Freestone County, TX
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 31.70, -96.14.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 51st pct · 1,495th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 60th pct · 97th of 243 Texas counties · median $215,660
- 9th pct · 2,784th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 25th pct · 182nd of 243 Texas counties · median +0.0%
- 1st pct · 1,381st of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 0th pct · 106th of 106 Texas counties · median $1,483
- 38th pct · 1,969th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 46th pct · 137th of 254 Texas counties · median 6,022
- 66th pct · 1,086th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 52nd pct · 122nd of 254 Texas counties · median $1,115
- 45th pct · 1,659th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 60th pct · 96th 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 $237,861 (Aug 2026), -2.3% over one year, +8.1% over five
- 51st pct · 1,495th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 60th pct · 97th of 243 Texas counties · median $215,660
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Freestone County, TX | $237,861 · -2.3% 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 $800/mo (Aug 2026), n/a over one year; price-to-rent 24.8
- 1st pct · 1,381st of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 0th pct · 106th of 106 Texas counties · median $1,483
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Freestone County, TX | $800/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 $1,302 a month on $237,861 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,862 a month: 26.8% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $237,861 × 80% = $190,288, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,302/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,122 × 52 / 12 = $4,862) = 27% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $237,861 / ($1,122 × 52) = 4.1
- price-to-rent = $237,861 / ($800 × 12) = 24.8
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 #
5,327 jobs at 405 employers (2026 Q1); +6.2% jobs and +0.3% average weekly wage over the year
- 38th pct · 1,969th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 46th pct · 137th of 254 Texas counties · median 6,022
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Freestone County, TX | 5,327 jobs · $1,122/wk · +6.2% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 653 | $798 | 1.26 | +12.2% |
| Health care and social assistance | 577 | $793 | 0.72 | +0.0% |
| Accommodation and food services | 557 | $374 | 1.16 | +1.3% |
| Mining, oil and gas | 546 | $2,009 | 28.79 | -13.2% |
| Construction | 363 | $1,201 | 1.30 | +105.1% |
| Manufacturing | 251 | $1,982 | 0.59 | -14.3% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 201 | $2,121 | 0.90 | +21.1% |
| Other services | 192 | $1,043 | 1.21 | +18.5% |
| Wholesale trade | 107 | $1,118 | 0.52 | -20.7% |
| Finance and insurance | 105 | $1,338 | 0.48 | +14.1% |
| Professional and technical services | 103 | $1,355 | 0.28 | +0.0% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 80 | $352 | 0.91 | +142.4% |
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 #
D1 moderate 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: 27, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Richland-Chambers Reservoir | 91 % full · 1,099k ac-ft | 38 km |
| Lake Limestone | 85 % full · 204k ac-ft | 45 km |
| Halbert Lake | 77 % full · 6k ac-ft | 48 km |
| Navarro Mills Lake | 83 % full · 50k ac-ft | 59 km |
| Cedar Creek Reservoir | 75 % full · 645k ac-ft | 60 km |
| Houston County Lake | 95 % full · 17k ac-ft | 61 km |
| Lake Athens | 98 % full · 30k ac-ft | 67 km |
| Bardwell Lake | 89 % full · 44k ac-ft | 77 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 #
low (0.19)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.25 + 0.3×0.12 / 0.65
Banks & federal dollars #
$350.2 m in deposits at 8 offices of 6 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 3,171, highly concentrated. $136.3 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $133.8 m, grants $2.3 m), $25,595 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Community National Bank & Trust of Texas | $180.9 m · 51.6% share · 1 office | |
| Prosperity Bank | $44.3 m · 12.7% share · 2 offices | |
| The Huntington National Bank | $38.6 m · 11.0% share · 1 office | |
| Freestone, TX | $136.3 m FY2026 · $25,595/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $126.8 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community National Bank & Trust of Texas | $180,887,000 | 51.6% | 1 |
| Prosperity Bank | $44,340,000 | 12.7% | 2 |
| The Huntington National Bank | $38,626,000 | 11.0% | 1 |
| Farmers State Bank | $36,313,000 | 10.4% | 2 |
| Incommons Bank, N.A. | $33,452,000 | 9.6% | 1 |
| Alliance Bank Central Texas | $16,605,000 | 4.7% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 3,171 across 6 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 6 banks with deposits in the county = 51.6² + 12.7² + 11.0² + … (3 more) = 3,171
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 | $108,534,504 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $14,828,140 |
| Department of Agriculture | $6,122,025 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $3,483,951 |
| Department of Transportation | $1,660,791 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $819,006 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $635,914 |
| Department of Defense | $195,841 |
| Department of Education | $63,862 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
That is $25,595 per covered job, against 5,327 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $136.3 m / 5,327 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $25,595
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 #
Freestone County, TX: 13 findings, 2 at a watch level and 11 noted
watchFreestone County, TX's price-to-rent ratio of 24.8 ranks 95th 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 = 93.27610872675251 >= 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
watchFreestone County, TX's typical home value is -2.3% 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 = -2.3482143715740755 < 0
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; not an official level
noteFreestone County, TX's covered employment was 6.2% 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
- +6.2 % = 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
noteFreestone County, TX's typical home value fell 0.3% from $238,595 in July 2026 to $237,861 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- -0.3% = (237860.5990884305 - 238594.81454943985) / 238594.81454943985 × 100
- 237860.5990884305 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 238594.81454943985 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
noteFreestone County, TX's average weekly wage was 0.3% 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
- +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 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.