Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety8#849/924
Economy65#328/925
Housing54#429/925
Health42#541/925
Healthcare32#627/923
Environment70#273/917
Education45#508/925
Infrastructure48#478/925
Community37#579/925
Leisure & amenities47#488/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Amarillo, TX metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Unemployment rate · low3.1%
88/100Texas 4.2%United States 4.3%2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPartial year
Access to exercise opportunities · high87.9%
87/100Texas 82.3%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Drug overdose deaths · low10.0 /100k
83/100Texas 13.4 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Days with unhealthy air · low0.0%
81/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low6.4 µg/m³
78/100Texas 8.9 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Child care cost burden · low24.1%
78/100Texas 24.5%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Distance to an Amtrak station · high187 mi
4/100Texas 43 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Uninsured residents (under 65) · high16.9%
11/100Texas 19.1%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
Violent crime rate · high491 /100k
12/100Texas 345 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from countiesCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figure
Effective property tax rate · high1.38%
12/100Texas 1.40%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Property crime rate · high1,984 /100k
12/100Texas 1,786 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from countiesCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figure
Homicide rate · high8.5 /100k
12/100Texas 5.1 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties

Trends

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

Drought exposureWorsening
47% (2021) → 62% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+16 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
New business applicationsImproving
7.2 /1k (2020) → 11.5 /1k (2025)
+59%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Flu vaccinationsWorsening
49.4% (2019) → 40.3% (2023)
−9.1 pts4 yearsUS 48.0% → 44.0%
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
78.8% (2010 & 2021) → 87.9% (2022 & 2024)
+9.1 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
New homes permittedImproving
2.7 /1k (2021) → 3.9 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+41%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
81.3% (2015-2019) → 89.2% (2020-2024)
+7.9 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, Amarillo, TX metro area improved on 13 of 32 measures with a comparison and declined on 5. 7 moved within the margin of error and 7 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved13

Gyms+22%0.9 /10k → 1.1 /10k
Grocery stores+8.2%1.0 /10k → 1.1 /10k
Violent crime−28%682 /100k → 491 /100k
New businesses+59%7.2 /1k → 11.5 /1k
Overdose deaths−40%16.7 /100k → 10.0 /100k

Declined5

Homicides+62%5.2 /100k → 8.5 /100k
Pharmacies−17%1.8 /10k → 1.5 /10k
Commute+1.1 min19.4 min → 20.5 min
Traffic deaths+16%17.8 /100k → 20.6 /100k
Price / income+0.5×2.5× → 3.0×

All 32 measures

Change of every measure of Amarillo, TX metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	3.4 /10k2020	3.7 /10k2025	+8%	Improved	48%
Average commute time	19.4 min2015-2019	20.5 min2020-2024	+1.1 min	Declined	28%
Average weekly wage	$9772020	$1,1962025	+22%	Improved	40%
Bachelor's degree or higher	24.4%2015-2019	27.1%2020-2024	+2.7 points	Improved	46%
Broadband subscriptions	81.3%2015-2019	89.2%2020-2024	+7.9 points	Improved	38%
Child poverty rate	18.3%2015-2019	19.8%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Within the margin of error	12%
Distance to an airport	104 mi2020	104 mi2025	−0 mi	Little change	95%
Drug overdose deaths	16.7 /100k2020	10.0 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−40%	Improved	70%
Effective property tax rate	1.61%2015-2019	1.38%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	81%
Firearm deaths	18.6 /100k2020	19.3 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+3.6%	Little change	43%
Grocery stores	1.0 /10k2020	1.1 /10k2025	+8.2%	Improved	74%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.9 /10k2020	1.1 /10k2025	+22%	Improved	73%
High school diploma or higher	85.5%2015-2019	87.2%2020-2024	+1.7 points	Within the margin of error	52%
Home price to income ratio	2.5×2015-2019	3.0×2020-2024	+0.5×	Declined	47%
Homicide rate	5.2 /100k2020	8.5 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+62%	Declined	4%
Income adjusted for local prices	$51,3782019	$67,2202024	+31%	Improved	43%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4572015-2019	0.4642020-2024	+0.007	Within the margin of error	33%
Median household income	$55,5152015-2019	$69,6112020-2024	+25%	Improved	42%
New business applications	7.2 /1k2020	11.5 /1k2025	+59%	Improved	69%
Pharmacies	1.8 /10k2020	1.5 /10k2025	−17%	Declined	29%
Poverty rate	13.8%2015-2019	14.4%2020-2024	+0.6 points	Within the margin of error	16%
Property crime rate	3,084 /100k2020	1,984 /100k2025	−36%	Improved	55%
Public libraries	0.4 /10k2019	0.4 /10k2024	−3.6%	Little change	33%
Public transit commuters	0.3%2015-2019	0.5%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Little change	96%
Rent as share of income	28.4%2015-2019	28.2%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	62%
Rent-burdened households	46.2%2015-2019	46.7%2020-2024	+0.4 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Restaurants and bars	8.8 /10k2020	8.7 /10k2025	−1.4%	Little change	39%
Suicide rate	21.0 /100k2020	21.5 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+2.1%	Little change	57%
Traffic deaths	17.8 /100k2015-2019	20.6 /100k2020-2024	+16%	Declined	34%
Unemployment rate	5.0%2020	3.1%2025	−1.9 points	Improved	19%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	17.3%2015-2019	16.9%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Violent crime rate	682 /100k2020	491 /100k2025	−28%	Improved	72%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Amarillo, TX metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Amarillo, TX metro area 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, Amarillo, TX metro area itself moved −2.6 points in standing on average over the same 30 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

271,917 residents (±270)

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

103,062 households (±846)

Amarillo, TX metro area
United States share

Under $25k16%16,661
$25k–50k20%20,706
$50k–75k17%17,415

Homes

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

Owners and renters

103,062 households (±846)

Amarillo, TX metro area
United States share

Own64%65,834
Rent36%37,228

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

128,233 workers (±1,699)

Amarillo, TX metro area
United States share

Drive alone78%99,713
Carpool12%15,368
Public transit0.5%†690

Jobs and pay

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

The 10 largest occupations in Amarillo, TX employ 29,560 people. 10 pay a median below the US median.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Amarillo, TX by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Fast Food and Counter Workers4,820 jobs	4,820	$26,880US $31,200	−14%	1.57×
General and Operations Managers3,610 jobs	3,610

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.

Amarillo, TX has 6,630 employer establishments, 243 for every 10,000 residents (0.98× the US rate of 248), with 100,424 paid employees at an average annual pay of $55,573. The Census Bureau also counts 23,913 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 6,630; 23,913 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 243; US 248
Paid employees: 100,424
Average annual pay: $55,573; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	622	22.8	1.09×About typical	7,309	$68,493	1,192
Restaurants and other eating places	520	19.1	1.04×About typical	11,649	$20,739	149
Specialty trade contractors	468	17.2	1.11×About typical	4,055	$56,455	2,042
Lessors of real estate	264	9.7	0.79×Fewer than typical	973	$47,887	2,092
Offices of physicians	247	9.1	1.40×More than typical	2,635	$93,070	224
Limited-service restaurants	235	8.6	1.07×About typical	5,588	$19,804	50
Full-service restaurants	204	7.5	0.97×About typical	5,159	$22,336	54
Automotive repair and maintenance	200	7.3	1.46×More than typical	1,420	$45,804	—
Building equipment contractors	200	7.3	1.22×About typical	1,874	$60,930	286
Construction of buildings	187	6.9	0.91×About typical	1,374	$67,954	789
Religious organizations	181	6.6	1.20×About typical	2,043	$21,244	—
Truck transportation	177	6.5	1.28×More than typical	2,230	$68,816	1,209

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 272,769 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $3.1B on contracts performed in Amarillo, TX metro area: $11,088 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $3.1B; +5.6% vs FY2025
Per resident: $11,088; US $1,994
Sole-source: 43%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.3%; 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 Energy$1.7B54%
Department of the Navy$648.5M21%
Defense Contract Management Agency$480.7M16%
Defense Logistics Agency$164.4M5.4%
Agricultural Marketing Service$85M2.8%
Department of Veterans Affairs$16.1M0.5%
Public Buildings Service$2.6M0.1%
Agricultural Research Service$944.7K0.0%

Top recipients

PANTEXAS DETERRENCE, LLC$1.6B54%
BELL BOEING JOINT PROJECT OFFICE$1.3B42%
CAVINESS BEEF PACKERS, LIMITED$84.9M2.8%
ANDURIL INDUSTRIES, INC.$13.9M0.5%
PATTON CONTRACTORS INC$2.2M0.1%

Spending by fiscal year

2BFY2017
2.1BFY2018
1.7BFY2019
1.9BFY2020
2.5BFY2021
2BFY2022
1.1BFY2023
515.9M

Top industries (NAICS)

Facilities support services · 5612$1.6B54%
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$1.3B41%
Animal slaughtering and processing · 3116$84.9M2.8%
Computer systems design and related services · 5415$35.4M1.2%
Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345$15M0.5%
Magnetic and optical media manufacturing and reproducing · 3346

Largest awards

MV-22 AIRCRAFT - FY08 (LOT 12)*$11B
BELL BOEING JOINT PROJECT OFFICE· Potter County, TX· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Apr 26, 2017 – Jun 1, 2026· N0001907C0001
PROCUREMENT OF V-22 LOT 17 LONG LEAD-TIME ITEMS$7.3B
BELL BOEING JOINT PROJECT OFFICE· Potter County, TX· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Oct 27, 2016 – Jun 1, 2026· N0001912C2001
CMV-22 PRODUCTION LOT 22 LONG LEAD-TIME ITEMS$7B
BELL BOEING JOINT PROJECT OFFICE· Potter County, TX· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Dec 28, 2016 – Jun 1, 2026· N0001917C0015
CONTRACT 89233224CNA000004 FOR THE MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION OF THE PANTEX PLANT

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.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $1.6B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Amarillo, TX metro area: $5,925 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $1.6B; +0.7% vs FY2025
Per resident: $5,925; US $12,955
Loan face value: $91.7M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 2.5%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$868.1M53%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$178.9M11%

Counties in Amarillo, TX

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

AmarilloPrincipal city201,885

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Texas

Areas based in Texas, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M11100

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved13

Declined5

Metro and micro areas like Amarillo, TX metro area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Counties in Amarillo, TX

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Texas

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved13

Declined5

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Look up any occupation

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Top programs

What was bought

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

By type

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates