Retiring in College Station, Texas

Retiring in College Station: overview

College Station is in Brazos County, Texas, within the Waco, Temple & Brazos Valley region.

College Station is the Brazos County city that adjoins Bryan and hosts Texas A&M University, and it is part of the Waco, Temple & Brazos Valley region. It is a university-town market first. The American Community Survey 2019-2023 five-year profile estimates its population at 122,280 and its median age at 22.9, with 8,247 residents aged 65 or older, or 6.7 percent. That share is the lowest of the places profiled in this region, and the housing stock reflects it: the survey estimates that only 35.9 percent of occupied homes are owner-occupied.

For retirees the relevance is narrower than for the other places in the region, and it is worth being plain about it. The case for College Station is a large hospital campus, a commercial airport with daily service, a university-town calendar of cultural and sports events, and a new 55+ community, Lakeside at Millican Reserve, in south College Station, where its builder says a municipal utility district serves it rather than the city. The case against is that most of the housing and amenities are designed around students and younger households, that home values are comparatively high at $326,500 for owner-occupied homes, and that the city is not organized around retirees the way age-restricted communities are in other parts of Texas. KBTX reported in August 2026 that, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report, the city's population aged 65 and older grew by nearly 18 percent over three years; that is the station's summary of the report and a sign of direction rather than a measure of today's retiree population.

Cost of living in College Station

The 2019-2023 survey puts College Station's median household income at $51,776, a figure pulled down by a large student population. It estimates the median value of owner-occupied homes at $326,500, the median monthly owner cost for homes with a mortgage at $2,211, and the median gross rent at $1,168. The city has 50,730 housing units, and 64.1 percent of occupied units are renter-occupied. These are five-year survey estimates and lag the market, so recent sales and current listings give a better picture of what a particular house costs.

Texas has no state personal income tax; see Texas retirement taxes. Property taxes, insurance and utilities are recurring costs. The City of College Station operates College Station Utilities, and its website refers to the city's electric utility workers; confirm which utilities serve a particular address.

Property taxes in College Station

Property in Brazos County is appraised by the Brazos Central Appraisal District, which is headquartered at 4051 Pendleton Dr. in Bryan according to the Texas Comptroller's county directory, and taxes are collected by the Brazos County Tax Assessor/Collector. The tax office's website says the deadline to pay taxes was January 31, extended to February 2, 2026 because the date fell on a Saturday. Each taxing unit sets its own rate.

For tax year 2025, the Texas Comptroller's published rate tables (versions dated January 28, 2026) show the City of College Station at 0.511872 per $100 of taxable value, made up of 0.309204 for maintenance and operations and 0.202668 for debt service, College Station ISD at 0.9753 per $100 (0.6963 maintenance and operations and 0.279 debt service), and Brazos County at 0.423059. As an illustration of the arithmetic only, those three rates add to 1.910231 per $100, so a home with a taxable value of $300,000 would have a bill of about $5,730.69 before other districts and before exemptions. The Comptroller also lists Brazos County emergency services districts, two municipal utility districts and a management district that apply only to addresses inside them. Rates change each budget year; confirm current figures with the appraisal district.

Exemptions reduce taxable value; they are not cash payments. The Comptroller states that Tax Code Section 11.13(b) requires school districts to provide a $140,000 residence homestead exemption and that Section 11.13(c) requires an additional $60,000 exemption for homeowners age 65 or older or disabled. Taxing units may adopt local option exemptions, and the amounts that Brazos County's units actually grant should be confirmed with the Brazos Central Appraisal District, whose website lists local exemptions and adopted tax rates. The school-tax ceiling that comes with the age-65 exemption has its own conditions; see homestead and age-65 exemptions and property taxes and appraisal districts.

Insurance and risk in College Station

Severe weather is the main insurance question. The National Weather Service describes tornadoes as capable of destroying well-made structures and says they can occur at any time of day or night and at any time of the year. The Texas Department of Insurance advises homeowners to file hail claims promptly, to document damage with pictures and video, to get more than one repair estimate and to avoid contractors who offer to waive a deductible, which is illegal under state law. It also explains that some policies pay replacement cost on a roof while others pay actual cash value, and advises asking whether the wind and hail deductible differs. Premiums depend on the insurer, roof, claims history and address and are not quoted here.

FEMA says any place with a 1 percent or higher chance of flooding each year is considered high risk, that floods do not follow city limits or property lines, and that most homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage; flood insurance is a separate policy, required for homes in high-risk areas with mortgages from government-backed lenders. Check the flood map for any lot near a creek or lake. The Texas A&M Forest Service describes itself as the lead agency in Texas for fighting wildfires.

Healthcare access in College Station

Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - College Station is a five-story, 142-bed hospital on a 98-acre campus near the intersection of Texas Highway 6 and Rock Prairie Road. Its website says it is a certified Advanced Primary Stroke Center, a Primary Heart Attack Center and a Level III Trauma Center, with a Level III neonatal intensive care unit, and that it has achieved Magnet recognition for nursing and been named high-performing by U.S. News & World Report for heart attack and pneumonia care. It is listed as open 24 hours.

St. Joseph Health says it is headquartered in Bryan/College Station and has 61 locations in 9 counties, including hospitals, physician groups, express care clinics, primary care centers and specialty groups, serving Bryan, College Station, Navasota, Madisonville, Caldwell and surrounding areas. VA Central Texas lists a clinic at 1651 Rock Prairie Road in College Station; the system's main location is in Temple.

Hospital and physician choice depends on Medicare or private plan networks that change annually, so confirm network participation before choosing a home. See the guide to Texas healthcare geography and Medicare.

Climate in College Station

College Station has a hot, humid-subtropical climate. The National Centers for Environmental Information's 1991-2020 monthly normals for the College Station station show a normal daily high of 61.7 degrees Fahrenheit in January, 95.4 in July and 96.6 in August, and a normal January low of 41.3. Days at or above 90 degrees number 23.4 in June and 28.7 in each of July and August, about 116.7 across a typical year by our arithmetic from the monthly values. Normal precipitation is lowest in July at 1.98 inches and highest in October at 4.93, and the monthly normals add to about 41.75 inches by our arithmetic. Compared with Waco's normals, winters are milder and the year is wetter. The guide to Texas summer heat, humidity and climate by region compares these areas.

Lifestyle and recreation in College Station

Easterwood Airport lists American Airlines service to Dallas/Fort Worth and describes daily nonstop flights; the city's visitor site describes the airport as the gateway to the Brazos Valley with daily American Airlines flights to major hubs such as Dallas/Fort Worth. Check the airport's flight pages for current schedules.

The developer maps for Lakeside at Millican Reserve list nearby destinations including the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, Texas A&M University, the Caprock Crossing and Tower Point shopping centers and Baylor Scott & White facilities. Millican Reserve itself describes a private health-and-wellness community with a nonprofit land conservancy, trails, a farm, stables and a boathouse. These are developer descriptions and worth checking against each venue's own current schedule.

The city's website lists city council meetings on Thursday evenings, and city government runs parks, utilities and other services. The city's visitor site lists Texas A&M events and game-day information, which shape the local calendar.

Housing in College Station

Most housing in College Station is built for renters and students: 64.1 percent of occupied units are renter-occupied in the 2019-2023 estimate. Owner-occupied homes are valued at a median $326,500. There are very few age-restricted options. Lakeside at Millican Reserve is marketed by Kept Classic Homes as a 55+ community, and the community told KBTX that it is the first age-restricted community in the area for adults 55 and older. The builder's FAQ says that, unlike properties inside College Station city limits, Lakeside is served by a municipal utility district, so its taxes and services differ from those of homes inside the city.

No Texas A&M retiree housing or lifelong learning program is described here, because none was documented in an official source. Households interested in university-related activities should ask the university directly.

Retirement communities in and near College Station

• Lakeside at Millican ReserveA 55+ active adult community of single-family homes by Kept Classic Homes inside the Millican Reserve master plan in south College Station, with a planned clubhouse and MUD-served infrastructure.

Guides relevant to College Station

• Texas healthcare geography and Medicare network considerations
• Texas summer heat, humidity and climate by region