Living in Benavides, Texas: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 12.2% below the U.S. average in the parts of Texas outside metro areas.
More house for the moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in Benavides to say.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Benavides itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
Schools in town3 public schools: 1 elementary, 1 high school and 1 other.
A hospital close byChristus Spohn Hospital Alice in Alice, about 24 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big citySan Antonio is about 129 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Benavides meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

Worth a closer look

Benavides has lost about 7% of its people since 2020, and about 1 in 4 homes stands empty (not counting vacation homes or homes for sale or rent). A shrinking town can mean bargains, but visit Main Street on a weekday and ask what's closed lately.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical rent, with utilities: $867 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Homes owned by the people living in them: 55%U.S.: 65%
Homes built before 1940: 10%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 8%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 87.8U.S. average = 100 (the parts of Texas outside metro areas)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of Texas outside metro areas, not Benavides alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 1,0992020: 1,184
Median age: 51.1 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 16%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 19%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 10%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 1%U.S.: 6%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Transportation, warehousing and utilities (13%); farming, forestry and mining (9%)
Unemployment rate: 0%U.S.: 5%
Work from home: 10%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 22%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Christus Spohn Hospital Alice, Alice, TX, about 24 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 3 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

3 public schools in Benavides, run by Benavides Isd.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Texas's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Weather

January average low: 43°F
July average high: 96°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 152 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 15 a year
Rain and melted snow: 25.1 inches a year
Snow: 0 inches a year
Elevation: 377 feet

Weather stations: Benavides 2 (less than a mile away) and Freer (23 miles away, rain and snow). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Christus Spohn Hospital AliceEmergency room24

Laredo, TXCity of 270,00066

San Antonio, TXMetro of 2.8 million129

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Christus Spohn Hospital Alice, Laredo, San Antonio.

Duval County is outside any metro area, with fewer than 5,000 people in its towns, not next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 9, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

Read about Benavides's history on Wikipedia.

Know Benavides?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

San Diego, TX3,500 people, 16 miles
Freer, TX2,300 people, 23 miles
Alice, TX17,600 people, 24 miles
Premont, TX2,400 people, 24 miles
Hebbronville, TX4,200 people, 25 miles
Falfurrias, TX4,200 people, 31 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.