Living in Somerville, Texas: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 9% below the U.S. average in the College Station-Bryan metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 2.2 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood2 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 1.3 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 1.3 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town3 public schools: 1 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.
A hospital close byBaylor Scott & White Hospital Brenham in Brenham, about 16 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityAustin is about 73 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 Somerville 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

Boom town. The population is up 15% since 2020. Growing fast, with rising home values. Watch for chain stores and big apartment complexes: the small-town feel may not last.

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 home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $142,800U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 18%Burleson County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $631 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $65,667U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 83%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $2,600 a yearTexas: $4,232
Homes built before 1940: 8%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 12%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 4%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 91U.S. average = 100 (the College Station-Bryan 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 18% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the College Station-Bryan metro area, not Somerville 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: 1,5172020: 1,320
Median age: 47.4 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 32%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 18%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 22%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 5%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: Professional and business services (18%)
Unemployment rate: 2%U.S.: 5%
Work from home: 12%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 12%U.S.: 12%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Baylor Scott & White Hospital Brenham, Brenham, TX, about 16 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 Somerville, run by Somerville 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: 35°F
July average high: 97°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 125 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 37 a year
Rain and melted snow: 41 inches a year
Snow: 0 inches a year
Elevation: 249 feet

Weather station: Somerville Dam (1 mile 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

Baylor Scott & White Hospital BrenhamEmergency room16

College Station, TXCity of 127,00022

Austin, TXMetro of 2.6 million73

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: Baylor Scott & White Hospital Brenham, College Station, Austin.

Burleson 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

Read about Somerville's history on Wikipedia.

Know Somerville?

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

Brenham, TX20,000 people, 15 miles
Caldwell, TX5,000 people, 16 miles
Giddings, TX5,400 people, 26 miles
Navasota, TX9,900 people, 26 miles
Lexington, TX1,300 people, 29 miles
Hempstead, TX7,200 people, 32 miles

Smaller places

Lyons, TX (unincorporated)528 people, 4 miles
Beaver Creek, TX (unincorporated)958 people, 8 miles
Snook, TX561 people, 11 miles
Clay, TX (unincorporated)100 people, 11 miles
Burton, TX288 people, 12 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.