Austin, TX elevation
Downtown Austin sits at 487 ft (148 m) above sea level. The city limits climb well above that: the highest of our USGS sample points is 1,079 ft, 10 mi from downtown.
USGS elevation downtown
487ft
148 m above sea level
Ground elevation at 30.26715, -97.74306 (GNIS populated-place coordinates (city center)).
Source: USGS 3D Elevation Program, via the Elevation Point Query Service
- Range inside city limits (sampled)
- 436 to 1,079 ft
- 133 to 329 m · 152 USGS points
- Source: USGS 3DEP + 2024 Census boundary
- Average of sampled points
- 703 ft (214 m)
- Source: USGS 3DEP
Data updated · By Ankit Kumar, compiled from public U.S. government and open datasets · How these numbers are made
Check your exact spot in Austin
Elevation changes from street to street. Use your location, search an address or click the map to get the USGS value for one point. Green pins mark the points named on this page.
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Elevation range inside the city limits
Austin covers 326.4 sq mi of land. Across it, USGS elevations at 152 sampled points run from 436 ft (133 m) to 1,079 ft (329 m), a spread of 643 ft. The average of those points is 703 ft, higher than downtown.
Method: Sampled: USGS 3DEP elevation at 152 points (the city center plus a regular grid about 2,335 m apart) inside the 2024 Census boundary. The true highest and lowest points can lie between grid points.
Life at 487 ft
Standard-atmosphere estimates for downtown Austin (487 ft). Weather moves the real values a little from day to day.
- Oxygen per breath
- 98 % of sea level
- Air is still 20.9% oxygen; there is just less air.
Sources: pressure from the U.S. Standard Atmosphere, 1976 (NOAA, NASA, USAF); boiling point from the Antoine equation for water (Lange's Handbook of Chemistry); canning thresholds from the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning. Not medical or food-safety advice; follow the tested USDA recipe for your altitude.
Austin compared with nearby and similar-size cities
- Denver, CO5,276 ft
- Leander, TX977 ft
- Cedar Park, TX906 ft
- Columbus, OH780 ft
- Charlotte, NC763 ft
- Round Rock, TX732 ft
- Indianapolis, IN730 ft
- Kyle, TX724 ft
- Pflugerville, TX718 ft
- Austin (downtown)487 ft
Landmark elevations
| What | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Downtown Austin | 487 ft (148 m) | USGS 3DEP at GNIS populated-place coordinates |
| Highest sampled point | 1,079 ft (329 m) · 10 mi from downtown | USGS 3DEP grid sample |
| Lowest sampled point | 436 ft (133 m) · 3.7 mi from downtown | USGS 3DEP grid sample |
| Nearest public airport: Austin-Bergstrom Intl (KAUS) | 542 ft (165 m) · 6.7 mi away | FAA field elevation |
Austin at a glance
| What | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 993,588 (July 1, 2024) | U.S. Census Bureau estimate |
| Land area | 326.4 sq mi (845.3 km²) | Census 2024 Gazetteer |
| County | Travis | USGS GNIS |
| USGS 7.5-minute topo map | Austin East | USGS GNIS |
| Downtown coordinates | 30.26715, -97.74306 | USGS GNIS |
More places and tools
Nearest city pages
- Oklahoma City, OK — 1,196 ft, 360 mi (579 km) away
- Baton Rouge, LA — 46 ft, 393 mi (632 km) away
- Little Rock, AR — 337 ft, 443 mi (714 km) away
- Jackson, MS — 279 ft, 468 mi (753 km) away
- Las Cruces, NM — 3,910 ft, 552 mi (888 km) away
- All Texas elevations
Tools pre-filled for 487 ft
Frequently asked questions
What is the elevation of Austin, TX?
Downtown Austin is 487 ft (148 m) above sea level, from the USGS 3D Elevation Program at the city-center coordinates. Inside the city limits, USGS values at 152 sampled points run from 436 to 1,079 ft.
What is the highest point in Austin?
The highest of our 152 USGS sample points inside the 2024 Census city boundary is 1,079 ft (329 m), about 10 mi from downtown (30.3798, -97.8532). The true high point can be slightly higher because it may fall between grid points.
What is the lowest point in Austin?
The lowest sampled point is 436 ft (133 m), about 3.7 mi from downtown. That is 643 ft below the highest sampled point.
At what temperature does water boil in Austin?
At 487 ft, water boils at about 211.1 °F (99.5 °C) and standard air pressure is 29.40 inHg (996 hPa), so each breath holds about 98% of the oxygen it would at sea level. Cooking times for pasta, eggs and beans run a little longer than at sea level.
What is the elevation of the airport near Austin?
Austin-Bergstrom Intl (KAUS), 6.7 mi from downtown, has an FAA field elevation of 541.5 ft (165 m).
Do I need to adjust canning times in Austin?
Downtown Austin is at 487 ft, so the USDA 0–1,000 ft column applies there. Parts of the city reach 1,079 ft, where the 1,001 ft and higher columns apply.
Sources
- USGS Elevation Point Query Service (3DEP) — downtown elevation and every sampled point
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Cartographic Boundary Files (places, states; 1:500,000) — city boundary used for sampling
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files (places) — land area and Census place match
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2024 Population Estimates (cities and towns, July 1, 2024) — population
- USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), Domestic Names — city-center coordinates, county and topo map name
- FAA Aeronautical Information Services, Airports (field elevation) — airport field elevation
- U.S. Standard Atmosphere, 1976 (NOAA/NASA/USAF); water boiling point by the Antoine equation (Lange’s Handbook of Chemistry) — boiling point, air pressure and oxygen
- USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning — canning altitude thresholds
How each number is produced: methodology and data sources.
Data updated · By Ankit Kumar, compiled from public U.S. government and open datasets · How these numbers are made