Living in Odem, Texas: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 7.3% below the U.S. average in the Corpus Christi metro area.
More house for the moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in Odem to say.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Odem 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 town4 public schools: 2 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.
A hospital close byCorpus Christi Medical Center,the in Corpus Christi, about 18 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big citySan Antonio is about 119 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 Odem 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

Home prices since then: Up 14%San Patricio County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $780 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $69,267U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 71%U.S.: 65%
Homes built before 1940: 5%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 11%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 92.7U.S. average = 100 (the Corpus Christi 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 14% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Corpus Christi metro area, not Odem 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: 2,2912020: 2,264
Median age: 39 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 21%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 22%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 15%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 3%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: Schools, health care and social services (21%); manufacturing (20%); retail (12%)
Unemployment rate: 6%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 23 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 1%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 11%U.S.: 12%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Corpus Christi Medical Center,the, Corpus Christi, TX, about 18 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 4 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

4 public schools in Odem, run by Odem-Edroy 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.

Internet

Homes with any internet subscription: 78%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: 45°F
July average high: 93°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 113 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 7 a year
Rain and melted snow: 33 inches a year
Snow: 0 inches a year
Elevation: 76 feet

Weather station: Sinton (7 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

Corpus Christi Medical Center,theEmergency room18

Corpus Christi, TXCity of 317,00029

San Antonio, TXMetro of 2.8 million119

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: Corpus Christi Medical Center, Corpus Christi, San Antonio.

San Patricio 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:

Padre Island National Seashore33 miles

Read about Odem's history on Wikipedia.

Know Odem?

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

Sinton, TX6,000 people, 8 miles
Robstown, TX10,300 people, 12 miles
Taft, TX2,900 people, 12 miles
Mathis, TX4,300 people, 17 miles
Gregory, TX1,700 people, 18 miles
Orange Grove, TX1,200 people, 21 miles

Smaller places

Morgan Farm, TX (unincorporated)358 people, 5 miles
Edroy, TX (unincorporated)341 people, 5 miles
Del Sol, TX (unincorporated)543 people, 6 miles
Loma Linda, TX (unincorporated)340 people, 7 miles
Rancho Chico, TX (unincorporated)384 people, 8 miles
St. Paul, TX (unincorporated)769 people, 10 miles
Taft Southwest, TX (unincorporated)1,635 people, 11 miles
San Patricio, TX453 people, 11 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.