Living in Elsa, Texas: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 14.1% below the U.S. average in the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 1.9 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood18 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 3.1 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 16.3 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town8 public schools: 4 elementary, 1 middle, 1 high school and 2 other.
A hospital close byKnapp Medical Center in Weslaco, about 10 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big citySan Antonio is about 221 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 Elsa 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.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $81,600U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 21%Hidalgo County, 2022 to 2025
Typical household income: $42,439U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 71%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $1,582 a yearTexas: $4,232
Homes built before 1940: 0%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 18%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 1%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 85.9U.S. average = 100 (the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 21% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metro area, not Elsa 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: 5,8202020: 5,676
Median age: 34 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 13%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 30%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 8%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 1%U.S.: 6%
College students: 7%share of all residents

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: Schools, health care and social services (51%); construction (17%); retail (13%)
Unemployment rate: 1%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 13 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 5%U.S.: 15%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Knapp Medical Center, Weslaco, TX, about 10 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 5 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

8 public schools in Elsa, run by Edcouch-Elsa Isd and Idea Public Schools.

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.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 52%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 84%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

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

Weather

January average low: 49°F
July average high: 96°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 166 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 2 a year
Rain and melted snow: 24.6 inches a year
Snow: 0 inches a year
Elevation: 67 feet

Weather station: Santa Rosa 3 WNW (8 miles away). 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

Knapp Medical CenterEmergency room10

Edinburg, TXCity of 111,00010

San Antonio, TXMetro of 2.8 million221

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: Knapp Medical Center, Edinburg, San Antonio.

Hidalgo County is in a metro area of 250,000 to 1 million people (USDA rural-urban code 2, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park36 miles
Padre Island National Seashore46 miles

Read about Elsa's history on Wikipedia.

Know Elsa?

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

Edcouch, TX2,700 people, 2 miles
La Blanca, TX3,000 people, 2 miles
La Villa, TX3,300 people, 4 miles
San Carlos, TX3,700 people, 4 miles
Olivarez, TX6,300 people, 5 miles
Mila Doce, TX7,700 people, 6 miles

Smaller places

Laguna Seca, TX (unincorporated)239 people, 4 miles
Monte Alto, TX (unincorporated)2,350 people, 5 miles
Muniz, TX (unincorporated)1,601 people, 7 miles
César Chávez, TX (unincorporated)1,351 people, 7 miles
Midway South, TX (unincorporated)2,308 people, 10 miles
Hargill, TX (unincorporated)609 people, 10 miles
Heidelberg, TX (unincorporated)2,215 people, 10 miles
Tierra Bonita, TX (unincorporated)405 people, 10 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.