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Cost of living, pay and housing

32.16° N · 95.44° W · GEOID 4824158

Emerald Bay

Smith County, Texas · part of the Tyler, TX metro

Limited data population under 5,000, core figures borrowed from county or metro: median_gross_rent

TexasEmerald Bay, TXEmerald BayEmerald Bay

The short answer

Emerald Bay is home to 970 people. Median household income is $98,068 a year and median rent is $1,238 a month, 15.1% 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 $351,000, about 3.6x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,238
9% below the median place
Median household income
$98,068
22% above the median place
Median home value
$351,000
10% above 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 Emerald Bay

  • 100% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 99% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 415 Texas places.
  • The median resident is 72.3 years old, older than in 99% of places its size. It is the highest of 414 Texas places.
  • 41% of workers mostly work from home, more than in 99% of places its size.
  • Households average 1.98 people, smaller than in 94% of places its size.
  • The median rent takes only 15.1% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 82% of places its size.

Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 84 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

01

Moving to Emerald Bay

Smith County gains about 8.0 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in12,888
Moved out11,315
Net+1,573

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Van Zandt County, TX507

Within Texas, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within TexasOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$67K
Leavers$59K

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

Who moves here
5.8% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.0% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Smith County report $67,500 a year in income on average; those leaving, $58,600, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$49,500 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,238 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,500 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $351,000.
Getting to work
23 minutes each way on average; 41.0% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
The Villages, FL matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
0.0%
below the median place (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people6
8.0
above the median place (median -0.6)
Income of households moving out6
$58,556
17% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureEmerald BayAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure5.8%0% above
Moved from another state10.0%below (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people6County figure8.0above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in6County figure$67,4974% below
Income of households moving out6County figure$58,55617% below
02

What it costs to live here

Homeownership is 100.0%, 51% above the median place.

Emerald Bay15.1%
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
$49,520
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
15.1%
26% below the median place
Home price to income
3.6x
6% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
15%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$87,800
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Emerald Bay, $1,238 a month, and local prices for everything else (94.7 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 Emerald Bay.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Emerald Bay? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Homeownership1
100.0%
51% above the median place
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$1,500
20% below the median place
Median year built1
1987
0% above the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureEmerald BayAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1County figure$1,2389% below
Rent to income115.1%26% below
Property tax rate10.9%4% above
Home price to income13.6x6% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure92.29% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,27721% below
Property tax paid (median)1$3,3372% above
Median home value1$351,00010% above
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure1.9%42% below
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure47.9%7% below
Homeownership1100.0%51% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure47.7%6% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,50020% below
Vacant homes1County figure16.6%135% above
Median year built119870% 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%)
Works from home1
41.0%
230% above the median place
Income per person1
$54,928
37% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureEmerald BayAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$98,06822% above
Income per person1$54,92837% above
Unemployment1County figure4.5%9% below
Average annual pay5County figure$59,67610% below
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure3.9%5% above
Jobs5County figure115,45423% below
Poverty rate1County figure11.6%7% above
Mean commute1County figure23 min7% below
Works from home141.0%230% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

High school or higher is 100.0%, 8% above the median place.

High school or higher1
100.0%
8% above the median place
Median age1
72.3
85% above the median place
Household size1
2.0
21% below the median place
All 8 people measures
MeasureEmerald BayAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population19706646th largest
Median age172.385% above
Bachelor's or higher148.6%52% above
High school or higher1100.0%8% above
Household size12.021% below
Born abroad1County figure8.8%0% below
No health insurance1County figure16.9%164% above
Homes with broadband195.3%3% above
05

Life in Emerald Bay

37 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars20.7 −0%
Shops36.3 +20%
Arts, recreation and fitness3.2 −22%
Doctors' offices and clinics21.9 +8%
Child care centers1.9 −17%

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

Public schools9
65
above the median place (median 9)
Public school students9
37,385
above the median place (median 4,897)
Shops per 10k7
36.3
20% above the median place
All 9 schools and local life measures
MeasureEmerald BayAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools9County figure65above (median 9)
Public school students9County figure37,385above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher9County figure14.84% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k7County figure20.70% below
Shops per 10k7County figure36.320% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7County figure3.222% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7County figure21.98% above
Child care centers per 10k7County figure1.917% below
National Register listings8County figure37185% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Median air quality index is 35, 19% below 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 Emerald Bay. Larger places are fetched first.

Median air quality index12
35
19% below the median place
Good air days12
90.4%
32% above the median place
July average high10
94°F
8% above the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureEmerald BayAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high10County figure94°F8% above
January average low10County figure36°F42% above
Average temperature10County figure65°F19% above
Annual precipitation10County figure46.2 in5% above
Natural hazard risk11County figure84.29% below
Hurricane risk11County figure75.16% above
Tornado risk11County figure47.342% below
Wildfire risk11County figure80.331% above
Heat wave risk11County figure96.37% above
Median air quality index12County figure3519% below
Good air days12County figure90.4%32% above
08

Emerald Bay in 2030: where the trends point

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 household income$98,068 (2024)$127,000$107,500 to $150,500+4.4%
Median home value$351,000 (2024)$494,000$358,000 to $680,000+5.9%

The median home would be worth 3.9 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.6 now.

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

09

Places like Emerald Bay

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

PlaceRentIncome
The Villages, FL$1,397$77,622Compare
Fairfield Glade, TN$1,310$71,682Compare
Green Valley, AZ$1,171$62,063Compare
Venice, FL$1,606$76,755Compare
Venice, FLGreen Valley, AZFairfield Glade, TNThe Villages, FLEmerald Bay, TXEmerald BayThe VillagesFairfield GladeGreen ValleyVeniceEmerald BayThe VillagesFairfield GladeGreen ValleyVenice

Common questions

Is Emerald Bay a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. 100% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 99% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 415 Texas places. The median resident is 72.3 years old, older than in 99% of places its size. It is the highest of 414 Texas places. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Emerald Bay expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 15.1% 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 $351,000.

What salary do you need to live in Emerald Bay?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $49,520 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Emerald Bay?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are The Villages, FL, Fairfield Glade, TN, Green Valley, AZ and Venice, 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. 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.
  7. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  8. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  9. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  10. 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
  11. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  12. 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 Emerald Bay with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Emerald Bay itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/emerald-bay-texas

Citytistics. “Emerald Bay, Texas.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/emerald-bay-texas/

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