McLennan County, TX
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 31.55, -97.20.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 59th pct · 1,247th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 69th pct · 76th of 243 Texas counties · median $207,861
- counties in the Waco metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Waco metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 24th pct · 2,301st of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 54th pct · 111th of 243 Texas counties · median +0.1%
- counties in the Waco metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Waco metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 41st pct · 790th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 45th pct · 54th of 98 Texas counties · median $1,449
- counties in the Waco metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Waco metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 91st pct · 265th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 92nd pct · 21st of 254 Texas counties · median 6,022
- counties in the Waco metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Waco metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 78th pct · 697th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 66th pct · 86th of 254 Texas counties · median $1,115
- counties in the Waco metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Waco metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 46th pct · 1,626th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 62nd pct · 92nd of 243 Texas counties · median 3.5
- counties in the Waco metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Waco 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 $257,622 (Sep 2026), +0.4% over one year, +17.0% over five
- 59th pct · 1,247th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 69th pct · 76th of 243 Texas counties · median $207,861
- counties in the Waco metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Waco metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| McLennan County, TX | $257,622 · +0.4% 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 #
Typical rent $1,416/mo (Sep 2026), +1.9% over one year; price-to-rent 15.2
- 41st pct · 790th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 45th pct · 54th of 98 Texas counties · median $1,449
- counties in the Waco metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Waco metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| McLennan County, TX | $1,416/mo · +1.9% 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 $1,427 a month on $257,622 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $5,295 a month: 26.9% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $257,622 × 80% = $206,097, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $1,427/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,222 × 52 / 12 = $5,295) = 27% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $257,622 / ($1,222 × 52) = 4.1
- price-to-rent = $257,622 / ($1,416 × 12) = 15.2
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 #
121,119 jobs at 5,926 employers (2026 Q1); -0.7% jobs and +1.4% average weekly wage over the year
- 91st pct · 265th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 92nd pct · 21st of 254 Texas counties · median 6,022
- counties in the Waco metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Waco metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| McLennan County, TX | 121,119 jobs · $1,222/wk · -0.7% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 15,655 | $1,248 | 0.86 | +0.3% |
| Manufacturing | 14,621 | $1,463 | 1.50 | -7.5% |
| Accommodation and food services | 12,762 | $418 | 1.17 | +2.1% |
| Retail trade | 12,610 | $757 | 1.07 | -1.0% |
| Construction | 8,258 | $1,325 | 1.30 | -1.0% |
| Finance and insurance | 5,528 | $1,751 | 1.12 | +0.2% |
| Professional and technical services | 5,442 | $2,382 | 0.65 | +12.5% |
| Wholesale trade | 5,439 | $1,661 | 1.17 | +6.8% |
| Educational services | 5,287 | $1,611 | 2.03 | +0.0% |
| Administrative and waste services | 4,960 | $798 | 0.72 | -7.7% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 3,331 | $1,110 | 0.65 | -4.9% |
| Other services | 2,695 | $1,069 | 0.74 | -3.0% |
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 #
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: 30, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Waco Lake | 88 % full · 189k ac-ft | 3 km |
| Whitney Lake | 91 % full · 565k ac-ft | 39 km |
| Aquilla Lake | 82 % full · 43k ac-ft | 39 km |
| Belton Lake | 97 % full · 433k ac-ft | 56 km |
| Navarro Mills Lake | 80 % full · 50k ac-ft | 66 km |
| Stillhouse Hollow Lake | 97 % full · 230k ac-ft | 67 km |
| Lake Pat Cleburne | 88 % full · 26k ac-ft | 85 km |
| Lake Limestone | 83 % full · 204k ac-ft | 87 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 #
moderate (0.32)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.50 + 0.3×0.11 / 0.65
Banks & federal dollars #
$8.3 bn in deposits at 63 offices of 23 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 816, unconcentrated. $2.1 bn federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $1.5 bn, contracts $444.7 m), $17,163 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| First National Bank of Central Texas | $1.3 bn · 15.5% share · 4 offices | |
| The First National Bank of McGregor | $949.6 m · 11.4% share · 6 offices | |
| Alliance Bank Central Texas | $749.5 m · 9.0% share · 3 offices | |
| McLennan, TX | $2.1 bn FY2026 · $17,163/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $1.4 bn · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| First National Bank of Central Texas | $1,290,290,000 | 15.5% | 4 |
| The First National Bank of McGregor | $949,647,000 | 11.4% | 6 |
| Alliance Bank Central Texas | $749,477,000 | 9.0% | 3 |
| Central National Bank | $742,011,000 | 8.9% | 2 |
| Extraco Banks, National Association | $663,494,000 | 8.0% | 3 |
| Community Bank & Trust, Waco, Texas | $562,566,000 | 6.8% | 4 |
| American Bank, National Association | $557,113,000 | 6.7% | 4 |
| Bank of America, National Association | $467,700,000 | 5.6% | 2 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $395,117,000 | 4.8% | 3 |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $389,264,000 | 4.7% | 3 |
Deposit concentration is 816 across 23 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls unconcentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 23 banks with deposits in the county = 15.5² + 11.4² + 9.0² + … (20 more) = 816
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 | $1,100,798,899 |
| Department of Defense | $387,354,456 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $339,760,616 |
| Department of Education | $93,679,784 |
| Department of Transportation | $53,174,338 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $39,969,584 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $24,559,514 |
| Department of Agriculture | $9,502,832 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $8,219,157 |
| Department of Commerce | $4,098,644 |
| General Services Administration | $3,865,893 |
| National Science Foundation | $3,832,933 |
That is $17,163 per covered job, against 121,119 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $2.1 bn / 121,119 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $17,163
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 | 17.95 | 2026-10-18 | -2.6% |
| 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 | 2026-10-19 | +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 | 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 | 1,275.00 | 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 | 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 #
McLennan County, TX: 9 findings, 1 at a watch level and 8 noted
watchMcLennan County, TX's covered employment is -0.7% 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 = -0.7 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteMcLennan County, TX's average weekly wage was 1.4% 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
- +1.4 % = 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
noteMcLennan County, TX's typical asking rent rose 0.9% from $1,403 in August 2026 to $1,416 in September 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- +0.9% = (1416.4125250250247 - 1403.0854557811824) / 1403.0854557811824 × 100
- 1416.4125250250247 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-09
- 1403.0854557811824 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
noteMcLennan County, TX's covered employment was 0.7% 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
- -0.7 % = 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
noteMcLennan County, TX's covered employment of 121,119 ranks 21st of 254 Texas counties, against a median of 6,022.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 92 on the 0-to-100 scale across 254 Texas counties that published jobs.emp
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
Read all 9 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.