Hockley County, TX
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 33.61, -102.34.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 24th pct · 2,326th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 30th pct · 169th of 243 Texas counties · median $215,660
- 60th pct · 3rd of 6 counties in the Lubbock metro · median $150,480
- 36th pct · 1,952nd of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 66th pct · 82nd of 243 Texas counties · median +0.0%
- 40th pct · 4th of 6 counties in the Lubbock metro · median +2.1%
- US counties: not published this period
- Texas counties: not published this period
- counties in the Lubbock metro: not published this period
- 52nd pct · 1,546th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 61st pct · 99th of 254 Texas counties · median 6,022
- 80th pct · 2nd of 6 counties in the Lubbock metro · median 1,469
- 93rd pct · 219th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 85th pct · 37th of 254 Texas counties · median $1,115
- 100th pct · 1st of 6 counties in the Lubbock metro · median $1,158
- 5th pct · 2,887th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 15th pct · 205th of 243 Texas counties · median 3.6
- 40th pct · 4th of 6 counties in the Lubbock metro · median 2.3
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 $170,928 (Aug 2026), +1.7% over one year, +3.6% over five
- 24th pct · 2,326th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 30th pct · 169th of 243 Texas counties · median $215,660
- 60th pct · 3rd of 6 counties in the Lubbock metro · median $150,480
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Hockley County, TX | $170,928 · +1.7% 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 #
Zillow publishes no rent index for this area (ZORI covers about 1,400 counties)
- US counties: not published this period
- Texas counties: not published this period
- counties in the Lubbock metro: not published this period
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 $936 a month on $170,928 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $6,574 a month: 14.2% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $170,928 × 80% = $136,742, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $936/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,517 × 52 / 12 = $6,574) = 14% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $170,928 / ($1,517 × 52) = 2.2
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 #
8,767 jobs at 585 employers (2026 Q1); -5.0% jobs and +3.5% average weekly wage over the year
- 52nd pct · 1,546th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 61st pct · 99th of 254 Texas counties · median 6,022
- 80th pct · 2nd of 6 counties in the Lubbock metro · median 1,469
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Hockley County, TX | 8,767 jobs · $1,517/wk · -5.0% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mining, oil and gas | 2,141 | $3,173 | 68.59 | -3.4% |
| Retail trade | 888 | $691 | 1.04 | -3.4% |
| Other services | 600 | $867 | 2.29 | -11.2% |
| Accommodation and food services | 566 | $354 | 0.72 | -4.6% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 397 | $2,039 | 1.07 | -4.1% |
| Construction | 351 | $1,440 | 0.76 | -0.3% |
| Manufacturing | 258 | $1,014 | 0.37 | -5.5% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 247 | $1,046 | 3.90 | -0.4% |
| Administrative and waste services | 161 | $680 | 0.32 | -6.9% |
| Finance and insurance | 152 | $1,340 | 0.43 | -4.4% |
| Real estate and rental | 37 | $728 | 0.28 | -2.6% |
| Information | 25 | $670 | 0.15 | +13.6% |
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: 3, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| White River Reservoir | 21 % full · 32k ac-ft | 118 km |
| Mackenzie Reservoir | 11 % full · 46k ac-ft | 134 km |
| Lake Alan Henry | 71 % full · 96k ac-ft | 135 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 #
high (0.52)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.50 + 0.3×0.54 / 0.65
Banks & federal dollars #
$662.8 m in deposits at 8 offices of 7 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,231, highly concentrated. $172.6 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $155.8 m, grants $16.6 m), $19,689 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| City Bank | $214.4 m · 32.3% share · 1 office | |
| UMB Bank, National Association | $159.1 m · 24.0% share · 1 office | |
| Sundown State Bank | $138.8 m · 20.9% share · 2 offices | |
| Hockley, TX | $172.6 m FY2026 · $19,689/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $105.7 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| City Bank | $214,365,000 | 32.3% | 1 |
| UMB Bank, National Association | $159,138,000 | 24.0% | 1 |
| Sundown State Bank | $138,799,000 | 20.9% | 2 |
| Prosperity Bank | $65,114,000 | 9.8% | 1 |
| Maverick Bank | $44,426,000 | 6.7% | 1 |
| Citizens State Bank | $35,078,000 | 5.3% | 1 |
| First National Bank Texas | $5,872,000 | 0.9% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,231 across 7 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 7 banks with deposits in the county = 32.3² + 24.0² + 20.9² + … (4 more) = 2,231
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 | $96,467,117 |
| Department of Agriculture | $25,854,253 |
| Department of Education | $21,995,430 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $16,840,849 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $9,016,391 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $2,954,022 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $421,307 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $275,531 |
| Small Business Administration | $124,473 |
| Department of Transportation | -$1,331,887 |
That is $19,689 per covered job, against 8,767 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $172.6 m / 8,767 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $19,689
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 #
Hockley County, TX: 12 findings, 1 at an alert level, 2 at a watch level and 9 noted
alertHockley County, TX's covered employment is -5.0% against a year earlier, an alert level here: covered employment at least 3 percent below the same quarter a year earlier (BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; 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 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- test: jobs.yoy.emp = -5 <= -3
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchHockley County, TX's covered employment is -5.0% 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 = -5 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchHockley County, TX's typical home value of +1.7% scores 36 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 67 across Texas counties, a gap of 30 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 30 = |36 across US counties - 67 across Texas counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteHockley County, TX's covered employment was 5.0% 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
- -5 % = 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
noteHockley County, TX's average weekly wage was 3.5% 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
- +3.5 % = 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.