Bell County, TX
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 31.04, -97.48.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 55th pct · 1,359th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 65th pct · 84th of 243 Texas counties · median $215,660
- counties in the Killeen-Temple metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Killeen-Temple metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 10th pct · 2,739th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 29th pct · 171st of 243 Texas counties · median +0.0%
- counties in the Killeen-Temple metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Killeen-Temple metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 34th pct · 918th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 28th pct · 76th of 106 Texas counties · median $1,483
- counties in the Killeen-Temple metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Killeen-Temple metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 92nd pct · 242nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 94th pct · 16th of 254 Texas counties · median 6,022
- counties in the Killeen-Temple metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Killeen-Temple metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 86th pct · 437th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 76th pct · 60th of 254 Texas counties · median $1,115
- counties in the Killeen-Temple metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Killeen-Temple metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 35th pct · 1,989th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 50th pct · 120th of 243 Texas counties · median 3.6
- counties in the Killeen-Temple metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Killeen-Temple metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
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 $250,027 (Aug 2026), -1.9% over one year, +13.4% over five
- 55th pct · 1,359th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 65th pct · 84th of 243 Texas counties · median $215,660
- counties in the Killeen-Temple metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Killeen-Temple metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Bell County, TX | $250,027 · -1.9% 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 $1,339/mo (Aug 2026), -0.6% over one year; price-to-rent 15.6
- 34th pct · 918th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 28th pct · 76th of 106 Texas counties · median $1,483
- counties in the Killeen-Temple metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Killeen-Temple metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Bell County, TX | $1,339/mo · -0.6% 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 $1,369 a month on $250,027 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $5,733 a month: 23.9% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $250,027 × 80% = $200,022, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,369/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,323 × 52 / 12 = $5,733) = 24% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $250,027 / ($1,323 × 52) = 3.6
- price-to-rent = $250,027 / ($1,339 × 12) = 15.6
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 #
129,871 jobs at 6,581 employers (2026 Q1); -0.3% jobs and +4.3% average weekly wage over the year
- 92nd pct · 242nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 94th pct · 16th of 254 Texas counties · median 6,022
- counties in the Killeen-Temple metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Killeen-Temple metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Bell County, TX | 129,871 jobs · $1,323/wk · -0.3% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 22,623 | $2,000 | 1.16 | +5.7% |
| Retail trade | 14,532 | $750 | 1.15 | -10.5% |
| Accommodation and food services | 14,084 | $422 | 1.21 | -0.2% |
| Construction | 7,643 | $1,626 | 1.12 | +11.1% |
| Manufacturing | 6,603 | $1,527 | 0.63 | -6.7% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 5,457 | $1,164 | 1.00 | +40.0% |
| Professional and technical services | 5,242 | $1,628 | 0.59 | -4.4% |
| Administrative and waste services | 4,589 | $853 | 0.62 | -6.8% |
| Wholesale trade | 3,873 | $2,547 | 0.78 | -9.7% |
| Other services | 3,252 | $925 | 0.84 | +0.6% |
| Finance and insurance | 3,181 | $1,629 | 0.60 | +4.1% |
| Real estate and rental | 2,166 | $1,068 | 1.09 | +1.6% |
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 #
Surface water layer not loaded
Sites found: 22, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Stillhouse Hollow Lake | 98 % full · 230k ac-ft | 5 km |
| Belton Lake | 98 % full · 433k ac-ft | 7 km |
| Granger Lake | 100 % full · 52k ac-ft | 42 km |
| Lake Georgetown | 80 % full · 38k ac-ft | 48 km |
| Waco Lake | 89 % full · 189k ac-ft | 65 km |
| Lake Travis | 95 % full · 1,098k ac-ft | 83 km |
| Lake Austin | 97 % full · 24k ac-ft | 86 km |
| Lake Marble Falls | 99 % full · 8k ac-ft | 92 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 #
Surface water layer not loaded
Sites found: 0, 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.
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 #
No USGS monitoring wells within 75 km (or above 1,500 km)
Sites found: 0, 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.
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 (0.30)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.50 + 0.3×0.06 / 0.65
Banks & federal dollars #
$5.4 bn in deposits at 62 offices of 19 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,166, moderately concentrated. $5.9 bn federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $3.9 bn, contracts $1.9 bn), $45,161 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| First National Bank Texas | $1.2 bn · 22.0% share · 18 offices | |
| Extraco Banks, National Association | $955.5 m · 17.8% share · 7 offices | |
| The Huntington National Bank | $564.1 m · 10.5% share · 7 offices | |
| Bell, TX | $5.9 bn FY2026 · $45,161/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $3.8 bn · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| First National Bank Texas | $1,181,446,000 | 22.0% | 18 |
| Extraco Banks, National Association | $955,514,000 | 17.8% | 7 |
| The Huntington National Bank | $564,141,000 | 10.5% | 7 |
| Bank of America, National Association | $391,739,000 | 7.3% | 2 |
| PNC Bank, National Association | $351,813,000 | 6.5% | 5 |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $344,198,000 | 6.4% | 2 |
| Central National Bank | $336,771,000 | 6.3% | 1 |
| First Texas Bank | $273,124,000 | 5.1% | 3 |
| Horizon Bank, SSB | $226,296,000 | 4.2% | 3 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $190,178,000 | 3.5% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,166 across 19 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 19 banks with deposits in the county = 22.0² + 17.8² + 10.5² + … (16 more) = 1,166
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 |
|---|---|
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $1,796,732,156 |
| Social Security Administration | $1,393,763,874 |
| Department of Homeland Security | $1,317,497,134 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $694,390,244 |
| Department of Defense | $392,517,506 |
| Department of Education | $115,399,869 |
| Department of Transportation | $49,016,498 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $32,572,994 |
| General Services Administration | $30,205,133 |
| Department of Agriculture | $18,168,840 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $17,995,158 |
| Department of Commerce | $2,984,815 |
That is $45,161 per covered job, against 129,871 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $5.9 bn / 129,871 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $45,161
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 | -105,572.00 | 2026-08-01 | -13.7% |
| 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 #
Bell County, TX: 10 findings, 2 at a watch level and 8 noted
watchBell County, TX's typical home value is -1.9% 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 = -1.8993279251924056 < 0
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; not an official level
watchBell County, TX's covered employment is -0.3% against a year earlier, a watch level here: covered employment below the same quarter a year earlier (BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; 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 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- test: jobs.yoy.emp = -0.3 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteBell County, TX's average weekly wage was 4.3% 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
- +4.3 % = 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
noteBell County, TX's typical asking rent rose 0.3% from $1,335 in July 2026 to $1,339 in August 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.3% = (1339.0168238925207 - 1334.5576191984833) / 1334.5576191984833 × 100
- 1339.0168238925207 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
- 1334.5576191984833 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-07
noteBell County, TX's covered employment was 0.3% lower 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
- -0.3 % = 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
Read all 10 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.