Published November 5, 2026

Where Is Abilene, TX? Location, Drive Times, and Housing Snapshot

Written by Amber Kimmel

Where Is Abilene, TX? Location, Drive Times, and Housing Snapshot header image.

Abilene sits far enough west of Dallas-Fort Worth on Interstate 20 that it operates as its own housing market rather than a commuter suburb.

Key takeaway

Abilene is in west-central Texas on Interstate 20, west of Fort Worth. It's a standalone regional city, not part of the Dallas area. If you might move here, expect a fast market of mostly single-family houses, where the median home sold for $298,858 in the 90 days ending September 30, 2026. If you need a daily Dallas-Fort Worth commute, a DFW-area suburb will fit better.

Who this guide is for

You're placing Abilene relative to where you live or work now, and deciding whether it's close enough to commute to or far enough that moving means buying into its own housing market.

Where is Abilene, Texas?

Abilene is a regional city on Interstate 20 in west-central Texas and the county seat of Taylor County, which lies in the Rolling Plains. It is the hub of the surrounding 22-county area known as the "Big Country." That location, well outside the major Texas metros, gives it a local economy and housing demand of its own.

Dyess Air Force Base, home to the 7th Bomb Wing and the 317th Airlift Wing, sits about seven miles southwest of downtown.

How far is Abilene from Dallas-Fort Worth and other Texas cities?

Abilene is about 150 miles west of Fort Worth via Interstate 20, a drive of roughly 2 hours 11 to 14 minutes. The city puts the broader Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex approximately 180 miles away.

Other cities are farther still:

Lubbock is about 164 miles on US-84, around two and a half hours.
San Angelo is roughly 89 miles south via US-277, about 1 hour 31 to 41 minutes.
San Antonio is about 246 miles away.

Before you decide, test the drive between Abilene and your workplace at your exact commute hour in a map app.

Highways and airport access in Abilene

Interstate 20 is the main east-west route to Fort Worth and Dallas. U.S. highways 83, 84 and 277 run north-south through the city, linking it to the rest of the Big Country.

Abilene Regional Airport has commercial service for people who fly for work or family. Routes change, so check its current schedule before assuming you can fly nonstop from home. Around town, bus routes and biking are options alongside driving.

Terrain and weather around Abilene

The area is mostly flat to rolling plains, with the hills of the Callahan Divide rising to the south. Lake Fort Phantom Hill, about seven miles north in Jones County, covers over 4,200 acres. Lake Abilene sits within Abilene State Park, southwest of the city, and the smaller Kirby Lake is just south of town.

Local weather brings heat, wind, storms and snow. When you look at properties, ask the utility provider whether a home is on city water or a well. Look up any address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center before you make an offer.

What Abilene's location means for buying a home

Because Abilene is its own market rather than a suburb, its pace is set locally, and right now that pace is quick. The median time on market was 20 days in the 90 days ending September 30, 2026, so you may have only a few days to decide on a home you like.

With 2.1 months of supply, there aren't many homes to compare at once. Arrange your financing before you start touring, and check current mortgage rates early so paperwork doesn't cost you a house.

Competitive listings can draw offers over asking. The median sale price rose 24.5% compared to a year earlier. A 90-day median can shift depending on which homes sold in that window, so always ask for recent comparable sales on any home you're considering.

465 of the 479 recent sales were single-family homes. If you want a detached house near the middle of the market, Abilene single-family listings around $300,000 are a reasonable place to begin.

For your monthly budget, use cost of living figures rather than estimating from the sale price alone. School assignment depends on the exact address, so confirm it with the official district boundary lookup. Amber Kimmel can share current listings and recent comparable sales for the specific part of town you're considering.

At a glance

Median sale price, all homes: $298,858 (90 days ending Sept 30, 2026)
Median sale price, single-family: $298,881 (90 days ending Sept 30, 2026)
Change in median sale price vs. a year earlier, all homes: +24.5% (90 days ending Sept 30, 2026)
Homes sold, all homes: 479, of which 465 were single-family (90 days ending Sept 30, 2026)
Median days on market, all homes: 20 (90 days ending Sept 30, 2026)
Sale-to-list price ratio, all homes: 99.2%; share sold above list: 33% (90 days ending Sept 30, 2026)
Months of supply, all homes: 2.1; homes for sale: 328 (90 days ending Sept 30, 2026)
Median price per square foot, all homes: $176; single-family: $178 (90 days ending Sept 30, 2026)

Abilene, TX location FAQs

Which county is Abilene, TX in?

Abilene sits in both Taylor and Jones counties. The northern portion of the city that extends into Jones County had 5,145 residents according to recent data.

What is the history of Abilene, Texas?

Abilene was founded in 1881 by cattlemen as a stock shipping point on the Texas and Pacific Railway. It was named after Abilene, Kansas, the original endpoint of the Chisholm Trail.

Is Abilene, TX on Central time?

Yes, Abilene is in the Central Time Zone. Only El Paso and Hudspeth counties are entirely on Mountain Time, and a small northwestern part of Culberson County unofficially observes it as well.

Does Abilene, TX have an airport, and where does it fly?

Abilene Regional Airport offers nonstop commercial flights to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport via American Airlines. United Airlines flies nonstop to Denver, Houston and Phoenix.

Is Abilene, TX a big city?

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the population of the city of Abilene at 129,043 as of 2023. The broader Abilene metropolitan statistical area has an estimated population of 185,429 for 2025.

How wide is Abilene, TX?

The city of Abilene covers a land area of 106.67 square miles.

What ZIP codes are in Abilene, TX?

Abilene uses ZIP codes in the ranges 79601 through 79608 and 79697 through 79699. A ZIP code doesn't determine school district or city limits, so confirm any specific address with the city and the official district lookup.

How competitive is the Abilene housing market?

In the 90 days ending September 30, 2026, 33% of sales closed above the list price and the median home spent just 20 days on market, reflecting a fast-moving local market.

What types of homes are for sale in Abilene?

465 of the 479 homes sold in the 90 days ending September 30, 2026 were single-family houses, making detached homes the dominant property type in the market.

Sources

Amber Kimmel

| Kimmel Collective Real Estate Team | Keller Williams Realty

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