Howard County, TX
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 32.30, -101.44.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 15th pct · 2,587th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 22nd pct · 188th of 243 Texas counties · median $215,660
- 69th pct · 922nd of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 82nd pct · 43rd of 243 Texas counties · median +0.0%
- 25th pct · 1,049th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 17th pct · 88th of 106 Texas counties · median $1,483
- 57th pct · 1,372nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 65th pct · 89th of 254 Texas counties · median 6,022
- 87th pct · 417th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 78th pct · 56th of 254 Texas counties · median $1,115
- 5th pct · 2,896th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 15th pct · 206th 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 $149,157 (Aug 2026), +4.8% over one year, -15.5% over five
- 15th pct · 2,587th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 22nd pct · 188th of 243 Texas counties · median $215,660
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Howard County, TX | $149,157 · +4.8% 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 $1,233/mo (Aug 2026), +2.5% over one year; price-to-rent 10.1
- 25th pct · 1,049th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 17th pct · 88th of 106 Texas counties · median $1,483
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Howard County, TX | $1,233/mo · +2.5% 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 $816 a month on $149,157 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $5,802 a month: 14.1% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $149,157 × 80% = $119,326, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $816/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,339 × 52 / 12 = $5,802) = 14% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $149,157 / ($1,339 × 52) = 2.1
- price-to-rent = $149,157 / ($1,233 × 12) = 10.1
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 #
11,225 jobs at 871 employers (2026 Q1); -12.0% jobs and +2.2% average weekly wage over the year
- 57th pct · 1,372nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 65th pct · 89th of 254 Texas counties · median 6,022
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Howard County, TX | 11,225 jobs · $1,339/wk · -12.0% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 1,258 | $730 | 1.15 | -13.4% |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,219 | $487 | 1.21 | -4.1% |
| Mining, oil and gas | 820 | $1,964 | 20.52 | -4.4% |
| Construction | 726 | $1,561 | 1.23 | -15.5% |
| Manufacturing | 606 | $2,904 | 0.67 | -8.2% |
| Wholesale trade | 310 | $1,716 | 0.72 | -27.6% |
| Other services | 280 | $881 | 0.83 | -1.1% |
| Finance and insurance | 261 | $1,690 | 0.57 | -1.1% |
| Professional and technical services | 257 | $1,425 | 0.33 | +0.0% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 155 | $2,006 | 0.33 | +7.6% |
| Utilities | 149 | $5,655 | 3.36 | -64.8% |
| Information | 130 | $1,333 | 0.63 | -2.3% |
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 #
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 #
18 % of conservation capacity, weighted over 12 TWDB reservoirs
Sites found: 14, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Lk J. B. Thomas nr Vincent, TX | 39,840 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 43 km |
| Lake J.B. Thomas | 20 % full · 200k ac-ft | 43 km |
| Lake Colorado City | 53 % full · 31k ac-ft | 49 km |
| Champion Creek Reservoir | 43 % full · 42k ac-ft | 55 km |
| Lake Alan Henry | 71 % full · 96k ac-ft | 92 km |
| E. V. Spence Res nr Robert Lee, TX | 47,890 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 99 km |
| E. V. Spence Reservoir | 9 % full · 517k ac-ft | 99 km |
| Lake Sweetwater | 17 % full · 12k ac-ft | 108 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 #
13 gauges · 0 flooding · 0 with quality panels · 1 stale
Sites found: 13, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Moss Creek at Moss Creek Lake | no readings | 14 km |
| Beals Creek at Natural Dam Salt Lake | observation not current | 20 km |
| Colorado Rv nr Gail, TX | flow 0.00 ft³/s | 39 km |
| Beals Ck nr Westbrook, TX | flow 0.54 ft³/s · no flooding | 42 km |
| Colorado Rv at Hwy 350 nr Ira, TX | flow 301.0 ft³/s | 45 km |
| Morgan Creek (TX) at Lake Colorado City | no readings | 49 km |
| Colorado Rv nr Cuthbert, TX | flow 0.00 ft³/s · STALE | 50 km |
| Colorado Rv at Colorado City, TX | flow 0.00 ft³/s · no flooding | 54 km |
| Champion Creek at Champion Creek Reservoir | no readings | 55 km |
| N Concho Rv abv Sterling City, TX | flow 0.00 ft³/s | 55 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 #
1 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 1, 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-325550101381501 | depth 23.9 ft · 2024-05-27 | 72 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 #
high (0.65)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.50 + 0.3×0.82 / 0.65
Banks & federal dollars #
$1.5 bn in deposits at 8 offices of 7 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,635, highly concentrated. $178.6 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $148.8 m, grants $17.2 m), $15,911 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| The State National Bank of Big Spring | $520.2 m · 35.9% share · 1 office | |
| Prosperity Bank | $458.4 m · 31.6% share · 2 offices | |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $187.5 m · 12.9% share · 1 office | |
| Howard, TX | $178.6 m FY2026 · $15,911/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $137.8 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| The State National Bank of Big Spring | $520,157,000 | 35.9% | 1 |
| Prosperity Bank | $458,372,000 | 31.6% | 2 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $187,483,000 | 12.9% | 1 |
| Western Bank | $185,304,000 | 12.8% | 1 |
| Texas Financial Bank | $52,453,000 | 3.6% | 1 |
| PNC Bank, National Association | $34,631,000 | 2.4% | 1 |
| Woodforest National Bank | $11,830,000 | 0.8% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,635 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 = 35.9² + 31.6² + 12.9² + … (4 more) = 2,635
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 | $110,114,908 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $52,431,954 |
| Department of Education | $6,337,777 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $3,582,913 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $2,364,166 |
| Department of Agriculture | $1,417,237 |
| Department of Transportation | $1,215,556 |
| Department of Justice | $886,161 |
| Small Business Administration | $157,406 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $55,600 |
| Smithsonian Institution | $36,755 |
That is $15,911 per covered job, against 11,225 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $178.6 m / 11,225 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $15,911
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 | 12.28 | 2026-10-04 | -0.1% |
| 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 #
Howard County, TX: 12 findings, 1 at an alert level, 1 at a watch level and 10 noted
alertHoward County, TX's covered employment is -12.0% 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 = -12 <= -3
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchHoward County, TX's covered employment is -12.0% 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 = -12 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteHoward County, TX's covered employment was 12.0% 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
- -12 % = 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
noteHoward County, TX's average weekly wage was 2.2% 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
- +2.2 % = 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
noteHoward County, TX's typical asking rent rose 0.9% from $1,223 in July 2026 to $1,233 in August 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.9% = (1233.261111111111 - 1222.6858325061723) / 1222.6858325061723 × 100
- 1233.261111111111 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
- 1222.6858325061723 = Zillow ZORI, 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.