City · Bell County, Texas

Belton, Texas

Belton is a city in Bell County, Texas, part of the Killeen-Temple, TX metro area. It has 24,356 residents. Belton, Texas has a quality-of-life score of 9 out of 100 (very low), ranking #14,266 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Texas it ranks #773 of 1,016 cities and towns. It ranks best on child care cost burden (low), natural hazard risk (low) and new homes permitted (high). It ranks worst on income inequality (Gini index) (high), grocery stores (low) and public libraries (low).

9Very low

Quality-of-life score: #14,266 of 15,651 cities and towns
Texas: #773 of 1,016 in TX
Population: 24,356 (2020-2024)
Land area: 20 mi²
Density: 1,203.1 /mi²
FIPS code: 4807492

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 75 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety21#12,296/15,637
Economy35#10,085/15,631
Housing19#12,189/14,977
Health27#11,443/15,609
Healthcare24#11,906/15,650
Environment51#7,598/15,453
Education29#11,185/15,649
Infrastructure16#13,096/15,650
Community2#15,344/15,651
Leisure & amenities8#14,441/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Belton, Texas ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Bell County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Child care cost burden · low20.4%
94/100Texas 24.5%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBell County value
Natural hazard risk · low7.6
88/100Texas 39.62025Federal Emergency Management AgencyBell County value
New homes permitted · high9.6 /1k
87/100Texas 6.3 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Comfortable days · high31.5%
85/100Texas 30.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationBell County value
Dentists · high89 /100k
80/100Texas 63 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBell County value
Injury deaths · low71 /100k
78/100Texas 69 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBell County value

Weaknesses

Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.585
0/100Texas 0.478United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Grocery stores · low0.6 /10k
2/100Texas 1.1 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsBell County value
Public libraries · low0.2 /10k
4/100Texas 0.3 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesBell County value
Voter turnout · low49.9%
4/100Texas 57.8%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionBell County value
Pharmacies · low0.6 /10k
5/100Texas 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsBell County value
Hot days · high111 days
7/100Texas 111 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationBell County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
21,685 (2015-2019) → 24,356 (2020-2024)
+12%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
43.9% (2015-2019) → 63.0% (2020-2024)
+19 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.9× (2015-2019) → 4.4× (2020-2024)
+53%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
New homes permittedWorsening
15.7 /1k (2021) → 9.6 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−39%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
27.9% (2015-2019) → 34.0% (2020-2024)
+6.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
81.1% (2015-2019) → 86.2% (2020-2024)
+5.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Belton, Texas improved on 2 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 4. 8 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved2

Unemployment−2.5 points5.1% → 2.6%
Broadband+5.1 points81.1% → 86.2%

Declined4

Inequality+0.1110.474 → 0.585
Price / income+1.5×2.9× → 4.4×
Rent burden+19 points43.9% → 63.0%
Rent / income+6.1 points27.9% → 34.0%

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Belton, Texas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	18.6 min2015-2019	22.8 min2020-2024	+4.2 min	Within the margin of error	13%
Bachelor's degree or higher	27.4%2015-2019	28.3%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	34%
Broadband subscriptions	81.1%2015-2019	86.2%2020-2024	+5.1 points	Improved	32%
Child poverty rate	21.9%2015-2019	23.6%2020-2024	+1.7 points	Within the margin of error	31%
Effective property tax rate	1.79%2015-2019	1.42%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	82%
High school diploma or higher	85.0%2015-2019	85.4%2020-2024	+0.4 points	Within the margin of error	38%
Home price to income ratio	2.9×2015-2019	4.4×2020-2024	+1.5×	Declined	9%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4742015-2019	0.5852020-2024	+0.111	Declined	3%
Median household income	$55,5392015-2019	$59,1302020-2024	+6.5%	Within the margin of error	13%
Poverty rate	16.1%2015-2019	16.7%2020-2024	+0.6 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Rent as share of income	27.9%2015-2019	34.0%2020-2024	+6.1 points	Declined	18%
Rent-burdened households	43.9%2015-2019	63.0%2020-2024	+19 points	Declined	9%
Unemployment rate	5.1%2015-2019	2.6%2020-2024	−2.5 points	Improved	86%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	18.4%2015-2019	17.7%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Within the margin of error	55%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Belton, Texas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Belton, Texas in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Belton, Texas itself moved −19.2 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

24,356 residents (±32)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

8,328 households (±463)

Belton, Texas
Texas share

Under $25k20%1,697
$25k–50k21%1,709
$50k–75k18%1,471

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

8,328 households (±463)

Belton, Texas
Texas share

Own56%4,662
Rent44%3,666

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

10,385 workers (±826)

Belton, Texas
Texas share

Drive alone77%8,001
Carpool8.2%†853
Public transit0.5%†49

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Killeen-Temple, TX

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Bell County, the county holding most of Belton's residents.

Bell County has 5,923 employer establishments, 150 for every 10,000 residents (0.61× the US rate of 248; 0.69× Texas's), with 104,607 paid employees at an average annual pay of $55,687. The Census Bureau also counts 28,520 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 5,923; 28,520 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 150; US 248 · Texas 218
Paid employees: 104,607
Average annual pay: $55,687; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Bell County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	614	15.6	0.85×About typical	12,903	$18,976	259
Ambulatory health care services	448	11.4	0.55×Fewer than typical	14,886	$95,432	1,195
Specialty trade contractors	378	9.6	0.62×Fewer than typical	3,346	$53,643	2,142
Lessors of real estate	307	7.8	0.63×Fewer than typical	1,397	$53,399	2,308
Limited-service restaurants	303	7.7	0.96×About typical	7,053	$17,646	101
Full-service restaurants	212	5.4	0.70×Fewer than typical	4,549	$21,760	99
Religious organizations	196	5	0.90×About typical	1,524	$22,510	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	185	4.7	0.93×About typical	1,256	$45,256	426
Services to buildings and dwellings	165	4.2	0.62×Fewer than typical	1,152	$36,846	2,001
Building equipment contractors	158	4	0.67×Fewer than typical	1,576	$52,164	390
Construction of buildings	154	3.9	0.52×Fewer than typical	747	$88,209	950
Personal care services	151	3.8	0.80×About typical	743	$30,179	2,086

Rank places for an industry Open Bell County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 393,673 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $329.3K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Belton, Texas: $13.52 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $329.3K; −69% vs FY2025
Per resident: $13.52; US $1,994
Sole-source: 7.1%; US 30%
Single offer: 14%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of Veterans Affairs$220.5K67%
Department of the Army$63.8K19%
Federal Acquisition Service$45K14%

Top recipients

CRESTVIEW MANOR NURSING & REHABILITATION CENTER LLC$220.5K67%
FEDERAL CONTRACTS LLC$45K14%
PURESERVICE CORP$34.3K10%
COUNTY OF BELL$14.3K4.3%
CITY OF TEMPLE$8,9752.7%

Spending by fiscal year

563.1KFY2017
829.6KFY2018
658.1KFY2019
153.4KFY2020
383.1KFY2021
378KFY2022
507.5KFY2023
337.3K

Top industries (NAICS)

Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) · 6231$220.5K67%
Motor vehicle manufacturing · 3361$45K14%
Automotive equipment rental and leasing · 5321$31.1K9.4%
Justice, public order, and safety activities · 9221$23.3K7.1%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$5,4631.7%
Waste collection · 5621

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Belton, Texas, so they do not add up across cities.

Belton, Texas's figures are part of those of Bell County, TX ($1.8B in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Belton is mostly in Bell County.

See federal money in Bell County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Belton, Texas is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Bell County31100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Killeen-Temple, TX23

Other cities and towns in Bell County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/4807492

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends