Population 8,352 · Census ACS 2020–24
Choose a measure to map it.Tap a measure to map it. Swipe the row for more. Arrows show the change since 2006–10.
Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
Younger residents
Older residents
Colorblind friendly
off
More maps of Center: Best Neighborhoods · Walk Grade · Household income · Home prices · Race · Politics · Traffic noise · Internet
Population and households in Center
Household size in Center
| Period | Center | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.65 | 2.87 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.73 | 2.93 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.97 | 2.95 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.75 | 2.83 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.09 | −0.05 | −0.03 |
The typical household in Center holds 2.75 people, slightly more than the U.S. average of 2.65. Still, the typical household here is smaller than in Texas overall, where it has 2.83 people. Household size has climbed from 2.65 in 2006–10, even as the national average fell.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Center
| Period | Center | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 37.6 | 34.7 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 35.5 | 35.4 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 31.1 | 36.1 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 33.7 | 36.7 | 40.1 |
| Change | −4.0 | +2.0 | +2.3 |
With a median age of just 33.7, Center is far younger than the country as a whole (40.1), a population that tilts toward young families with children. The median age has dropped from 37.6 in 2006–10, even as the national median rose. The youngest areas are in the north, the oldest in the east.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Center
| Period | Center | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 22.8% | 13.7% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 18.2% | 13.7% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 24.2% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 22.7% | 12.9% | 11.6% |
| Change | −0.0 pts | −0.8 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head more than one in five households in Center (22.7%), well above the national share of 11.6%. Of the 545 Texas cities with 5,000+ people, only 19 have a higher share of single-parent households.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Center
Renters in Center
| Period | Center | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 35.3% | 35.2% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 35.4% | 37.3% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 35.2% | 38.0% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 34.9% | 37.4% | 34.8% |
| Change | −0.4 pts | +2.3 pts | +1.5 pts |
Renting in Center is about as common as it is nationally: 34.9% of households rent, against 34.8%. Among homeowners, 62.5% have no mortgage at all, well above the national share of 39.8%. Renting is most common in the north and least common in the southwest.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Center
| Period | Center | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 12.9% | 11.8% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 14.3% | 10.9% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 16.7% | 10.9% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 13.3% | 9.4% | 9.6% |
| Change | +0.4 pts | −2.4 pts | −1.8 pts |
More homes sit empty in Center than nationally: 13.3%, against 9.6%. The count includes vacation homes and homes between owners or tenants, not just abandoned ones.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Center
| Period | Center | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1972 | 1983 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1974 | 1985 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1981 | 1987 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1983 | 1992 | 1980 |
| Change | +11 | +8 | +6 |
The typical home in Center was built around 1983, about the same vintage as the country's housing overall (1980). Homes here are older than in Texas as a whole, where the median home dates to 1992. The median year built has moved up from 1972 in 2006–10, a sign of steady new building.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Center
| Period | Center | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $551 | $921 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $564 | $1,005 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $592 | $1,178 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $914 | $1,560 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$363 | +$639 | +$606 |
A typical rental in Center costs $914 a month with utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. Rent has climbed $363 a month since 2006–10, up 66%, faster than rents rose nationally. The typical renter here spends 28.6% of household income on rent, just under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, and a smaller share than renters pay nationally. Renters on a budget will find the lowest rents in the north; the highest are in the southwest.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Center
Bachelor's degrees in Center
| Period | Center | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 12.5% | 27.0% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 11.1% | 27.9% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 18.0% | 30.0% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 16.0% | 34.0% | 35.6% |
| Change | +3.5 pts | +7.1 pts | +7.2 pts |
Fewer adults in Center have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 16.0%, against 35.6% nationally. The share with a degree is up 3.5 points from 2006–10, as it has nationally. College graduates are most concentrated in the northwest and least in the east.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Center
| Period | Center | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 67.7% | 80.7% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 72.1% | 82.0% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 70.0% | 83.6% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 88.7% | 85.8% | 89.3% |
| Change | +20.9 pts | +5.1 pts | +4.3 pts |
About as many adults in Center have finished high school as nationally: 88.7%, against 89.3%. The rate is higher than in Texas overall (85.8%). The share with a diploma is up 20.9 points from 2006–10, a much bigger shift than nationally.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Center
| Period | Center | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 8.2% | 7.0% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 4.2% | 7.7% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 9.3% | 5.1% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 8.0% | 5.3% | 5.4% |
| Change | −0.2 pts | −1.7 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Center runs well above the national rate: 8.0% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4%. Center has higher unemployment than at least four in five Texas cities. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Center compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Center | 2.75 | 33.7 | 22.7% | 34.9% | 13.3% | 1983 | $914 | 16.0% | 88.7% | 8.0% |
| Short | 2.43 | 46.8 | 4.5% | 6.3% | 19.3% | 1985 | $977 | 14.8% | 82.5% | 4.5% |
| Arcadia | 2.67 | 36.1 | 9.0% | 21.7% | 14.4% | 1987 | $739 | 17.8% | 82.2% | 3.0% |
| James | 2.44 | 38.5 | 11.0% | 16.2% | 20.6% | 1984 | $671 | 17.4% | 68.2% | 1.4% |
| Choice | 2.40 | 51.0 | 0.7% | 1.6% | 18.8% | 1985 | $1,112 | 14.9% | 87.1% | 3.6% |
| Neuville | 2.40 | 51.0 | 0.9% | 1.7% | 19.4% | 1985 | $1,102 | 14.5% | 86.9% | 3.5% |
| Shelbyville | 2.20 | 49.8 | 9.2% | 13.0% | 24.6% | 1987 | $903 | 15.5% | 75.4% | 4.4% |
| Silas | 2.90 | 35.2 | 6.7% | 24.1% | 27.9% | 1985 | $689 | 9.9% | 82.7% | 3.2% |
| Campti | 2.43 | 37.2 | 17.5% | 23.4% | 21.7% | 1991 | $770 | 11.3% | 77.2% | 0.7% |
| East Liberty | 2.44 | 38.3 | 28.1% | 14.8% | 19.2% | 1988 | $1,024 | 15.0% | 82.8% | 0.1% |
| Stockman | 2.67 | 44.8 | 5.0% | 20.1% | 27.6% | 1987 | $781 | 8.5% | 83.3% | 1.8% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Opp, AL · Mount Gilead, OH · Mount Orab, OH · Mount Vernon, KY · Mountainside, NJ · Mountville, PA · Mulvane, KS · Murphy, MO · Mystic Island, NJ · Narberth, PA
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Center. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
No other site shows detail at this level for free. We are able to keep this site free by receiving a small commission from the referring links on this page. Please share or cite this page if you aren’t able to otherwise support our work.