CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

32.71° N · 96.62° W · GEOID 4805372

Balch Springs

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

TexasBalch Springs, TXBalch SpringsBalch Springs

The short answer

Balch Springs is home to 27,255 people. Median household income is $66,942 a year and median rent is $1,378 a month, 24.7% 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 $224,400, about 3.4x annual median household income.

Balch Springs is defined by its growth. Home value growth is 16.2% a year, against 9.5% a year in its closest peers. Also notable: Home values rose 16.2% a year between the 2019 and 2024 surveys while incomes rose 5.4%, a wider gap than in 99% of places its size.

2OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Weak

Balch Springs scores better than 2% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 394th of 407 in Texas.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%43
Economy 20%22
Safety 20%17
Amenities 15%29
Education 10%2
Commute 10%10
Growth 5%34
Median gross rent
$1,378
1% above the median place
Median household income
$66,942
17% below the median place
Median home value
$224,400
30% below the median place
Unemployment
8.3%
70% 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 Balch Springs

  • Work and commutingOpenStreetMap shows 0 bus and rail stops per square mile, fewer than in 88% of the 987 places of 25,000 to 50,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 415 Texas places we track.
01

Moving to Balch Springs

Dallas County loses about 14.4 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in120,450
Moved out149,719
Net−29,269

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Tarrant County, TX18,48925,211−6,722
Collin County, TX15,22223,376−8,154
Denton County, TX10,82717,244−6,417
Kaufman County, TX3,8439,338−5,495
Ellis County, TX2,7956,687−3,892
Rockwall County, TX1,9694,471−2,502
Harris County, TX3,3093,106+203

Within Texas, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within TexasOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$77K
Leavers$84K

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

Who moves here
1.7% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.9% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Dallas County report $76,800 a year in income on average; those leaving, $83,700, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$55,100 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,378 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,705 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $224,400.
Getting to work
34 minutes each way on average; 9.8% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Hollister, CA matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
1.7%
71% below the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people7
-14.4
below the median place (median -0.6)
Income of households moving out7
$83,714
19% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureBalch SpringsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year11.7%71% below
Moved from another state1County figure1.9%6% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-14.4below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$76,7759% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$83,71419% above
02

What it costs to live here

Rent to income is 24.7%, 21% above the median place.

Balch Springs24.7%
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
$55,120
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
24.7%
21% above the median place
Home price to income
3.4x
12% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
25%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$50,400
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Balch Springs, $1,378 a month, and local prices for everything else (100.1 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Balch Springs, but easier on the budget

Places that match Balch Springs on character (size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, remote work and climate) but where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income. Cost was left out of the match on purpose.

PlaceMatchRent to incomeMore left a year
Hollister, CA9320.5% vs 24.7%$48,800Compare
Linda, CA9320.0% vs 24.7%$6,000Compare
Rio Grande City, TX9320.6% vs 24.7%n/aCompare
Olivehurst, CA9319.1% vs 24.7%$14,700Compare

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

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Balch Springs? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Property tax rate1
1.4%
58% above the median place
Renters paying 30%+1
57.0%
13% above the median place
Median year built1
1990
1% above the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureBalch SpringsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,3781% above
Rent to income124.7%21% above
Property tax rate11.4%58% above
Home price to income13.4x12% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure103.12% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,80712% above
Property tax paid (median)1$3,2331% below
Median home value1$224,40030% below
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure-0.1%below (median 3.2%)
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure45.0%13% below
Homeownership164.7%3% below
Renters paying 30%+157.0%13% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,7059% below
Vacant homes19.5%34% above
Median year built119901% above
03

Work and pay

Counting remote workers as zero, the average worker spends about 235 hours a year commuting, more than in 94% of the 987 places of 25,000 to 50,000 people we track.

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Income per person1
$25,186
37% below the median place
Mean commute1
34 min
35% above the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Unemployment8.3% +70%
Poverty rate7.1% −34%
Median household income$66,942 −17%
Works from home9.8% −21%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureBalch SpringsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$66,94217% below
Income per person1$25,18637% below
Unemployment18.3%70% above
Average annual pay5County figure$92,54340% above
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure3.7%0% above
Jobs5County figure1,829,643above (median 150,665)
Poverty rate17.1%34% below
Mean commute134 min35% above
Works from home19.8%21% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

9% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, a smaller share than in 99% of the 987 places of 25,000 to 50,000 people we track.

No health insurance1
31.2%
387% above the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
9.1%
72% below the median place
High school or higher1
72.4%
22% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Household size3.3 +32%
Median age32.2 −17%
Born abroad22.7% 2.6×
Homes with broadband88.9% −4%
All 9 people measures
MeasureBalch SpringsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population127,2551697th largest
Population change since 20206-1.6%below (median 1.1%)
Median age132.217% below
Bachelor's or higher19.1%72% below
High school or higher172.4%22% below
Household size13.332% above
Born abroad122.7%157% above
No health insurance131.2%387% above
Homes with broadband188.9%4% below
05

Life in Balch Springs

About 0 km of named paths and bike trails are mapped in and around the city, fewer than in 91% of the 987 places of 25,000 to 50,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 415 Texas places we track.

Founded or incorporated in 1953. 155 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 4 of them National Historic Landmarks. Its history on Wikipedia

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents7.3 −28%
Playgrounds per 10k8.4 −10%
Grocery stores per 10k2.9 +39%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k5.5 −51%
Libraries per 10k0.7 −16%
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.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • Waco Mammoth National Monument 84 miles
  • Chickasaw National Recreation Area 125 miles
  • El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail 180 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars23.1 +11%
Shops29.7 −2%
Arts, recreation and fitness3.7 −10%
Doctors' offices and clinics26.2 +30%
Child care centers1.9 −17%

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

Nearest National Park Service site10
83.7
172% above the median place
Public schools13
6
33% below the median place
Public school students13
3,378
31% below the median place
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureBalch SpringsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools13633% below
Public school students133,37831% below
Students per teacher1315.12% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure23.111% above
Shops per 10k8County figure29.72% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure3.710% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure26.230% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure1.917% below
Parks per 10k97.328% below
Playgrounds per 10k98.410% below
Grocery stores per 10k92.939% above
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k95.551% below
Libraries per 10k90.716% below
Named paths and bike trails90.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site1083.7172% above
National Park Service sites within 60 miles100below (median 2)
National Register listings11County figure155above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

Violent crime per 100k is 393, 105% above the median place.

Violent crime per 100k
393
105% above the median place
Property crime per 100k
2,682
121% above 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.

Heat wave risk15
99.9
11% above the median place
Tornado risk15
99.8
23% above the median place
July average high14
95°F
10% above the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureBalch SpringsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high14County figure95°F10% above
January average low14County figure36°F43% above
Average temperature14County figure66°F20% above
Annual precipitation14County figure39.5 in10% below
Natural hazard risk15County figure99.78% above
Hurricane risk15County figure73.54% above
Tornado risk15County figure99.823% above
Wildfire risk15County figure80.331% above
Heat wave risk15County figure99.911% above
Median air quality index16County figure5323% above
Good air days16County figure40.5%41% below
08

Balch Springs in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 25% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 25% 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. On projected 2030 affordability, Balch Springs does better than 39% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 98%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,378/mo (2024)$1,770/mo$1,450 to $2,160/mo+4.3%
Median household income$66,942 (2024)$85,500$72,000 to $101,000+4.1%
Median home value$224,400 (2024)$346,000$251,000 to $477,000+7.5%
Population27,258 (2025)27,35026,240 to 28,520+0.1%

The median home would be worth 4.1 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.4 now.

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

09

Places like Balch Springs

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

PlaceRentIncome
Camp Swift, TX$1,352$63,944Compare
Seagoville, TX$1,381$66,743Compare
Hondo, TX$1,460$62,032Compare
Posen, IL$1,372$73,051Compare
Posen, ILHondo, TXSeagoville, TXCamp Swift, TXBalch Springs, TXBalch SpringsCamp SwiftSeagovilleHondoPosenBalch SpringsCamp SwiftSeagovilleHondoPosen

Places built like Balch Springs

Its statistical peers: the closest matches on size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, origin and remote work, in the same part of the country. Cost and outcomes are left out of the match, so the table shows how Balch Springs performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Balch Springs, TX24.7%5.4%/yr-1.6%
Mercedes, TX20.8%6.2%/yr10.2%Compare
Rio Grande City, TX20.6%6.1%/yr1.0%Compare
San Benito, TX23.1%9.7%/yr-0.0%Compare
Seagoville, TX24.8%5.0%/yr14.2%Compare
Alamo, TX17.0%7.5%/yr5.7%Compare
Donna, TX23.9%6.3%/yr-0.7%Compare

Common questions

Is Balch Springs a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 2 out of 100, better than 2% of the places we rate and 394th of 407 in Texas. OpenStreetMap shows 0 bus and rail stops per square mile, fewer than in 88% of the 987 places of 25,000 to 50,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 415 Texas places we track. On cost, space and class size it scores 69 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Balch Springs expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 24.7% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $224,400.

What salary do you need to live in Balch Springs?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $55,120 a year. Work it out from your current city.

Is Balch Springs safe?

There were 393 reported violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 192 in the typical place.

What places are similar to Balch Springs?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Camp Swift, TX, Seagoville, TX, Hondo, TX and Posen, IL.

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 Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Crime Data Explorer · Federal Bureau of Investigation · 2025 data
  13. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  14. 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
  15. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  16. 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 Balch Springs with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Balch Springs itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/balch-springs-texas

Citytistics. “Balch Springs, Texas.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/balch-springs-texas/

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