McAllen TX
Texas · Pop. 145,385
McAllen, TX: median household income of $61,579, median rent of $1,049/mo, 6.0% unemployment. Our verdict: It Depends.
Score Breakdown
Key Metrics
Median Income
$61,579
per year
Median Rent
$1,049
per month
Median Home
$190k
home value
Unemployment
6.0%
of labor force
Poverty Rate
20.0%
below poverty line
Avg. Commute
22 min
one way
City Reality Check balanced
"McAllen, TX Reality Check"
In McAllen, the rent-to-income burden runs around 20% — refreshingly manageable by national standards. Median income sits at $61,579 and median rent is $1,049/month. 47% of renters are cost-burdened (30%+ of income on housing). Landlords are winning; everyone else is treading water. Median home value: $190,400 — that's 3.1× the median income. Employment picture: 5.96% unemployment — a average employment landscape. Poverty rate: 20.0% — well above the national average. The headline economic numbers hide a bifurcated city. Average commute: 22 minutes — acceptable. McAllen was founded in 1904 — that's 122 years of history baked into the streets. The city covers 48.7 sq miles at 2,988 people/sq mile — spread out. Elevation: 121 ft — essentially flat — floods are a real conversation. McAllen has 6 sister cities — cosmopolitan on paper, at least. RoastMyCity overall score: 67/100 — It Depends.