Abilene, Texas

City in Taylor County · population 125,182 (2020 Census) · spans 2 counties

Median home: $183,700
Household income: $62,648
Jan low / Jul high: 34° / 96°
Snow a year: 4 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 41
Median age: 32.8

Abilene is a city of 125,182 people in Taylor County, Texas. The median home is worth $183,700, close to the typical Texas town ($184,100). It ranks better for cycling than 94% of Texas towns, more vibrant than 88% of Texas towns, better transit than 87% of Texas towns.

How Abilene ranks

Percentile among Texas towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Texas towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Abilene is worth $183,700, close to the typical Texas town ($184,100). Homes cost about 2.9 times the median household income of $62,648, which is more affordable than 53% of Texas towns. Median rent is $1,157 a month. 56.1% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Texas towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Abilene	Typical Texas town
Median home value	$183,700	$184,100
Median rent	$1,157	$1,086
Median household income	$62,648	$65,842
Home value ÷ income	2.9×	2.9×
Homeownership	56.1%	72.9%
Median year built	1975	1985
Seasonal / vacation homes	0.8%	—

Who lives in Abilene

People	Abilene	Typical Texas town
Median age	32.8	37.1
Age 65 and over	13.9%	15.6%
Under 18	23.0%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	27.3%	18.9%
Below the poverty line	16.1%	13.1%
Veterans	7.9%	—
Born outside the U.S.	7.4%	—
Work from home	8.4%	7.8%
Average commute	15.6 min	26.1 min
Homes with broadband	92.0%	89.2%

Weather in Abilene

July highs average 96.4°F and January lows 33.7°F. About 25.2 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 3.7 inches of snow (typical Texas town: 0.2 in). Expect about 103 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 48 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Abilene Rgnl Ap station (4.5 mi away).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

41 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Abilene since 1950, compared with 21 for the typical Texas town. 11 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F3, struck on May 26, 1976 about 6.8 miles from the town center. The most recent was on March 10, 2026.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 263 times; the largest was 4.50 inches on June 12, 2014.

Severe weather in Taylor County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Taylor County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 2 deaths recorded.

Taylor County has been included in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for fire, flood, drought.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
May 18, 2022	Fire	FM-5440: Mesquite Heat Fire
February 19, 2021	Severe Ice Storm	DR-4586: Severe Winter Storms
February 14, 2021	Severe Ice Storm	EM-3554: Severe Winter Storm
March 25, 2020	Biological	DR-4485: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3458: Covid-19

Jobs and pay in Taylor County

Taylor County had 68,255 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $55,914 a year. Unemployment was 3.3% in 2023; in Abilene itself the ACS puts it at 3%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Public schools in Abilene

40 public schools with 21,221 students, about 15.5 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
ABILENE H S	9-12	1,903	17.3
COOPER H S	9-12	1,596	14.9
WYLIE H S	9-12	1,517	15.3
WYLIE WEST J H	5-8	989	16.8
TEXAS LEADERSHIP OF ABILENE (charter)	K-12	870	15.8
WYLIE EAST EL	K-3	796	14.7
MADISON MIDDLE	6-8	778	15.3
MANN MIDDLE	6-8	759	15.2
CRAIG MIDDLE	6-8	757	14.6
LONG EARLY LEARNING CENTER	PK-PK	751	16.7
CLACK MIDDLE	6-8	740	15.4
AUSTIN EL	PK-5	699	15.9

Towns near Abilene

Potosi, TX
8.8 mi · 3,947 people · home $354,200
Clyde, TX
14.1 mi · 3,811 people · home $151,200

Abilene questions

Is Abilene, Texas a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Abilene scores better for retirees than 30% of Texas towns and quieter than 14%. 13.9% of residents are 65 or older (median age 32.8).

How much does a house cost in Abilene?

The median owner-occupied home in Abilene is valued at $183,700 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $62,648, so homes cost about 2.9 times income. Median rent is $1,157 a month.

What is the weather like in Abilene?

July highs average 96.4°F and January lows 33.7°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 25.2 inches of precipitation a year and 3.7 inches of snow.

Does Abilene get tornadoes?

41 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Abilene since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F3 on May 26, 1976. The typical Texas town has had 21.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Abilene's Census boundary (GEOID 4801000). Comparisons use the median of Texas towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-12.