Best PlacesWestwood Richland, Abilene, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Westwood Richland, Abilene, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Westwood Richland, Abilene ranks 3,747th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and distance from a big city ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Westwood Richland, Abilene
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.
Westwood Richland, Abilene's strengths and weaknesses
Where Westwood Richland, Abilene ranks high
- Cheap childcare$571 a month, better than 99% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Short commute14.7 minutes each way, better than 98% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
Where Westwood Richland, Abilene ranks low
- Big-city accessBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than only 3% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 18% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Westwood Richland, Abilene
A household needs to earn about $42,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Westwood Richland, Abilene home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $74,850, 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 Westwood Richland, Abilene's effective rate of 1.46%, 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 3 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Westwood Richland, Abilene
Westwood Richland, Abilene 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 Westwood Richland, Abilene.
Who works in Westwood Richland, Abilene, and how
Work in Westwood Richland, Abilene centers on retail trade and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 92%
- Work from home 4%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in Westwood Richland, Abilene
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Westwood Richland, Abilene.
What the weather is like in Westwood Richland, Abilene, month by month
Westwood Richland, Abilene sees roughly 67 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 98 degrees. January highs sit near 59, with lows near 33. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, October, and November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 59° | 44° | 33° |
| April | 80° | 65° | 53° |
| July | 98° | 85° | 73° |
| October | 81° | 67° | 55° |
Flying in and out of Westwood Richland, Abilene
The nearest airport, Abilene Regional, is about 6 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Dallas-Fort Worth International, about 162 miles away.
The best schools in and around Westwood Richland, Abilene
Schools across Westwood Richland, Abilene average a C, better than 31% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Merkel ElB− · 42% proficient
- Bonham ElC− · 27% proficient
- Purcell ElD+ · 22% proficient
Top middle schools
- Merkel MiddleC+ · 36% proficient
- Clack MiddleC · 33% proficient
- Mann MiddleC− · 29% proficient
Top high schools
- Abilene H SB− · 41% proficient
- Merkel H SC+ · 35% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Westwood Richland, Abilene school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Westwood Richland, Abilene 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 Westwood Richland, Abilene against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Westwood Richland, Abilene
Is Westwood Richland, Abilene a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Westwood Richland, Abilene ranks 3,747th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on affordable childcare, clean air, and short commutes, and lowest on distance from a big city and tree cover. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Westwood Richland, Abilene expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $148,771. The overall cost of living runs about 20% below the national average. Set against a $74,850 median income, cost of living beats 62% of neighborhoods.
Is Westwood Richland, Abilene safe?
Westwood Richland, Abilene is safer than 47% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $560 per resident a year.
Compare Westwood Richland, Abilene with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Westwood Richland, Abilene. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Westwood Richland, Abilene 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.
Westwood Richland, Abilene detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Westwood Richland, Abilene: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Westwood Richland, Abilene: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Westwood Richland, Abilene: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Westwood Richland, Abilene: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Westwood Richland, Abilene 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.