Milam County, TX
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 30.79, -96.98.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 62nd pct · 1,149th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 72nd pct · 67th of 243 Texas counties · median $215,660
- 31st pct · 2,099th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 62nd pct · 91st of 243 Texas counties · median +0.0%
- US counties: not published this period
- Texas counties: not published this period
- 42nd pct · 1,863rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 50th pct · 127th of 254 Texas counties · median 6,022
- 66th pct · 1,091st of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 51st pct · 123rd of 254 Texas counties · median $1,115
- 58th pct · 1,277th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 76th pct · 58th 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 $272,804 (Aug 2026), +1.3% over one year, +8.0% over five
- 62nd pct · 1,149th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 72nd pct · 67th of 243 Texas counties · median $215,660
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Milam County, TX | $272,804 · +1.3% 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 #
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 $1,493 a month on $272,804 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,858 a month: 30.7% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $272,804 × 80% = $218,243, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,493/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,121 × 52 / 12 = $4,858) = 31% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $272,804 / ($1,121 × 52) = 4.7
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 #
6,025 jobs at 506 employers (2026 Q1); -2.5% jobs and +5.1% average weekly wage over the year
- 42nd pct · 1,863rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 50th pct · 127th of 254 Texas counties · median 6,022
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Milam County, TX | 6,025 jobs · $1,121/wk · -2.5% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | 967 | $1,494 | 3.06 | +6.9% |
| Retail trade | 731 | $703 | 1.24 | -2.3% |
| Accommodation and food services | 420 | $379 | 0.78 | -0.9% |
| Information | 280 | $2,979 | 2.52 | +3.3% |
| Manufacturing | 238 | $1,381 | 0.49 | -8.5% |
| Wholesale trade | 231 | $1,214 | 1.00 | -3.8% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 201 | $1,155 | 4.62 | -0.5% |
| Finance and insurance | 186 | $1,352 | 0.76 | +1.6% |
| Professional and technical services | 162 | $1,491 | 0.39 | +0.0% |
| Other services | 115 | $841 | 0.64 | +2.7% |
| Real estate and rental | 57 | $1,081 | 0.62 | -9.5% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 37 | $816 | 0.15 | +5.7% |
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 #
94 % of conservation capacity, weighted over 19 TWDB reservoirs
Sites found: 26, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Granger Lake | 100 % full · 52k ac-ft | 34 km |
| Stillhouse Hollow Lake | 98 % full · 230k ac-ft | 58 km |
| Belton Lake | 98 % full · 433k ac-ft | 58 km |
| Somerville Lake | 91 % full · 150k ac-ft | 68 km |
| Lake Georgetown | 80 % full · 38k ac-ft | 72 km |
| Lake Limestone | 85 % full · 204k ac-ft | 87 km |
| Waco Lake | 89 % full · 189k ac-ft | 90 km |
| Gibbons Creek Reservoir | 88 % full · 26k ac-ft | 90 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 #
47 gauges · 0 flooding · 3 with quality panels averaging 88 % · 1 stale
Sites found: 47, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Little Rv nr Rockdale, TX | flow 303.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 4 km |
| Little Rv nr Cameron, TX | flow 329.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 6 km |
| Big Elm Ck at SH 77 nr Cameron, TX | flow 901.0 ft³/s | 12 km |
| N Elm Ck at Rosebud Rd nr Meeks, TX | flow 0.00 ft³/s | 27 km |
| Brazos Rv at FM 485 near Hearne, TX | stage 17.9 ft · observation not current | 29 km |
| San Gabriel Rv at Laneport, TX | flow 5.18 ft³/s | 30 km |
| Pond Ck at SH 53 nr Rosebud, TX | stage 362.4 ft | 31 km |
| Little Brazos Rv at FM 485 nr Hearne, TX | flow 562.0 ft³/s | 34 km |
| San Gabriel River at Granger Lake | no readings | 34 km |
| Davidson Ck at SH 21 nr Caldwell, TX | DO 3.00 mg/l · quality 88 % (4) · STALE | 40 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 #
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 (0.36)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.75 + 0.3×0.06 + 0.2×0.13 / 0.85
Banks & federal dollars #
$603.7 m in deposits at 10 offices of 4 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 3,736, highly concentrated. $174.8 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $172.1 m, grants $2.7 m), $29,012 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Citizens National Bank | $257.9 m · 42.7% share · 4 offices | |
| Classic Bank, National Association | $252.8 m · 41.9% share · 3 offices | |
| The Buckholts State Bank | $73.2 m · 12.1% share · 2 offices | |
| Milam, TX | $174.8 m FY2026 · $29,012/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $167.0 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Citizens National Bank | $257,851,000 | 42.7% | 4 |
| Classic Bank, National Association | $252,822,000 | 41.9% | 3 |
| The Buckholts State Bank | $73,197,000 | 12.1% | 2 |
| Prosperity Bank | $19,859,000 | 3.3% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 3,736 across 4 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 4 banks with deposits in the county = 42.7² + 41.9² + 12.1² + … (1 more) = 3,736
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 | $142,473,372 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $22,243,468 |
| Department of Agriculture | $3,928,000 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $2,280,000 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $1,857,907 |
| Department of Transportation | $1,277,364 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $635,164 |
| Department of Education | $101,994 |
| Department of Energy | $0 |
That is $29,012 per covered job, against 6,025 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $174.8 m / 6,025 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $29,012
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 #
Milam County, TX: 6 findings, 2 at a watch level and 4 noted
watchMilam 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
watchMilam County, TX's typical home value of +1.3% scores 31 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 63 across Texas counties, a gap of 31 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 31 = |31 across US counties - 63 across Texas counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteMilam County, TX's average weekly wage was 5.1% 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
- +5.1 % = 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
noteMilam 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
noteMilam County, TX's typical home value fell 0.5% from $274,191 in July 2026 to $272,804 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- -0.5% = (272803.9685851997 - 274191.44953629083) / 274191.44953629083 × 100
- 272803.9685851997 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 274191.44953629083 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
Read all 6 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.