El Paso vs Wichita Falls
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $156,800 in Wichita Falls and $184,500 in El Paso.
- Commutes are shorter in Wichita Falls (14 vs 23 minutes each way).
Side by side
| El Paso, TX | Wichita Falls, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 683,012 | 101,951 |
| Growth since 2020 | +0.6% | -0.3% |
| People per square mile | 2,639 | 1,412 |
| Median age | 34.5 | 33.8 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 28% | 25% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $59,745 | $60,177 |
| Median home value | $184,500 | $156,800 |
| Home value to income | 3.1× | 2.6× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,073 | $1,022 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 89.9 | 89.5 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 71.2 | 68.2 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $67,400 | $67,100 |
| Homeowners | 61% | 56% |
| Top state income tax | None | None |
| Combined sales tax | 8.2% | 8.2% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 23.4 | 14.3 |
| Work from home | 9% | 7% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 0% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6% | 3.8% |
| Poverty rate | 18.4% | 17.7% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 59° / 35° | 55° / 30° |
| July high / low | 96° / 73° | 97° / 72° |
| Precipitation per year | 9 in | 28 in |
| Snowfall per year | 3 in | 3 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 117 | 105 |
| Nights below freezing | 42 | 58 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 95.5 | 81.9 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 18% | n/a |
| Home prices, past year | +2.2% | +0.8% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +48% | +34.2% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: El Paso: March to April and October to November. Wichita Falls: April to May and October.
Full monthly tables: El Paso weather by month and Wichita Falls weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $67,400 in El Paso and $67,100 in Wichita Falls. Moving from El Paso to Wichita Falls, you would need about $74,700 to match a $75,000 salary.
Which would you pick?
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