Bastrop vs Del Valle, TX: Two Counties, Two Very Different Deals
Buyers weighing these two are usually chasing the same things — a shorter run to Austin, proximity to the airport or the Gigafactory, and a price that still works. Del Valle is an unincorporated Travis County community. The Census Bureau’s 2020 incorporated-place and census-designated-place layers contain no Texas feature named Del Valle, so a ZIP-area count should not be presented as a city population. Compare the exact geography, year and property address when weighing the two areas.
I am a REALTOR®, not a tax professional. The table below is an illustrative 2025 comparison, not a tax quote. Taxing units, exemptions, appraisal limits, special districts, and adopted rates are parcel- and year-specific. Verify a Travis County parcel through Travis Central Appraisal District and a Bastrop County parcel through Bastrop Central Appraisal District before relying on any figure.
Population: identify the geography and year
The 2020 incorporated-place query and 2020 census-designated-place query return no Texas place named Del Valle. This is a finding about those 2020 datasets. It does not establish that no agency can publish a defined service-area population or a later estimate. A figure labeled “Del Valle” needs a stated boundary and reference year before it can be compared with Bastrop’s incorporated city.
The Census Bureau’s 2020 ZCTA layer reports 28,832 people and about 64 square miles of land for ZCTA 78617. ZCTA 78602 reports 33,759 people and about 195 square miles of land. These are 2020 counts for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, the Census Bureau’s generalized geographic representations of ZIP Codes. They are not counts for the Bastrop city limits or a Del Valle municipal boundary, and they are not present-day population estimates.
This matters more than it sounds. When you cannot draw a boundary, you cannot compute a growth rate, a median price, or a school zone from the place name. Everything about Del Valle has to be verified at the parcel, which is a theme you will notice repeating below.
Taxes: lower on the headline, and that is not the whole story
| Taxing unit | Bastrop (city) | Del Valle (uninc., Travis Co.) |
|---|---|---|
| County | 0.350500 + 0.078210 road | 0.375845 (verified) |
| School district | Bastrop ISD 1.067900 | Del Valle ISD 0.948900 ⚠️ |
| City | 0.504000 | none — unincorporated |
| Community college | — | ACC 0.103400 ⚠️ |
| Hospital district | — | Central Health 0.118023 (2025 adopted) |
| EMS / fire | ESD #3 0.100000 + fire ESD 0.100000 | Travis Co. ESD #11 0.100000 ⚠️ |
| Approximate total | 2.200610 | 1.646168 |
| Tax on $350,000 taxable | $7,702 | ≈ $5,762 |
Do not use the right-hand column as a parcel quote. The listed Del Valle-area units may not all apply to every 78617 address, and the figures must be rechecked against official current records. A mailing address does not establish the school district, emergency-services district, MUD, utility district, or exemption eligibility. Historical rate sources checked October 18, 2026: Del Valle ISD, Austin Community College and Central Health’s FY 2026 adopted tax rate (tax year 2025). Confirm the full parcel stack separately.
Using only the illustrative 2025 figures shown, the Del Valle-area example is approximately 55.4 cents per $100 below the City of Bastrop example—about $1,941 per year on $350,000 of taxable value. The actual difference may be smaller, larger, or reversed after verifying all parcel-specific units, exemptions, and special districts.
Exemption structures also differ by taxing unit and homeowner eligibility. Review current official exemption amounts, deadlines, and qualifications with the applicable appraisal district; do not assume a prior-year county exemption applies to every unit or future tax year.
And then the MUDs, which can erase the entire advantage
Municipal utility districts can materially change a property’s tax total. The Texas Comptroller’s tax year 2025 special-district workbook reports the historical rates below, in dollars per $100 of taxable value. The named district groups are separate jurisdictions, not a statement that every district applies to a particular 78617 address. Verify the exact parcel’s districts and latest adopted rates before comparing costs.
| District | 2025 rate |
|---|---|
| Southeast Travis County MUD Nos. 1, 2, 4 | 0.935 – 0.980 |
| Pilot Knob MUD Nos. 1–5 | 0.8258 – 0.950 |
| Wilbarger Creek MUD Nos. 1–2 | 0.772 / 0.950 |
| Creedmoor MUD | 0.750 |
| Moore’s Crossing MUD | 0.6655 |
For illustration, a 0.95 district rate applied to $350,000 of taxable value equals $3,325 per year, or about $277 per month, before exemptions or other adjustments. That can materially change the comparison, but confirm the district’s current adopted rate, debt, exemptions, and boundaries for the parcel.
Some master-planned communities in both counties include MUDs or other special districts, which is why I wrote a standalone guide to MUD and PID districts. Compare the complete parcel tax stack and anticipated assessments rather than generalizing from the community name.
Utilities: Del Valle does not have one answer
Utility service is address-specific in both areas. City limits, certificated service territories, available infrastructure, and the particular subdivision can determine the provider and whether service is available. Del Valle-area properties especially should be checked parcel by parcel:
- Electricity: Austin Energy serves the core of Del Valle. Head east or south — toward Elroy, for instance — and you are on Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative instead. Austin Energy’s own service description says “all or portions of” Del Valle. Two different utilities, two different rate structures, inside one ZIP code.
- Water: City of Austin in the core, Aqua WSC east and south.
- Wastewater: a property may have public wastewater service or an on-site sewage facility. Verify service availability and the responsible permitting authority for the address.
Confirm electric service by address. Austin Energy is a municipal utility and Bluebonnet is a cooperative; their service territories do not follow a mailing ZIP code. A general description of Del Valle or Bastrop does not establish the assigned provider, retail-choice eligibility, rate plan or connection availability for every property. Obtain that information from the utility before budgeting.
Schools — and a delay that materially affects Whisper Valley buyers
Use Del Valle ISD’s official resources to check the current campus directory, programs, enrollment information and attendance assignment for the intended school year. A Del Valle mailing address does not establish school assignment, and a historical staff count does not establish the area’s largest current employer.
Here is the part to know before you buy in Whisper Valley. Del Valle ISD announced in May 2026 that North Del Valle High School has been pushed from fall 2027 to fall 2028. The building itself is on schedule. The delay is because the Whisper Valley developer has not built the access roadways the project requires — more than $12.3 million of work — and the district states the developer “is now in default.” Elementary and middle school rezoning still takes effect in fall 2027.
If a proposed campus or opening date affects your decision, confirm the current construction, roadway, rezoning, transportation, and attendance-boundary information directly with Del Valle ISD. Do not assume a planned facility will open on a prior schedule or that a particular address will be assigned to it.
On the Bastrop side, Bastrop ISD adopted attendance maps for 2025-26 and 2026-27 and renamed two campuses in 2025: Bastrop Intermediate became Riverside Middle School, and Cedar Creek Intermediate became Creekside Middle School. Future boundaries can change, so verify the address with the district. The full district guide is here.
Employment and major projects: verify current conditions
Two corrections that matter, because this market gets both wrong constantly.
Tesla’s official contact page lists its corporate headquarters at 1 Tesla Road, Austin, TX 78725. Verify the actual worksite and route if a Tesla job is part of your move; a Bastrop or Del Valle marketing description does not establish the employer’s location or a reliable commute.
Published compliance reports and county actions can provide context about employment and incentive agreements, but a single year’s workforce count does not predict future hiring, job security, property values, or neighborhood effects. Anyone relocating for a specific employer should confirm the job location, schedule, employment terms, and commute independently rather than buying based on expected company growth.
What Del Valle genuinely has is the airport. Austin-Bergstrom is in the middle of a roughly $5 billion expansion program funded by airport revenue rather than city taxes, and June 2026 was its busiest month on record at 2.1 million passengers. Note that the South Terminal closed permanently on March 31, 2026 — any relocation page still describing “the Barbara Jordan and South terminals” is out of date. Circuit of the Americas sits on Del Valle’s southeastern edge in Elroy, with Formula 1 secured in Austin through 2034. The official COTALAND site markets attractions, tickets, passes and park hours, while also retaining a construction notice. Confirm current operating dates, individual ride availability and ticket or event access directly with the operator. An older construction description alone does not establish what is operating today.
Bastrop EDC publishes development descriptions for SpaceX/Starlink and Line 204 Texas. These are useful starting points for researching announced local investment, but they do not establish today’s payroll, available jobs, construction completion or future property values. Confirm the actual employer and worksite, then test the commute from the specific home.
So which one?
Del Valle may fit better when the available home, verified commute, utilities, school assignment, special-district costs, insurance, and southeast Travis County destinations align with your priorities. Confirm the complete tax stack before comparing payments.
Bastrop may fit better when the available home, verified commute, city setting, services, utilities, school assignment, insurance, and total monthly cost align with your priorities. Do not assume every Bastrop address has the same services or tax structure.
A MUD or other special district can materially affect this comparison, but it is only one factor. Review the tax certificate and seller disclosures early, then compare financing, insurance, utilities, maintenance, commute, restrictions, and property condition.
Let me check the parcel before you decide
Send me the addresses and I can help identify the listed taxing units, MUD or PID disclosures, utility and school-boundary resources, and other comparison points. The appraisal districts, taxing entities, school districts, utility providers, insurer, and lender remain the final sources for current amounts and eligibility. Call or text (512) 993-8488 or use the contact form.
Go deeper: Austin and the east-side corridor · Buying in Bastrop · Bastrop vs Elgin · Bastrop vs Cedar Creek · Bastrop vs Smithville · MUD and PID districts · Moving here for Tesla or SpaceX
Written by Bre Meador, REALTOR® — All City Real Estate, Bastrop County, TX · U.S. Army veteran and former nurse · TREC #0835116
Read client reviews. Last updated October 18, 2026. Rates, boundaries, exemptions, utilities, school assignments, projects, employment, and market figures can change. This page is general information from a licensed REALTOR®, not tax, legal, lending, appraisal, employment, engineering, utility, or insurance advice.
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