1$242,60024% below
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure6.0%87% above
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure55.7%8% above
Homeownership160.1%9% below
Renters paying 30%+1County figure53.6%6% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,9404% above
Vacant homes115.8%124% above
Median year built120011% 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%)
Mean commute1
35 min
41% above the median place
Income per person1
$26,735
33% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureArcolaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$75,0866% below
Income per person1$26,73533% below
Unemployment1County figure5.0%3% above
Average annual pay5County figure$63,4724% below
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure1.4%62% below
Jobs5County figure260,92973% above
Poverty rate113.0%21% above
Mean commute135 min41% above
Works from home1County figure17.7%42% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Median age is 26.8, 31% below the median place.

Median age1
26.8
31% below the median place
No health insurance1
20.1%
214% above the median place
Population change since 20206
21.7%
above the median place (median 1.1%)

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Bachelor's or higher13.3% −58%
Household size3.1 +23%
High school or higher84.5% −9%
Born abroad19.9% 2.3×
Homes with broadband89.9% −3%
All 9 people measures
MeasureArcolaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population11,9116646th largest
Population change since 2020621.7%above (median 1.1%)
Median age126.831% below
Bachelor's or higher113.3%58% below
High school or higher184.5%9% below
Household size13.123% above
Born abroad119.9%125% above
No health insurance120.1%214% above
Homes with broadband189.9%3% below
05

Life in Arcola

8 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents0.0 −100%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.0 −100%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars17.0 −18%
Shops27.3 −10%
Arts, recreation and fitness2.8 −32%
Doctors' offices and clinics25.6 +27%
Child care centers2.6 +13%

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

Public school students12
191,372
above the median place (median 4,897)
Public schools12
194
above the median place (median 9)
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8
2.8
32% below the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureArcolaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12County figure194above (median 9)
Public school students12County figure191,372above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher12County figure16.57% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure17.018% below
Shops per 10k8County figure27.310% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure2.832% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure25.627% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure2.613% above
Parks per 10k90.0below (median 10.2)
Playgrounds per 10k90.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k90.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k90.0below (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails90.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings10County figure838% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

Violent crime per 100k is 274, 43% above the median place.

Violent crime per 100k
274
43% above the median place
Property crime per 100k
860
29% below the median place
Months reported
12 of 12
by the city police department to the FBI

Counts only offenses reported by the city police department. Sheriff, state and campus police are not included, and some departments do not report to the FBI at all, so compare with care.

Good air days15
10.1%
85% below the median place
Median air quality index15
63
47% above the median place
Tornado risk14
99.2
22% above the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureArcolaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure94°F8% above
January average low13County figure44°F74% above
Average temperature13County figure70°F28% above
Annual precipitation13County figure50.4 in15% above
Natural hazard risk14County figure97.55% above
Hurricane risk14County figure97.638% above
Tornado risk14County figure99.222% above
Wildfire risk14County figure80.131% above
Heat wave risk14County figure97.89% above
Median air quality index15Metro figure6347% above
Good air days15Metro figure10.1%85% below
08

Arcola in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 18% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 18% 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$1,130/mo (2024)$1,440/mo$1,180 to $1,750/mo+4.1%
Median household income$75,086 (2024)$96,000$81,000 to $113,500+4.2%
Median home value$242,600 (2024)$365,000$265,000 to $502,000+7.0%
Population2,499 (2025)2,7602,650 to 2,880+2.0%

The median home would be worth 3.8 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.2 now.

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

09

Places like Arcola

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

PlaceRentIncome
Port LaBelle, FL$983$75,231Compare
Toppenish, WA$985$67,854Compare
Alma, AR$1,012$68,562Compare
Willow Oak, FL$1,117$65,688Compare
Willow Oak, FLAlma, ARToppenish, WAPort LaBelle, FLArcola, TXArcolaPort LaBelleToppenishAlmaWillow OakArcolaPort LaBelleToppenishAlmaWillow Oak

Common questions

Is Arcola a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. The median resident is 26.8 years old, younger than in 97% of the 2,479 places under 10,000 people we track. The population has grown 21.7% since 2020, faster than in 94% of places its size. On cost, space and class size it scores 72 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Arcola expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 18.1% 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 $242,600.

What salary do you need to live in Arcola?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $45,200 a year. Work it out from your current city.

Is Arcola safe?

There were 274 reported violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 192 in the typical place.

What places are similar to Arcola?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Port LaBelle, FL, Toppenish, WA, Alma, AR and Willow Oak, FL.

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. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  11. Crime Data Explorer · Federal Bureau of Investigation · 2025 data
  12. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  13. 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
  14. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  15. 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 Arcola with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Arcola itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/arcola-texas

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

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