Austin County, TX
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 29.89, -96.27.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 88th pct · 339th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 95th pct · 11th of 243 Texas counties · median $215,660
- 100th pct · 1st of 10 counties in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro · median $335,489
- 20th pct · 2,449th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 47th pct · 128th of 243 Texas counties · median +0.0%
- 88th pct · 2nd of 10 counties in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro · median -1.7%
- 87th pct · 178th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 98th pct · 3rd of 106 Texas counties · median $1,483
- 88th pct · 2nd of 10 counties in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro · median $1,780
- 62nd pct · 1,202nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 69th pct · 77th of 254 Texas counties · median 6,022
- 11th pct · 9th of 10 counties in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro · median 76,883
- 91st pct · 284th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 83rd pct · 42nd of 254 Texas counties · median $1,115
- 66th pct · 4th of 10 counties in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro · median $1,347
- 75th pct · 756th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 86th pct · 33rd of 243 Texas counties · median 3.6
- 100th pct · 1st of 10 counties in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro · median 4.6
Typical home value divided by the average annual wage of one covered job.
A percentile here is a min-max scaling of average rank: the smallest published value in the cohort is 0 and the largest is 100, and tied values share the average of the ranks they span. It is not the share of entities below the value, so 0 means smallest, not none below. Entities that did not publish the metric are outside the cohort entirely and are counted in neither the rank nor its denominator.
Home values #
Typical home $429,655 (Aug 2026), -0.1% over one year, +11.1% over five
- 88th pct · 339th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 95th pct · 11th of 243 Texas counties · median $215,660
- 100th pct · 1st of 10 counties in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro · median $335,489
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Austin County, TX | $429,655 · -0.1% 1-yr |
Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), typical value of homes in the 35th to 65th percentile, smoothed and seasonally adjusted; a model estimate of value, not a sale price. Data through Zillow Research.
Rents #
Typical rent $2,094/mo (Aug 2026), n/a over one year; price-to-rent 17.1
- 87th pct · 178th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 98th pct · 3rd of 106 Texas counties · median $1,483
- 88th pct · 2nd of 10 counties in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro · median $1,780
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Austin County, TX | $2,094/mo · n/a 1-yr |
Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI), smoothed, all homes and multifamily; price-to-rent = typical home / (typical rent × 12).
What the typical home costs to carry #
Principal and interest of $2,352 a month on $429,655 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $6,270 a month: 37.5% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $429,655 × 80% = $343,724, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $2,352/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,447 × 52 / 12 = $6,270) = 38% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $429,655 / ($1,447 × 52) = 5.7
- price-to-rent = $429,655 / ($2,094 × 12) = 17.1
The wage is one covered job’s average, not a household’s income, so this is the share of a single paycheque and not a mortgage underwriting ratio.
Estimate. Principal and interest on the typical home with 20% down over 30 years at this week's Freddie Mac average rate; compared with the average weekly wage of all jobs covered by unemployment insurance in the area (BLS QCEW), which is pay per job, not household income.
Jobs & wages #
13,751 jobs at 1,492 employers (2026 Q1); +1.0% jobs and +3.7% average weekly wage over the year
- 62nd pct · 1,202nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 69th pct · 77th of 254 Texas counties · median 6,022
- 11th pct · 9th of 10 counties in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro · median 76,883
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Austin County, TX | 13,751 jobs · $1,447/wk · +1.0% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 2,241 | $1,411 | 2.03 | +7.5% |
| Retail trade | 2,095 | $968 | 1.56 | -0.4% |
| Construction | 1,312 | $1,439 | 1.82 | +11.4% |
| Health care and social assistance | 904 | $1,087 | 0.44 | -6.4% |
| Professional and technical services | 740 | $1,985 | 0.78 | +5.3% |
| Administrative and waste services | 732 | $938 | 0.94 | +15.5% |
| Accommodation and food services | 730 | $498 | 0.59 | -23.9% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 660 | $1,916 | 1.14 | +13.6% |
| Finance and insurance | 554 | $2,266 | 0.99 | -9.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 536 | $2,130 | 1.02 | +11.4% |
| Information | 373 | $4,622 | 1.47 | +26.0% |
| Other services | 269 | $1,108 | 0.65 | -2.5% |
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, all ownerships, total covered employment in the quarter's third month; over-the-year changes as published. Suppressed cells stay blank.
Drought #
D2 severe drought
Sites found: 5, searched within 0 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 0 km away are not.
US Drought Monitor current week; the highest class of any polygon containing the point.
Reservoirs #
92 % of conservation capacity, weighted over 7 TWDB reservoirs
Sites found: 12, searched within 150 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 150 km away are not.
| Site | Reading | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Somerville Lake | 91 % full · 150k ac-ft | 54 km |
| Barker Res nr Addicks, TX | 8,432 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 62 km |
| Addicks Res nr Addicks, TX | 13,040 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 63 km |
| Gibbons Creek Reservoir | 88 % full · 26k ac-ft | 82 km |
| Lk Conroe nr Conroe, TX | 398,100 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 86 km |
| Lake Conroe | 95 % full · 418k ac-ft | 86 km |
| Lk Houston nr Sheldon, TX | 136,500 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 109 km |
| Lake Houston | 100 % full · 132k ac-ft | 109 km |
Σ(capacity × percent full) / Σ capacity over TWDB reservoirs within 150 km. Texas only; elsewhere USGS reservoir elevation/storage is listed without a capacity to normalise by.
Stream gauges #
58 gauges · 0 flooding · 4 with quality panels averaging 78 % · 4 stale
Sites found: 58, searched within 75 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 75 km away are not.
| Site | Reading | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Brazos Rv at Richmond, TX | flow 1,710 ft³/s · quality 75 % (4) | 60 km |
| USGS-294617096021200 | DO 7.80 mg/l · quality 75 % (4) · STALE | 26 km |
| Mill Ck nr Bellville, TX | flow 0.35 ft³/s | 6 km |
| Little Bernard Ck at I-10 nr Sealy, TX | stage 181.2 ft | 16 km |
| Brazos Rv at San Felipe, TX | flow 1,060 ft³/s | 19 km |
| San Bernard Rv nr Chesterville, TX | flow 509.0 ft³/s | 26 km |
| Redgate Ck nr Columbus, TX | flow 0.46 ft³/s | 27 km |
| Brazos Rv nr Hempstead, TX | flow 1,060 ft³/s · quality 88 % (4) | 28 km |
| Colorado Rv at Columbus, TX | flow 1,170 ft³/s | 33 km |
| Rocky Ck at SH 105 nr Brenham, TX | stage 190.1 ft | 37 km |
USGS latest readings screened against EPA freshwater criteria (DO ≥ 5 mg/L, pH 6.5–9, conductance, turbidity, temperature); NWS flood categories where a NWPS gauge is co-located.
Groundwater #
5 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 5, searched within 75 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 75 km away are not.
| Site | Reading | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| USGS-294726095351104 | depth 151.7 ft · 2026-10-05 | 67 km |
| USGS-294726095351101 | depth 15.4 ft · 2026-10-05 | 67 km |
| USGS-294726095351103 | depth 157.8 ft · 2006-09-29 | 67 km |
| USGS-294726095351102 | depth 365.1 ft · 2026-10-05 | 67 km |
| USGS-294253095352701 | depth 322.8 ft · 2004-06-10 | 68 km |
USGS latest daily water levels. A single latest reading says where the table is, not which way it is moving; select a well for its 365-day trace.
Water stress #
moderate (0.29)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.50 + 0.3×0.08 + 0.2×0.22 / 0.85
Banks & federal dollars #
$1.6 bn in deposits at 13 offices of 8 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,471, highly concentrated. $247.9 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $211.0 m, contracts $34.3 m), $18,027 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| The Huntington National Bank | $510.6 m · 31.0% share · 4 offices | |
| Citizens State Bank | $456.6 m · 27.7% share · 1 office | |
| Austin County State Bank | $428.3 m · 26.0% share · 3 offices | |
| Austin, TX | $247.9 m FY2026 · $18,027/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $204.5 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Huntington National Bank | $510,598,000 | 31.0% | 4 |
| Citizens State Bank | $456,621,000 | 27.7% | 1 |
| Austin County State Bank | $428,274,000 | 26.0% | 3 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $99,419,000 | 6.0% | 1 |
| Wallis Bank | $83,521,000 | 5.1% | 1 |
| PNC Bank, National Association | $35,657,000 | 2.2% | 1 |
| Lone Star Bank | $22,747,000 | 1.4% | 1 |
| Woodforest National Bank | $11,649,000 | 0.7% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,471 across 8 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 8 banks with deposits in the county = 31.0² + 27.7² + 26.0² + … (5 more) = 2,471
FDIC Summary of Deposits: deposits at every insured office as of June 30, annual; HHI is the sum of squared county deposit shares (DOJ 1995 bank merger screen: 1000 / 1800). USAspending: obligations by place of performance for the latest complete federal fiscal year (Oct 1 to Sep 30), what agencies committed, not what they paid out; recipients are legal entities. Per-job divides obligations by BLS QCEW covered employment.
Federal obligations #
USAspending place-of-performance obligations for FY2026, by awarding agency.
| Awarding agency | Obligations |
|---|---|
| Social Security Administration | $182,151,747 |
| Department of Defense | $33,761,545 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $20,488,529 |
| Department of Agriculture | $6,197,947 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $2,016,877 |
| Department of Energy | $1,296,661 |
| Department of Transportation | $763,795 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $609,470 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $465,553 |
| Department of the Treasury | $215,000 |
| Small Business Administration | $11,438 |
| Executive Office of the President | -$1,980 |
That is $18,027 per covered job, against 13,751 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $247.9 m / 13,751 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $18,027
USAspending obligations are recorded where the work is performed, so a prime award performed here is counted here even when the recipient is headquartered elsewhere. Recipients are legal entities, never people.
National context, not this county #
These are United States, single-gauge, single-state and port series. None of them is keyed to this county.
| Series | Latest | As of | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi River at Memphis, stage · ft | not published | not published | |
| Mississippi River at St. Louis, stage · ft | not published | not published | |
| Ohio River at Louisville, stage · ft | 12.69 | 2026-10-05 | +3.3% |
| Missouri River at St. Joseph, stage · ft | not published | not published | |
| Colorado River below Hoover Dam, flow (Hoover releases) · ft³/s | 5,170.00 | 2026-02-05 | -25.3% |
| Texas reservoirs, statewide percent full · % | 72.60 | 2026-10-06 | +0.0% |
| Laredo truck crossings, monthly · trucks | 258,700.00 | 2026-08-01 | -0.4% |
| Los Angeles + Long Beach container volume, annual · TEU | 10,513,167.00 | 2023-01-01 | -13.5% |
| Containerships waiting for a berth, all US ports · ships | 6.00 | 2026-09-22 | -14.3% |
| Shanghai to Los Angeles container rate · $ per 40 ft box | 6,830.00 | 2026-08-01 | +7.4% |
| US diesel retail price · $ per gallon | unavailable | not published | |
| WTI crude oil, spot · $ per barrel | 96.16 | 2026-09-29 | -3.2% |
| 30-year fixed mortgage rate · % | 7.28 | 2026-10-01 | +3.6% |
| Housing starts, annual rate · thousands of units | 1,275.00 | 2026-08-01 | -2.6% |
| Building permits, annual rate · thousands of units | 1,403.00 | 2026-08-01 | -2.1% |
| Case-Shiller US home price index · index, Jan 2000 = 100 | 337.31 | 2026-07-01 | +0.1% |
| Unemployment rate · % | 4.20 | 2026-09-01 | +2.4% |
| US goods and services trade balance, monthly · $ millions | -88,576.00 | 2026-07-01 | -24.4% |
| Retail sales excluding food services, monthly · $ millions | 646,347.00 | 2026-08-01 | +1.1% |
The indicator registry has no county-keyed series and no geographic selection: every entry is national, a named gauge, a single state or a port. They are here as the backdrop the county's own numbers move against, and they are never this county's readings.
What changed #
Austin County, TX: 13 findings, 2 at a watch level and 11 noted
watchAustin County, TX's typical home value is -0.1% against a year earlier, a watch level here: typical home value below a year ago (arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; not an official level). The previous published period is not in this table, so this is a standing level rather than a change.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- test: home.yoyPct = -0.08995691842810848 < 0
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; not an official level
watchAustin County, TX's typical asking rent rose 14.1% from $1,836 in July 2026 to $2,094 in August 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +14.1% = (2094.4444444444443 - 1835.6319162659292) / 1835.6319162659292 × 100
- 2094.4444444444443 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
- 1835.6319162659292 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-07
noteAustin County, TX's average weekly wage was 3.7% higher than the same quarter a year earlier in 2026 Q1, on BLS QCEW's published over-the-year change.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- +3.7 % = BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change for 2026 Q1, as published
- the newest QCEW file carries no year-earlier level, so no move from one level to another is printed
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published
noteAustin County, TX's covered employment was 1.0% higher than the same quarter a year earlier in 2026 Q1, on BLS QCEW's published over-the-year change.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- +1 % = BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change for 2026 Q1, as published
- the newest QCEW file carries no year-earlier level, so no move from one level to another is printed
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published
noteAustin County, TX's typical home value rose 0.4% from $428,016 in July 2026 to $429,655 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.4% = (429654.9215262265 - 428016.0684672973) / 428016.0684672973 × 100
- 429654.9215262265 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 428016.0684672973 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
Read all 12 findings in the full brief
Every finding is produced by a fixed rule table and a fixed sentence for each rule. Nothing here is generated prose.