Live Oak County, TX
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 28.35, -98.13.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 42nd pct · 1,763rd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 49th pct · 123rd of 243 Texas counties · median $215,660
- 12th pct · 2,671st of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 35th pct · 157th of 243 Texas counties · median +0.0%
- US counties: not published this period
- Texas counties: not published this period
- 28th pct · 2,295th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 37th pct · 159th of 254 Texas counties · median 6,022
- 94th pct · 170th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 89th pct · 27th of 254 Texas counties · median $1,115
- 11th pct · 2,701st of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 25th pct · 182nd 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 $215,393 (Aug 2026), -1.4% over one year, -6.4% over five
- 42nd pct · 1,763rd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 49th pct · 123rd of 243 Texas counties · median $215,660
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Live Oak County, TX | $215,393 · -1.4% 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
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 $1,179 a month on $215,393 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $6,955 a month: 17.0% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $215,393 × 80% = $172,315, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,179/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,605 × 52 / 12 = $6,955) = 17% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $215,393 / ($1,605 × 52) = 2.6
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 #
3,574 jobs at 305 employers (2026 Q1); -2.5% jobs and +11.2% average weekly wage over the year
- 28th pct · 2,295th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 37th pct · 159th of 254 Texas counties · median 6,022
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Live Oak County, TX | 3,574 jobs · $1,605/wk · -2.5% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 470 | $711 | 1.35 | -16.4% |
| Mining, oil and gas | 414 | $2,649 | 32.53 | +14.0% |
| Manufacturing | 337 | $3,441 | 1.17 | -3.4% |
| Accommodation and food services | 286 | $742 | 0.89 | +4.4% |
| Real estate and rental | 215 | $1,477 | 3.92 | +0.5% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 148 | $3,541 | 0.98 | -27.5% |
| Construction | 143 | $1,212 | 0.76 | +37.5% |
| Professional and technical services | 130 | $1,378 | 0.53 | -18.8% |
| Finance and insurance | 74 | $1,100 | 0.51 | -5.1% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 56 | $1,528 | 2.17 | -28.2% |
| Administrative and waste services | 47 | $1,270 | 0.23 | -2.1% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 26 | $225 | 0.44 | +0.0% |
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 #
40 % of conservation capacity, weighted over 3 TWDB reservoirs
Sites found: 5, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Choke Canyon Reservoir | 22 % full · 663k ac-ft | 19 km |
| Choke Canyon Res nr Three Rivers, TX | 145,200 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 19 km |
| Lk Corpus Christi nr Mathis, TX | 215,200 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 43 km |
| Lake Corpus Christi | 84 % full · 256k ac-ft | 43 km |
| Coleto Creek Reservoir | 75 % full · 31k ac-ft | 103 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 #
27 gauges · 0 flooding · 4 with quality panels averaging 63 % · 2 stale
Sites found: 27, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Rincon Bayou Channel nr Calallen, TX | flow 3.07 ft³/s · quality 25 % (2) · STALE | 71 km |
| Rincon Bayou Channel nr Odem, TX | temp 26.4 °C · quality 50 % (2) | 71 km |
| Nueces Rv nr Three Rivers, TX | flow 25.7 ft³/s | 10 km |
| Choke Canyon Res OWC nr Three Rivers, TX | flow 33.6 ft³/s | 19 km |
| Lagarto Ck nr George West, TX | flow 0.00 ft³/s | 33 km |
| Atascosa Rv at Whitsett, TX | flow 1.43 ft³/s | 34 km |
| Poesta Ck at FM 351 nr Beeville, TX | stage 216.0 ft | 35 km |
| Poesta Ck at Beeville, TX | stage 191.0 ft · STALE | 37 km |
| Medio Ck nr Normanna, TX | stage 214.3 ft | 38 km |
| Nueces Rv nr Tilden, TX | flow 0.01 ft³/s | 42 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 #
2 wells in 1 named aquifer: Coastal lowlands aquifer system
Sites found: 2, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Coastal lowlands aquifer system | depth 7.30 ft · 2008-09-30 | 71 km |
| Coastal lowlands aquifer system | depth 25.1 ft · 2008-09-29 | 71 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 (0.61)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.75 + 0.3×0.60 + 0.2×0.38 / 0.85
Banks & federal dollars #
$368.9 m in deposits at 4 offices of 3 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 4,604, highly concentrated. $102.3 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $59.1 m, grants $40.1 m), $28,625 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| SouthTrust Bank, N.A. | $208.7 m · 56.6% share · 2 offices | |
| First State Bank of Texas | $136.1 m · 36.9% share · 1 office | |
| Texas Champion Bank | $24.1 m · 6.5% share · 1 office | |
| Live Oak, TX | $102.3 m FY2026 · $28,625/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $57.4 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| SouthTrust Bank, N.A. | $208,687,000 | 56.6% | 2 |
| First State Bank of Texas | $136,128,000 | 36.9% | 1 |
| Texas Champion Bank | $24,108,000 | 6.5% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 4,604 across 3 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 3 banks with deposits in the county = 56.6² + 36.9² + 6.5² = 4,604
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 | $51,812,962 |
| Department of Transportation | $39,183,212 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $5,240,300 |
| Department of Justice | $3,499,915 |
| Department of Agriculture | $1,675,380 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $370,336 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $307,954 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $183,443 |
| Department of Education | $32,423 |
That is $28,625 per covered job, against 3,574 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $102.3 m / 3,574 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $28,625
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 #
Live Oak County, TX: 8 findings, 3 at a watch level and 5 noted
watchLive Oak County, TX's covered employment is -2.5% 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 = -2.5 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchLive Oak County, TX's typical home value is -1.4% 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 = -1.3583704774098155 < 0
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; not an official level
watchLive Oak County, TX's typical home value is -1.1% against the previous month, a watch level here: typical home value at least 1 percent below the previous month (arithmetic on the Zillow ZHVI month columns; 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: home.momPct = -1.145732754627014 <= -1
- month-over-month percent change = (newest month − previous month) / |previous month| × 100, from Zillow's own published month columns
arithmetic on the Zillow ZHVI month columns; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
noteLive Oak County, TX's average weekly wage was 11.2% 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
- +11.2 % = 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
noteLive Oak County, TX's covered employment was 2.5% 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
- -2.5 % = 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 8 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.