Elevation of Abilene
1,705ft
above sea level · 520 m
Abilene is a city in Texas with 131,588 people, the 29th most populous in the state. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, it’s the 33rd highest.
By the Mapsfera Team
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Place facts
- Coordinates
- 32.45° N · 99.73° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 32° 26′ 55″ N · 99° 43′ 59″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 14S · 431,089 E · 3,590,413 N
- Zone 14 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Central Time
- UTC−6 · UTC−5 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 131,588 people
- 107 sq mi of land · 1,234 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from February 2015: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Abilene had 131,588 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 5.3% more than in April 2020, when it had 124,970. Its 107 sq mi of land work out to 1,234 people/sq mi; the state average is 121 people/sq mi.
It’s the 29th most populous of the 1,862 places the Census counts in Texas (cities, towns and CDPs), after Houston (2,397,315), and holds 0.4% of the state’s population.
The city spreads across 2 counties. By population: Taylor County (125,818) and Jones County (5,770). Its reference point, where we measure the elevation, is in Taylor County.
Compared with US cities of 100,000 to 250,000
Abilene sits at 1,705 ft (520 m) above sea level. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, the highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft). The average is 862 ft: Abilene is 843 ft above it.
The state capital, Austin, is 191 mi away in a straight line and 1,218 ft lower than Abilene.
The nearest city with more than 250,000 people is Fort Worth, 142 mi away in a straight line and 1,052 ft lower.
Of the 44 cities in Texas with a page, Abilene is the 7th highest: the highest is El Paso (3,713 ft) and the lowest is Corpus Christi (7 ft).
The highest point in Texas is Guadalupe Peak, at 8,749 ft according to the USGS: 7,044 ft above Abilene, 302 mi away in a straight line.
- 33 Abilene 1,705 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
Nearest cities with a page
Tools for this place
Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of Abilene.
What is the elevation of Abilene?
Abilene is 1,705 feet (520 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.
What are the coordinates of Abilene?
Latitude 32.44874 and longitude -99.73314, in decimal degrees (32° 26′ 55″ N · 99° 43′ 59″ W). In UTM, zone 14: 431,089 E and 3,590,413 N, on NAD83.
How does Abilene rank among the highest US cities of its size?
It’s the 33rd highest of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people. The highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft).
What county is Abilene in?
Several: Taylor County and Jones County. Most of its people live in Taylor County.
Which is higher, Abilene or Austin?
Abilene. Abilene sits at 1,705 ft and Austin at 487 ft: a difference of 1,218 ft, 191 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.
Sources
- USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
- USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
- TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
- timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
- Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).
Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know