Best PlacesDowntown Pasadena, Pasadena, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena ranks 5,818th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a stable housing market by a wide margin, and thin health care access ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena's strengths and weaknesses
Where Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena ranks high
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$842 a month, better than 83% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than 72% of neighborhoods
Where Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena ranks low
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena
A household needs to earn about $40,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $48,079, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena's effective rate of 1.52%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 4 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena
Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena runs younger than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena.
Who works in Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena, and how
Work in Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena centers on construction and retail trade. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 88%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena
Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena has more restaurants and bars per resident than 70% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 16 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena, month by month
Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena sees roughly 128 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 95 degrees. January highs sit near 66, with lows near 47. The comfortable stretch runs October through April.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 66° | 55° | 47° |
| April | 81° | 71° | 63° |
| July | 95° | 85° | 78° |
| October | 85° | 74° | 66° |
Flying in and out of Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena
William P Hobby sits about 6 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 6.8 million passengers in 2025, with 101 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena
Schools across Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena average a D+, better than 20% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Pomeroy ElC− · 30% proficient
- Gardens ElD · 18% proficient
- Kruse ElD− · 15% proficient
Top middle schools
- Jackson IntC− · 30% proficient
- Bobby Shaw MiddleD− · 17% proficient
- De Zavala MiddleD− · 15% proficient
Top high schools
- Sam Rayburn H SB− · 43% proficient
- Pasadena H SC+ · 39% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena
Is Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena ranks 5,818th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on a stable housing market, state finances, and low taxes, and lowest on thin health care access and civic engagement. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $138,478. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $48,079 median income, cost of living beats 16% of neighborhoods.
Is Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena safe?
Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena is safer than 28% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $746 per resident a year.
Compare Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Downtown Pasadena, Pasadena detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.