Erath County, TX
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 32.24, -98.22.
Assembled 2026-10-07. Read the brief.
- 78th pct · 663rd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 87th pct · 32nd of 243 Texas counties · median $215,660
- 20th pct · 2,440th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 48th pct · 126th of 243 Texas counties · median +0.0%
- 4th pct · 1,333rd of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 2nd pct · 103rd of 106 Texas counties · median $1,483
- 71st pct · 922nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 77th pct · 58th of 254 Texas counties · median 6,022
- 41st pct · 1,871st of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 27th pct · 184th of 254 Texas counties · median $1,115
- 84th pct · 466th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 92nd pct · 19th of 243 Texas counties · median 3.6
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 $343,851 (Aug 2026), -0.1% over one year, +26.8% over five
- 78th pct · 663rd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 87th pct · 32nd of 243 Texas counties · median $215,660
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Erath County, TX | $343,851 · -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 $922/mo (Aug 2026), +1.1% over one year; price-to-rent 31.1
- 4th pct · 1,333rd of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 2nd pct · 103rd of 106 Texas counties · median $1,483
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Erath County, TX | $922/mo · +1.1% 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 $1,882 a month on $343,851 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,346 a month: 43.3% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $343,851 × 80% = $275,081, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,882/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,003 × 52 / 12 = $4,346) = 43% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $343,851 / ($1,003 × 52) = 6.6
- price-to-rent = $343,851 / ($922 × 12) = 31.1
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 #
20,124 jobs at 1,262 employers (2026 Q1); +2.7% jobs and +8.3% average weekly wage over the year
- 71st pct · 922nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 77th pct · 58th of 254 Texas counties · median 6,022
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Erath County, TX | 20,124 jobs · $1,003/wk · +2.7% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and food services | 2,509 | $389 | 1.39 | -0.1% |
| Manufacturing | 2,295 | $1,218 | 1.42 | -7.1% |
| Retail trade | 2,099 | $691 | 1.07 | +0.7% |
| Health care and social assistance | 1,672 | $1,215 | 0.55 | +2.6% |
| Construction | 1,661 | $1,647 | 1.57 | +36.5% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 947 | $901 | 6.52 | -0.1% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 630 | $1,299 | 0.74 | +29.1% |
| Administrative and waste services | 621 | $805 | 0.54 | -12.3% |
| Other services | 577 | $951 | 0.96 | +4.5% |
| Wholesale trade | 468 | $1,196 | 0.61 | +4.0% |
| Finance and insurance | 354 | $1,637 | 0.43 | +4.7% |
| Mining, oil and gas | 161 | $1,507 | 2.25 | -18.3% |
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 #
D3 extreme 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: 35, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Proctor Lake | 58 % full · 55k ac-ft | 39 km |
| Comanche Creek Reservoir | 100 % full · 151k ac-ft | 41 km |
| Leon Reservoir | 76 % full · 28k ac-ft | 45 km |
| Lake Palo Pinto | 80 % full · 27k ac-ft | 46 km |
| Lake Granbury | 88 % full · 133k ac-ft | 52 km |
| Lake Mineral Wells | 85 % full · 5k ac-ft | 67 km |
| Possum Kingdom Lake | 86 % full · 538k ac-ft | 73 km |
| Lake Cisco | 43 % full · 29k ac-ft | 75 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 (0.48)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.75 + 0.3×0.17 / 0.65
Banks & federal dollars #
$1.2 bn in deposits at 14 offices of 9 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,906, highly concentrated. $237.6 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $232.4 m, grants $5.2 m), $11,809 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| First Financial Bank | $545.4 m · 47.3% share · 2 offices | |
| TexasBank | $215.2 m · 18.7% share · 3 offices | |
| InterBank | $181.7 m · 15.8% share · 3 offices | |
| Erath, TX | $237.6 m FY2026 · $11,809/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $191.8 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Financial Bank | $545,396,000 | 47.3% | 2 |
| TexasBank | $215,237,000 | 18.7% | 3 |
| InterBank | $181,708,000 | 15.8% | 3 |
| Citizens National Bank of Texas | $58,568,000 | 5.1% | 1 |
| First National Bank of Dublin | $53,848,000 | 4.7% | 1 |
| Farmers and Merchants Bank | $33,221,000 | 2.9% | 1 |
| City Bank | $30,026,000 | 2.6% | 1 |
| Wellington State Bank | $19,281,000 | 1.7% | 1 |
| First National Bank Texas | $14,841,000 | 1.3% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,906 across 9 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 9 banks with deposits in the county = 47.3² + 18.7² + 15.8² + … (6 more) = 2,906
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 | $167,355,345 |
| Department of Education | $38,675,797 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $23,155,894 |
| Department of Agriculture | $3,427,901 |
| Department of Transportation | $2,920,313 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $1,266,161 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $574,344 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $210,580 |
| General Services Administration | $34,900 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $27,585 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
That is $11,809 per covered job, against 20,124 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $237.6 m / 20,124 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $11,809
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 | 3.00 | 2026-10-06 | -50.0% |
| Shanghai to Los Angeles container rate · $ per 40 ft box | 7,848.00 | 2026-09-01 | +14.9% |
| 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 #
Erath County, TX: 12 findings, 3 at a watch level and 9 noted
watchErath County, TX's price-to-rent ratio of 31.1 ranks 16th of 1,399 US counties, a watch level here: price-to-rent in the top tenth of US counties (position among the counties that published both ZHVI and ZORI this month; 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: priceToRent percentile = 98.92703862660944 >= 90
- typical home value / (typical rent × 12); Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month
position among the counties that published both ZHVI and ZORI this month; not an official level
watchErath County, TX's price-to-rent ratio is 31.1, a watch level here: typical home value worth 25 or more years of typical rent (typical home value / (typical rent × 12), Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month; convention chosen for this dashboard, 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: priceToRent = 31.067033742952304 >= 25
- typical home value / (typical rent × 12); Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month
typical home value / (typical rent × 12), Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchErath 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 = -0.06319639623301955 < 0
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; not an official level
noteErath County, TX's average weekly wage was 8.3% 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
- +8.3 % = 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
noteErath County, TX's covered employment was 2.7% 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
- +2.7 % = 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
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.