Scores by category

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

Safety55#7,084/15,637
Economy0#15,592/15,631
Housing9#13,568/14,977
Health30#10,947/15,609
Healthcare0#15,642/15,650
Environment9#13,986/15,453
Education29#11,074/15,649
Infrastructure0#15,619/15,650
Community0#15,637/15,651
Leisure & amenities4#14,965/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Roma, Texas ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Starr 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

Injury deaths · low40 /100k
99/100Texas 69 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteStarr County value
Drug overdose deaths · low4.5 /100k
96/100Texas 13.4 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataStarr County value
Job growth · high3.1%
94/100Texas 0.6%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataStarr County value
Suicide rate · low8.4 /100k
91/100Texas 14.4 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataStarr County value
Math scores · high3.34
86/100Texas 3.15United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteStarr County value
Traffic deaths · low7.9 /100k
78/100Texas 14.1 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataStarr County value

Weaknesses

Hot days · high192 days
0/100Texas 111 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationStarr County value
Mammography screening · low18.0%
0/100Texas 42.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteStarr County value
Food environment index · low3.2
0/100Texas 5.7United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteStarr County value
Physical inactivity · high50.5%
0/100Texas 29.6%United States 26.5%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Poor or fair health · high44.3%
0/100Texas 23.2%United States 19.9%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Broadband subscriptions · low68.2%
1/100Texas 91.3%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002

Trends

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

Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
47.1% (2015-2019) → 75.6% (2020-2024)
+28 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
47.8% (2015-2019) → 68.2% (2020-2024)
+20 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
44.0% (2015-2019) → 29.8% (2020-2024)
−14 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
29.3% (2015-2019) → 40.5% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Income inequality (Gini index)Worsening
0.437 (2015-2019) → 0.676 (2020-2024)
+54%5 yearsCensus table B19083US 0.482 → 0.483
High school diploma or higherImproving
49.9% (2015-2019) → 57.4% (2020-2024)
+7.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%

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, Roma, Texas improved on 3 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 10 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.

Improved3

Uninsured−14 points44.0% → 29.8%
Broadband+20 points47.8% → 68.2%
Bachelor's++5.9 points10.6% → 16.4%

Declined2

Inequality+0.2380.437 → 0.676
Rent burden+28 points47.1% → 75.6%

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of Roma, Texas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	24.5 min2015-2019	26.3 min2020-2024	+1.8 min	Within the margin of error	29%
Bachelor's degree or higher	10.6%2015-2019	16.4%2020-2024	+5.9 points	Improved	73%
Broadband subscriptions	47.8%2015-2019	68.2%2020-2024	+20 points	Improved	91%
Child poverty rate	51.9%2015-2019	46.7%2020-2024	−5.1 points	Within the margin of error	69%
Effective property tax rate	1.54%2015-2019	1.44%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	34%
High school diploma or higher	49.9%2015-2019	57.4%2020-2024	+7.5 points	Within the margin of error	91%
Home price to income ratio	3.1×2015-2019	3.8×2020-2024	+0.7×	Within the margin of error	34%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4372015-2019	0.6762020-2024	+0.238	Declined	0%
Median household income	$23,7632015-2019	$24,5792020-2024	+3.4%	Within the margin of error	10%
Poverty rate	36.9%2015-2019	37.1%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	41%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	29.3%2015-2019	40.5%2020-2024	+11 points	Within the margin of error	8%
Rent-burdened households	47.1%2015-2019	75.6%2020-2024	+28 points	Declined	4%
Unemployment rate	7.9%2015-2019	12.4%2020-2024	+4.5 points	Within the margin of error	5%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	44.0%2015-2019	29.8%2020-2024	−14 points	Improved	99%

“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 Roma, Texas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Roma, 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, Roma, Texas itself moved −13 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

11,545 residents (±40)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under 10 women (+6.8 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

11,545 residents (±40)

Roma, Texas
Texas share

White3.4%†394
Black0.0%0
Hispanic or Latino97%11,151

Education

6,268 residents (±476)

Roma, Texas
Texas share

No high school diploma43%2,670
High school or GED17%1,051
Some college19%1,179

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

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

Household income

3,299 households (±356)

Roma, Texas
Texas share

Under $25k51%1,667
$25k–50k23%†756
$50k–75k11%†369
$75k–100k6.5%†216
$100k–150k4.6%†152
$150k–200k1.3%†42
$200k or more2.9%†97

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $200k or more (+2.5 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

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

Owners and renters

3,299 households (±356)

Roma, Texas
Texas share

Own55%1,822
Rent45%1,477

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (−12.8 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

1,223 households (±319)

Roma, Texas
Texas share

Under $75071%†863
$750–1,00021%†255
$1,000–1,5007.0%†86

Home values

1,822 homes (±315)

Roma, Texas
Texas share

Under $150k79%1,444
$150k–250k14%†253
$250k–400k5.2%†94

Age of homes

4,134 homes (±349)

Roma, Texas
Texas share

2010 or later17%†694
2000–200919%†766
1980–199938%1,575

Size of homes

4,134 homes (±349)

Roma, Texas
Texas share

Studio2.3%†97
1 bedroom13%†544
2 bedrooms29%1,219

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

3,566 workers (±526)

Roma, Texas
Texas share

Drive alone59%2,094
Carpool16%†578
Public transit0.0%0
Walk6.6%†235
Bike0.0%0
Work from home17%†618
Other1.2%†41

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

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

2,948 workers (±543)

Roma, Texas
Texas share

Under 15 min51%1,507
15–29 min22%†645
30–44 min8.6%†254

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

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 Rio Grande City-Roma, 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 Starr County, the county holding most of Roma's residents.

Starr County has 594 employer establishments, 89.9 for every 10,000 residents (0.36× the US rate of 248; 0.41× Texas's), with 8,704 paid employees at an average annual pay of $26,981. The Census Bureau also counts 9,522 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 594; 9,522 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 89.9; US 248 · Texas 218
Paid employees: 8,704
Average annual pay: $26,981; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	71	10.7	0.52×Fewer than typical	869	$36,116	332
Restaurants and other eating places	58	8.8	0.48×Fewer than typical	1,053	$15,519	166
Limited-service restaurants	37	5.6	0.70×Fewer than typical	819	$15,560	23
Individual and family services	25	3.8	1.35×More than typical	2,752	$14,976	43
Grocery and convenience stores	22	3.3	1.12×About typical	576	$29,905	78
Offices of physicians	21	3.2	0.49×Fewer than typical	185	$64,476	27
Offices of other health practitioners	20	3	0.50×Fewer than typical	125	$34,456	104
General merchandise stores	19	2.9	1.63×More than typical	379	$30,559	43
Full-service restaurants	18	2.7	0.35×Fewer than typical	220	$15,986	74
Gasoline stations	17	2.6	0.79×Fewer than typical	166	$21,687	3
Insurance agencies and brokerages	17	2.6	0.59×Fewer than typical	70	$31,357	117
Health and personal care stores	16	2.4	0.91×About typical	143	$37,294	48

Rank places for an industry Open Starr County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 66,062 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 $78.7K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Roma, Texas: $6.82 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $78.7K; +193% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6.82; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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

U.S. Customs and Border Protection$91.4K100%

Top recipients

GULF SOUTH RESEARCH CORP$90.9K100%
AMSTAR INC$9,57912%
PEGASUS SUPPORT SERVICES LLC$2,0912.7%
BOYD CO. LLC$3190.4%
AMERITEL COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION$1200.2%
KELLEY CREATE CO$62.160.1%
NORTHLAND RESEARCH, INC-$6.560.0%
PROCON CONSULTING LLC-$24.4K0.0%

Spending by fiscal year

1.3KFY2017
117.7KFY2018
3.8KFY2019
8.5KFY2020
1.2KFY2021
27.2KFY2022
24.3KFY2023
69KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Management, scientific, and technical consulting services · 5416$66.5K85%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$9,57912%
Facilities support services · 5612$2,0912.7%
Remediation and other waste management services · 5629$3190.4%
Commercial and service industry machinery manufacturing · 3333$1200.2%
Industrial machinery manufacturing · 3332$62.16

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

Roma, Texas's figures are part of those of Starr County, TX ($2.5B 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: Roma is mostly in Starr County.

See federal money in Starr 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.

Roma, Texas is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Henry CuellarD-TX-28 · 100% of residentsWith party 65%Missed 1.3%

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.

Starr County2100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Rio Grande City-Roma, TX1

Other cities and towns in Starr 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
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/4863020

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends