Ector County, TX
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 31.87, -102.54.
Assembled 2026-10-20. Read the brief.
- 57th pct · 1,297th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 67th pct · 80th of 243 Texas counties · median $207,861
- counties in the Odessa metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Odessa metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 61st pct · 1,167th of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 77th pct · 55th of 243 Texas counties · median +0.1%
- counties in the Odessa metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Odessa metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 55th pct · 601st of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 68th pct · 32nd of 98 Texas counties · median $1,449
- counties in the Odessa metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Odessa metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 88th pct · 357th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 90th pct · 26th of 254 Texas counties · median 6,022
- counties in the Odessa metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Odessa metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 93rd pct · 216th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 86th pct · 36th of 254 Texas counties · median $1,115
- counties in the Odessa metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Odessa metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 26th pct · 2,264th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 42nd pct · 140th of 243 Texas counties · median 3.5
- counties in the Odessa metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Odessa metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
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 $252,414 (Sep 2026), +3.8% over one year, +14.4% over five
- 57th pct · 1,297th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 67th pct · 80th of 243 Texas counties · median $207,861
- counties in the Odessa metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Odessa metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Ector County, TX | $252,414 · +3.8% 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 $1,580/mo (Sep 2026), +0.5% over one year; price-to-rent 13.3
- 55th pct · 601st of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 68th pct · 32nd of 98 Texas counties · median $1,449
- counties in the Odessa metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Odessa metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Ector County, TX | $1,580/mo · +0.5% 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 $1,398 a month on $252,414 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $6,591 a month: 21.2% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $252,414 × 80% = $201,931, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $1,398/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,521 × 52 / 12 = $6,591) = 21% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $252,414 / ($1,521 × 52) = 3.2
- price-to-rent = $252,414 / ($1,580 × 12) = 13.3
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 #
79,592 jobs at 4,263 employers (2026 Q1); -0.8% jobs and +3.0% average weekly wage over the year
- 88th pct · 357th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 90th pct · 26th of 254 Texas counties · median 6,022
- counties in the Odessa metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Odessa metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Ector County, TX | 79,592 jobs · $1,521/wk · -0.8% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mining, oil and gas | 10,955 | $2,584 | 38.66 | -9.4% |
| Retail trade | 9,164 | $872 | 1.18 | +3.2% |
| Accommodation and food services | 8,842 | $535 | 1.24 | -0.4% |
| Construction | 7,273 | $1,816 | 1.74 | +4.3% |
| Wholesale trade | 6,355 | $1,948 | 2.08 | -8.0% |
| Health care and social assistance | 5,272 | $1,203 | 0.44 | -0.7% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 4,311 | $1,682 | 1.29 | +18.1% |
| Manufacturing | 4,021 | $2,052 | 0.63 | -7.6% |
| Other services | 3,004 | $1,244 | 1.26 | -2.7% |
| Real estate and rental | 2,267 | $1,616 | 1.86 | +1.0% |
| Administrative and waste services | 2,111 | $1,337 | 0.47 | +7.2% |
| Professional and technical services | 1,946 | $1,645 | 0.35 | -11.7% |
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 #
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: 1, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Red Bluff Reservoir | 47 % full · 145k ac-ft | 129 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 + 0.3×0.53 / 0.65
Banks & federal dollars #
$4.0 bn in deposits at 36 offices of 18 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,187, moderately concentrated. $648.4 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $575.1 m, grants $72.8 m), $8,147 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Prosperity Bank | $999.9 m · 25.2% share · 4 offices | |
| Southwest Bank | $450.2 m · 11.4% share · 3 offices | |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $434.1 m · 11.0% share · 3 offices | |
| Ector, TX | $648.4 m FY2026 · $8,147/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $524.3 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prosperity Bank | $999,939,000 | 25.2% | 4 |
| Southwest Bank | $450,237,000 | 11.4% | 3 |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $434,136,000 | 11.0% | 3 |
| Frost Bank | $385,310,000 | 9.7% | 3 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $338,946,000 | 8.6% | 2 |
| American Momentum Bank | $275,180,000 | 6.9% | 4 |
| Bank of America, National Association | $196,841,000 | 5.0% | 2 |
| City Bank | $180,501,000 | 4.6% | 2 |
| Truist Bank | $143,243,000 | 3.6% | 2 |
| Community National Bank | $103,781,000 | 2.6% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,187 across 18 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 18 banks with deposits in the county = 25.2² + 11.4² + 11.0² + … (15 more) = 1,187
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 | $470,426,569 |
| Department of Transportation | $59,900,734 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $53,460,686 |
| Department of Education | $30,429,431 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $18,900,075 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $8,719,133 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $5,554,089 |
| Department of Agriculture | $458,964 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $448,612 |
| Department of the Interior | $67,689 |
| Executive Office of the President | $19,681 |
| Department of Justice | $7,200 |
That is $8,147 per covered job, against 79,592 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $648.4 m / 79,592 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $8,147
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 | 17.40 | 2026-10-19 | -3.1% |
| 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 · % | 72.20 | 2026-10-20 | +0.0% |
| Laredo truck crossings, monthly · trucks | 255,129.00 | 2026-09-01 | -1.4% |
| 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 | 7.00 | 2026-10-13 | +133.3% |
| 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 | 101.91 | 2026-10-14 | +1.0% |
| 30-year fixed mortgage rate · % | 7.40 | 2026-10-15 | +0.0% |
| Housing starts, annual rate · thousands of units | 1,221.00 | 2026-09-01 | -5.2% |
| Building permits, annual rate · thousands of units | 1,400.00 | 2026-09-01 | -0.2% |
| 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 | 652,115.00 | 2026-09-01 | +0.7% |
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 #
Ector County, TX: 10 findings, 1 at a watch level and 9 noted
watchEctor County, TX's covered employment is -0.8% 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 = -0.8 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteEctor County, TX's average weekly wage was 3.0% 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 % = 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
noteEctor County, TX's typical asking rent fell 0.8% from $1,593 in August 2026 to $1,580 in September 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- -0.8% = (1579.629345496367 - 1593.0580563106048) / 1593.0580563106048 × 100
- 1579.629345496367 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-09
- 1593.0580563106048 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
noteEctor County, TX's covered employment was 0.8% 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
- -0.8 % = 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
noteEctor County, TX's typical home value fell 0.4% from $253,391 in August 2026 to $252,414 in September 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- -0.4% = (252414.07142799607 - 253391.26798899856) / 253391.26798899856 × 100
- 252414.07142799607 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-09
- 253391.26798899856 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
Read all 10 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.