Zavala County, TX
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 28.86, -99.76.
Assembled 2026-10-07. Read the brief.
- 2nd pct · 2,995th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 4th pct · 231st of 243 Texas counties · median $215,660
- 99th pct · 14th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 98th pct · 4th of 243 Texas counties · median +0.0%
- US counties: not published this period
- Texas counties: not published this period
- 18th pct · 2,637th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 28th pct · 183rd of 254 Texas counties · median 6,022
- 20th pct · 2,556th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 10th pct · 226th of 254 Texas counties · median $1,115
- 4th pct · 2,921st of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 12th pct · 213th 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 $97,256 (Aug 2026), +16.1% over one year, +14.4% over five
- 2nd pct · 2,995th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 4th pct · 231st of 243 Texas counties · median $215,660
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Zavala County, TX | $97,256 · +16.1% 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 $532 a month on $97,256 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $3,930 a month: 13.5% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $97,256 × 80% = $77,805, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $532/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $907 × 52 / 12 = $3,930) = 14% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $97,256 / ($907 × 52) = 2.1
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 #
2,231 jobs at 167 employers (2026 Q1); -4.0% jobs and -1.9% average weekly wage over the year
- 18th pct · 2,637th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 28th pct · 183rd of 254 Texas counties · median 6,022
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Zavala County, TX | 2,231 jobs · $907/wk · -4.0% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 330 | $627 | 0.98 | -3.8% |
| Accommodation and food services | 162 | $308 | 0.81 | -3.6% |
| Retail trade | 159 | $516 | 0.73 | +0.6% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 150 | $821 | 9.31 | -4.5% |
| Mining, oil and gas | 114 | $2,394 | 14.35 | +2.7% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 100 | $1,730 | 1.06 | -18.7% |
| Professional and technical services | 10 | $1,167 | 0.06 | -23.1% |
| Utilities | withheld | |||
| Construction | withheld | |||
| Manufacturing | withheld | |||
| Wholesale trade | withheld | |||
| Finance and insurance | withheld |
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 #
42 % of conservation capacity, weighted over 2 TWDB reservoirs
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Medina Lk nr San Antonio, TX | 73,390 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 110 km |
| Medina Lake | 29 % full · 255k ac-ft | 110 km |
| Amistad Reservoir | 44 % full · 1,813k ac-ft | 142 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 #
16 gauges · 0 flooding · 2 with quality panels averaging 63 % · 1 stale
Sites found: 16, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| YP-69-51-606 (E. Uvalde 3) | temp 31.0 °C · quality 25 % (2) · STALE | 39 km |
| Nueces Rv at FM 1025 nr Crystal City, TX | stage 8.86 ft | 12 km |
| Nueces Rv bl Uvalde, TX | flow 185.0 ft³/s | 32 km |
| Leona Rv nr Uvalde, TX | flow 0.00 ft³/s | 32 km |
| Nueces Rv nr Asherton, TX | flow 43.4 ft³/s | 41 km |
| Frio Rv bl Dry Frio Rv nr Uvalde, TX | flow 0.00 ft³/s | 43 km |
| Leona Rv at CR 429A nr Uvalde, TX | flow 0.00 ft³/s | 53 km |
| Dry Frio Rv at FM 2690 nr Knippa, TX | stage 5.00 ft | 57 km |
| Sabinal Rv at Sabinal, TX | flow 6.83 ft³/s | 57 km |
| Frio Rv nr Derby, TX | flow 0.00 ft³/s | 62 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: Edwards-Trinity 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Edwards-Trinity aquifer system | depth 167.4 ft · 2014-01-14 | 39 km |
| Edwards-Trinity aquifer system | depth 44.7 ft · 2026-10-05 | 65 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 #
moderate (0.50)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.50 + 0.3×0.58 + 0.2×0.38 / 0.85
Banks & federal dollars #
$119.1 m in deposits at 3 offices of 2 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 5,140, highly concentrated. $64.9 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $40.9 m, grants $24.0 m), $29,087 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Zavala County Bank | $69.5 m · 58.4% share · 2 offices | |
| PrimeBank of Texas | $49.6 m · 41.6% share · 1 office | |
| Zavala, TX | $64.9 m FY2026 · $29,087/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $39.7 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zavala County Bank | $69,530,000 | 58.4% | 2 |
| PrimeBank of Texas | $49,605,000 | 41.6% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 5,140 across 2 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 2 banks with deposits in the county = 58.4² + 41.6² = 5,140
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 | $35,649,002 |
| Department of Transportation | $18,732,845 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $3,909,988 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $3,004,532 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $2,555,049 |
| Department of Agriculture | $486,001 |
| Department of Justice | $457,000 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $109,172 |
| Federal Communications Commission | -$10,338 |
That is $29,087 per covered job, against 2,231 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $64.9 m / 2,231 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $29,087
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 | 3.00 | 2026-10-06 | -50.0% |
| Shanghai to Los Angeles container rate · $ per 40 ft box | 7,848.00 | 2026-09-01 | +14.9% |
| 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 #
Zavala County, TX: 15 findings, 1 at an alert level, 3 at a watch level and 11 noted
alertZavala County, TX's covered employment is -4.0% 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 = -4 <= -3
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchZavala County, TX's covered employment is -4.0% 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 = -4 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchZavala County, TX's average weekly wage is -1.9% against a year earlier, a watch level here: average weekly wage below the same quarter a year earlier, before inflation (BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published, nominal dollars; 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.avgWeeklyWage = -1.9 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published, nominal dollars; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchZavala County, TX's typical home value is +16.1% against a year earlier, a watch level here: typical home value at least 15 percent above a year ago (arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; 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.yoyPct = 16.07642725763488 >= 15
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
noteZavala County, TX's covered employment was 4.0% 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
- -4 % = 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.