Living in Rice, 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 Rice to say.
A safer neighborhood3 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 2.4 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 9.5 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town3 public schools: 1 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.
A hospital close byEnnis Regional Medical Center in Ennis, about 10 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityDallas is about 41 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 Rice 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 18%Navarro County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,513 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $65,958U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 85%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $1,700 a yearTexas: $4,232
Homes built before 1940: 10%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 24%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: county prices have moved up 18% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of Texas outside metro areas, not Rice 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: 1,2862020: 1,196
Median age: 26.2 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 6%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 32%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 11%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 8%U.S.: 6%
College students: 10%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: Construction (19%); manufacturing (19%); retail (18%)
Unemployment rate: 2%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 27 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 4%U.S.: 15%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Ennis Regional Medical Center, Ennis, TX, about 10 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare hasn't given it a star rating.

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 Rice, run by Rice 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: 80%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: 35°F
July average high: 95°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 100 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 38 a year
Rain and melted snow: 42.1 inches a year
Snow: 0 inches a year
Elevation: 453 feet

Weather station: Corsicana (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

Ennis Regional Medical CenterEmergency room10

Waxahachie, TXCity of 50,00023

Dallas, TXMetro of 8.5 million41

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: Ennis Regional Medical Center, Waxahachie, Dallas.

Navarro County is outside any metro area, with 20,000 or more people in its towns, next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 4, 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:

Waco Mammoth National Monument59 miles

Read about Rice's history on Wikipedia.

Know Rice?

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

Ennis, TX26,000 people, 10 miles
Corsicana, TX25,000 people, 11 miles
Palmer, TX2,600 people, 17 miles
Kerens, TX1,500 people, 18 miles
Seven Points, TX1,500 people, 18 miles
Tool, TX2,400 people, 19 miles

Smaller places

Alma, TX439 people, 4 miles
Emhouse, TX216 people, 7 miles
Bardwell, TX676 people, 12 miles
Barry, TX250 people, 13 miles
Retreat, TX443 people, 13 miles
Garrett, TX880 people, 13 miles
Powell, TX117 people, 14 miles
Oak Valley, TX409 people, 15 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.