Orange County, TX
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 30.12, -93.89.
Assembled 2026-10-20. Read the brief.
- 33rd pct · 2,041st of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 41st pct · 143rd of 243 Texas counties · median $207,861
- counties in the Beaumont-Port Arthur metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Beaumont-Port Arthur metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 58th pct · 1,284th of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 76th pct · 57th of 243 Texas counties · median +0.1%
- counties in the Beaumont-Port Arthur metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Beaumont-Port Arthur metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 28th pct · 966th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 22nd pct · 76th of 98 Texas counties · median $1,449
- counties in the Beaumont-Port Arthur metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Beaumont-Port Arthur metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 75th pct · 805th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 81st pct · 47th of 254 Texas counties · median 6,022
- counties in the Beaumont-Port Arthur metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Beaumont-Port Arthur metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 87th pct · 415th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 78th pct · 55th of 254 Texas counties · median $1,115
- counties in the Beaumont-Port Arthur metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Beaumont-Port Arthur metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 15th pct · 2,603rd of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 30th pct · 169th of 243 Texas counties · median 3.5
- counties in the Beaumont-Port Arthur metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Beaumont-Port Arthur 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 $188,637 (Sep 2026), +3.5% over one year, -1.8% over five
- 33rd pct · 2,041st of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 41st pct · 143rd of 243 Texas counties · median $207,861
- counties in the Beaumont-Port Arthur metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Beaumont-Port Arthur metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Orange County, TX | $188,637 · +3.5% 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 $1,284/mo (Sep 2026), +1.2% over one year; price-to-rent 12.2
- 28th pct · 966th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 22nd pct · 76th of 98 Texas counties · median $1,449
- counties in the Beaumont-Port Arthur metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Beaumont-Port Arthur metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Orange County, TX | $1,284/mo · +1.2% 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 $1,045 a month on $188,637 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $5,807 a month: 18.0% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $188,637 × 80% = $150,909, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $1,045/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,340 × 52 / 12 = $5,807) = 18% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $188,637 / ($1,340 × 52) = 2.7
- price-to-rent = $188,637 / ($1,284 × 12) = 12.2
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 #
24,844 jobs at 1,445 employers (2026 Q1); -1.3% jobs and +2.1% average weekly wage over the year
- 75th pct · 805th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 81st pct · 47th of 254 Texas counties · median 6,022
- counties in the Beaumont-Port Arthur metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Beaumont-Port Arthur metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Orange County, TX | 24,844 jobs · $1,340/wk · -1.3% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 4,377 | $2,534 | 2.19 | -10.9% |
| Retail trade | 3,450 | $752 | 1.42 | +2.5% |
| Construction | 2,898 | $1,551 | 2.23 | +12.6% |
| Accommodation and food services | 2,297 | $402 | 1.03 | -6.9% |
| Health care and social assistance | 1,504 | $731 | 0.40 | -2.0% |
| Professional and technical services | 1,356 | $1,653 | 0.79 | -11.2% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 974 | $1,604 | 0.93 | +34.2% |
| Other services | 748 | $1,074 | 1.01 | -10.2% |
| Administrative and waste services | 678 | $1,185 | 0.48 | +1.3% |
| Finance and insurance | 585 | $1,332 | 0.58 | +7.5% |
| Wholesale trade | 531 | $1,889 | 0.56 | -6.8% |
| Real estate and rental | 289 | $1,174 | 0.76 | +18.0% |
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 #
D1 moderate 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 #
78 % of conservation capacity, weighted over 5 TWDB reservoirs
Sites found: 8, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| B. A. Steinhagen Lake | 95 % full · 69k ac-ft | 80 km |
| Sam Rayburn Reservoir | 62 % full · 2,857k ac-ft | 106 km |
| Livingston Res nr Goodrich, TX | 1,479,000 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 121 km |
| Livingston Reservoir | 92 % full · 1,604k ac-ft | 121 km |
| Lake Houston | 98 % full · 132k ac-ft | 122 km |
| Lk Houston nr Sheldon, TX | 133,000 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 122 km |
| Toledo Bend Reservoir | 85 % full · 2,236k ac-ft | 123 km |
| Toledo Bd Res nr Burkeville, TX | 3,770,000 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 123 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 #
85 gauges · 0 flooding · 9 with quality panels averaging 46 % · 10 stale
Sites found: 85, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Sabine Lk site SAB2 nr Sabine Pass, TX | temp 31.2 °C · quality 25 % (2) · STALE | 40 km |
| USGS-295349093303800 | stage 1.54 ft · quality 50 % (2) · STALE | 45 km |
| Calcasieu River at I-10 at Lake Charles, LA | stage 2.03 ft · quality 50 % (2) | 63 km |
| Taylor Bayou nr LaBelle, TX | cond. 1,810 uS/cm · quality 50 % (2) · no flooding · STALE | 38 km |
| Sabine Lk site SAB1 nr Groves, TX | temp 31.8 °C · quality 25 % (2) · STALE | 20 km |
| USGS-295847093420600 | stage 0.98 ft · quality 50 % (2) · STALE | 24 km |
| Calcasieu River at Cameron, LA | stage 6.82 ft · quality 50 % (2) | 63 km |
| USGS-295744093303800 | stage 1.46 ft · quality 25 % (2) · STALE | 41 km |
| Cow Bayou at FM 1442 nr Orangefield, TX | stage 1.14 ft · no flooding | 2 km |
| Cow Bayou at IH 10 nr Vidor, TX | stage 1.31 ft · no flooding | 2 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 #
4 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 4, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| USGS-300322093452601 | depth 36.8 ft · 2009-03-25 | 15 km |
| USGS-301213093191701 | depth 79.2 ft · 2016-12-06 | 56 km |
| USGS-301336093183002 | depth 52.3 ft · 2016-12-06 | 57 km |
| USGS-301336093183001 | depth 83.5 ft · 2016-12-06 | 57 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 (0.31)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.25 + 0.3×0.22 + 0.2×0.54 / 0.85
Banks & federal dollars #
$1.2 bn in deposits at 13 offices of 8 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,962, highly concentrated. $518.1 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $504.4 m, grants $10.3 m), $20,855 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| First Financial Bank | $591.9 m · 49.3% share · 3 offices | |
| Bridge City State Bank | $196.0 m · 16.3% share · 2 offices | |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $138.6 m · 11.5% share · 1 office | |
| Orange, TX | $518.1 m FY2026 · $20,855/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $489.4 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Financial Bank | $591,862,000 | 49.3% | 3 |
| Bridge City State Bank | $195,992,000 | 16.3% | 2 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $138,554,000 | 11.5% | 1 |
| First State Bank of Texas | $81,457,000 | 6.8% | 2 |
| Stellar Bank | $67,819,000 | 5.7% | 2 |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $67,135,000 | 5.6% | 1 |
| PNC Bank, National Association | $54,621,000 | 4.6% | 1 |
| First National Bank Texas | $2,757,000 | 0.2% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,962 across 8 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 8 banks with deposits in the county = 49.3² + 16.3² + 11.5² + … (5 more) = 2,962
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 | $418,236,805 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $67,650,667 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $11,508,965 |
| Department of Education | $4,598,146 |
| Department of Defense | $4,537,397 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $3,597,248 |
| Department of Transportation | $3,592,930 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $2,176,967 |
| Department of Agriculture | $1,493,678 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $527,094 |
| Department of the Interior | $131,800 |
| Department of Justice | $69,987 |
That is $20,855 per covered job, against 24,844 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $518.1 m / 24,844 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $20,855
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 #
Orange County, TX: 8 findings, 1 at a watch level and 7 noted
watchOrange County, TX's covered employment is -1.3% 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 = -1.3 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteOrange County, TX's average weekly wage was 2.1% 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
- +2.1 % = 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
noteOrange County, TX's covered employment was 1.3% 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
- -1.3 % = 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
noteOrange County, TX's typical asking rent fell 0.6% from $1,291 in August 2026 to $1,284 in September 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- -0.6% = (1284.060643060643 - 1291.3462727040505) / 1291.3462727040505 × 100
- 1284.060643060643 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-09
- 1291.3462727040505 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
noteOrange County, TX's price-to-rent ratio of 12.2 ranks 1,259th of 1,358 US counties, against a median of 17.0.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 7 on the 0-to-100 scale across 1358 US counties that published priceToRent
- typical home value / (typical rent × 12); Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
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.