Scores by category

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

Safety18#12,803/15,637
Economy66#5,358/15,631
Housing33#10,062/14,977
Health44#8,714/15,609
Healthcare19#12,673/15,650
Environment55#7,007/15,453
Education17#13,052/15,649
Infrastructure79#3,284/15,650
Community23#12,023/15,651
Leisure & amenities41#9,285/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Midland, Texas ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Midland 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 · low17.2%
99/100Texas 24.5%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMidland County value
Distance to an airport · low8 mi
98/100Texas 33 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauMidland County value
Average weekly wage · high$1,853
97/100Texas $1,499United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMidland County value
New business applications · high21.7 /1k
93/100Texas 17.2 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauMidland County value
Comfortable days · high31.9%
86/100Texas 30.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationMidland County value
Average commute time · low20.1 min
86/100Texas 26.7 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013

Weaknesses

Hospital quality rating · low1.0
1/100Texas 3.4United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesMidland County value
Grocery stores · low0.5 /10k
2/100Texas 1.1 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMidland County value
Public libraries · low0.2 /10k
3/100Texas 0.3 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesMidland County value
Hot days · high118 days
4/100Texas 111 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationMidland County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high130 mi
6/100Texas 43 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauMidland County value
Voter turnout · low52.5%
7/100Texas 57.8%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionMidland County value

Trends

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

Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
43.8% (2015-2019) → 52.9% (2020-2024)
+9.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
85.1% (2015-2019) → 92.8% (2020-2024)
+7.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.8× (2015-2019) → 3.6× (2020-2024)
+29%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
28.9% (2015-2019) → 33.7% (2020-2024)
+4.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
27.2% (2015-2019) → 31.9% (2020-2024)
+4.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Child poverty rateWorsening
11.5% (2015-2019) → 14.8% (2020-2024)
+3.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%

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, Midland, Texas improved on 4 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 5. 4 moved within the margin of error and 1 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.

Improved4

Uninsured−2.7 points18.5% → 15.9%
Bachelor's++4.8 points28.9% → 33.7%
Broadband+7.7 points85.1% → 92.8%
Household income+13%$79,329 → $89,585

Declined5

Poverty+3.2 points9.2% → 12.4%
Rent / income+4.7 points27.2% → 31.9%
Rent burden+9.1 points43.8% → 52.9%
Child poverty+3.3 points11.5% → 14.8%
Price / income+0.8×2.8× → 3.6×

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Midland, Texas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	19.1 min2015-2019	20.1 min2020-2024	+1.0 min	Within the margin of error	36%
Bachelor's degree or higher	28.9%2015-2019	33.7%2020-2024	+4.8 points	Improved	66%
Broadband subscriptions	85.1%2015-2019	92.8%2020-2024	+7.7 points	Improved	47%
Child poverty rate	11.5%2015-2019	14.8%2020-2024	+3.3 points	Declined	25%
Effective property tax rate	1.45%2015-2019	1.25%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	58%
High school diploma or higher	85.1%2015-2019	86.6%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Home price to income ratio	2.8×2015-2019	3.6×2020-2024	+0.8×	Declined	31%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4792015-2019	0.4962020-2024	+0.017	Within the margin of error	36%
Median household income	$79,3292015-2019	$89,5852020-2024	+13%	Improved	20%
Poverty rate	9.2%2015-2019	12.4%2020-2024	+3.2 points	Declined	19%
Rent as share of income	27.2%2015-2019	31.9%2020-2024	+4.7 points	Declined	24%
Rent-burdened households	43.8%2015-2019	52.9%2020-2024	+9.1 points	Declined	26%
Unemployment rate	3.3%2015-2019	3.5%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	45%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	18.5%2015-2019	15.9%2020-2024	−2.7 points	Improved	74%

“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 Midland, Texas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Midland, 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, Midland, Texas itself moved −8.3 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

136,640 residents (±33)

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

53,414 households (±904)

Midland, Texas
Texas share

Under $25k14%7,584
$25k–50k14%7,691
$50k–75k15%8,266

Homes

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

Owners and renters

53,414 households (±904)

Midland, Texas
Texas share

Own65%34,782
Rent35%18,632

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

66,410 workers (±1,468)

Midland, Texas
Texas share

Drive alone79%52,664
Carpool12%8,039
Public transit0.3%†196

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 Midland, 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 Midland County, the county holding most of Midland's residents.

Midland County has 6,096 employer establishments, 341 for every 10,000 residents (1.37× the US rate of 248; 1.56× Texas's), with 100,915 paid employees at an average annual pay of $88,469. The Census Bureau also counts 24,529 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 6,096; 24,529 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 341; US 248 · Texas 218
Paid employees: 100,915
Average annual pay: $88,469; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	359	20.1	1.09×About typical	7,536	$26,927	214
Ambulatory health care services	343	19.2	0.92×About typical	3,667	$64,073	557
Specialty trade contractors	308	17.2	1.11×About typical	3,504	$80,858	1,894
Truck transportation	289	16.2	3.20×More than typical	3,365	$85,032	2,200
Lessors of real estate	251	14.1	1.14×About typical	1,053	$59,487	1,535
Management, scientific and technical consulting	188	10.5	1.57×More than typical	522	$96,726	693
Limited-service restaurants	154	8.6	1.07×About typical	3,756	$24,482	77
Offices of physicians	142	7.9	1.23×About typical	1,159	$107,752	105
Building equipment contractors	139	7.8	1.29×More than typical	1,725	$83,079	335
Full-service restaurants	138	7.7	1.01×About typical	3,164	$31,048	95
Automotive repair and maintenance	124	6.9	1.38×More than typical	1,035	$50,504	637
Construction of buildings	119	6.7	0.88×About typical	990	$82,684	866

Rank places for an industry Open Midland County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 178,641 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 $1.7M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Midland, Texas: $12.63 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $1.7M; +28% vs FY2025
Per resident: $12.63; US $1,994
Sole-source: 9.2%; US 30%
Single offer: 1.0%; 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

Public Buildings Service$1.5M87%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$204.9K12%
Department of the Navy$12.2K0.7%
Offices, Boards and Divisions$7,3740.4%
Federal Aviation Administration$4,7510.3%
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration$7950.0%
Drug Enforcement Administration$5910.0%

Top recipients

PATTON CONTRACTORS INC$514.7K30%
AMSTAR INC$399K23%
HARTMAN AND MAJEWSKI DESIGN GROUP, INC.$312.9K18%
ALPHA RECOVERY CENTRE LLC$204.9K12%
FORTIS INDUSTRIES LLC$118.4K6.9%

Spending by fiscal year

12.1MFY2017
11MFY2018
3.4MFY2019
1.2MFY2020
88.6MFY2021
123.6KFY2022
869.6KFY2023
466.6KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Nonresidential building construction · 2362$918.9K53%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$312.9K18%
Facilities support services · 5612$260.5K15%
Outpatient care centers · 6214$204.9K12%
Natural gas distribution · 2212$12.2K0.7%
Building equipment contractors · 2382

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in Midland, Texas

THIS PROJECT IS TO UPGRADE EXISTING EGRESS LIGHTING AND PROVIDE EMERGENCY POWER FOR EGRESS LIGHTING, EXISTING ELEVATORS, AND OTHER LOADS SUCH AS BASEMENT LIFT PUMPS AT THE GHW & GW BUSH & G. MAHON FEDERAL COURTHOUSE, 100 EAST WALL ST, MIDLAND, TX$799.6K
A.R.E. DESIGN & BUILD, LLC· Midland County, TX· Construction & real property· Nov 13, 2024 – Aug 19, 2026· 47PH0925F0003
REPLACE BOILERS 1 & 2 GEORGE BUSH US COURTHOUSE & GEORGE MAHON FEDERAL BUILDING 200 EAST WALL STREET, MIDLAND, TEXAS 79701$395K
AMSTAR INC· Midland County, TX· Construction & real property· Mar 13, 2026 – Aug 18, 2026· 47PD5226F0116
39260 COURTS CARPET AND PAINT GORGE BUSH U.S. COURTHOUSE & MAHON FEDERAL BUILDING 200 E. WALL STREET, MIDLAND, TX 79701$335.2K
PATTON CONTRACTORS INC· Midland County, TX· Construction & real property· Jun 26, 2026 – Sep 24, 2026

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 Midland, Texas, so they do not add up across cities.

Midland, Texas's figures are part of those of Midland County, TX and Martin County, TX ($8.9M in FY2026), never added to them: 19% of that total.

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

See federal money in Midland 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.

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

House

Senate

County

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

Midland County48100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Midland, TX45

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/4848072

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends