Washington County, TX
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 30.22, -96.41.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 81st pct · 558th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 90th pct · 24th of 243 Texas counties · median $207,861
- 22nd pct · 2,368th of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 50th pct · 120th of 243 Texas counties · median +0.1%
- 57th pct · 577th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 74th pct · 26th of 98 Texas counties · median $1,449
- 67th pct · 1,061st of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 73rd pct · 67th of 254 Texas counties · median 6,022
- 56th pct · 1,395th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 42nd pct · 146th of 254 Texas counties · median $1,115
- 84th pct · 467th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 93rd pct · 17th of 243 Texas counties · median 3.5
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 $363,966 (Sep 2026), +0.2% over one year, +10.3% over five
- 81st pct · 558th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 90th pct · 24th of 243 Texas counties · median $207,861
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Washington County, TX | $363,966 · +0.2% 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 $1,596/mo (Sep 2026), +2.8% over one year; price-to-rent 19.0
- 57th pct · 577th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 74th pct · 26th of 98 Texas counties · median $1,449
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Washington County, TX | $1,596/mo · +2.8% 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 $2,016 a month on $363,966 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,637 a month: 43.5% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $363,966 × 80% = $291,173, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $2,016/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,070 × 52 / 12 = $4,637) = 43% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $363,966 / ($1,070 × 52) = 6.5
- price-to-rent = $363,966 / ($1,596 × 12) = 19.0
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 #
16,541 jobs at 1,091 employers (2026 Q1); -1.1% jobs and +5.4% average weekly wage over the year
- 67th pct · 1,061st of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 73rd pct · 67th of 254 Texas counties · median 6,022
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Washington County, TX | 16,541 jobs · $1,070/wk · -1.1% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 2,886 | $1,314 | 2.17 | +3.1% |
| Retail trade | 2,278 | $689 | 1.41 | +0.3% |
| Health care and social assistance | 1,696 | $868 | 0.68 | +1.3% |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,614 | $453 | 1.09 | +2.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 1,114 | $1,317 | 1.76 | -3.5% |
| Finance and insurance | 770 | $2,441 | 1.14 | -7.9% |
| Administrative and waste services | 477 | $894 | 0.51 | +4.1% |
| Professional and technical services | 388 | $1,315 | 0.34 | +0.0% |
| Other services | 284 | $670 | 0.57 | +14.5% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 176 | $1,288 | 1.47 | -20.7% |
| Real estate and rental | 172 | $1,677 | 0.68 | +3.0% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 151 | $256 | 0.55 | +31.3% |
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 #
93 % of conservation capacity, weighted over 13 TWDB reservoirs
Sites found: 20, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Somerville Lake | 89 % full · 150k ac-ft | 16 km |
| Gibbons Creek Reservoir | 86 % full · 26k ac-ft | 55 km |
| Lk Conroe nr Conroe, TX | 392,100 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 83 km |
| Lake Conroe | 93 % full · 418k ac-ft | 83 km |
| Barker Res nr Addicks, TX | 3.59 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 89 km |
| Addicks Res nr Addicks, TX | 55.8 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 89 km |
| Granger Lake | 99 % full · 52k ac-ft | 103 km |
| Lake Limestone | 83 % full · 204k ac-ft | 124 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 #
36 gauges · 0 flooding · 5 with quality panels averaging 80 % · 2 stale
Sites found: 36, 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-294617096021200 | DO 7.80 mg/l · quality 75 % (4) · STALE | 61 km |
| New Year Creek at TX 105 near Brenham | no flooding | 5 km |
| Rocky Ck at SH 105 nr Brenham, TX | stage 189.8 ft | 10 km |
| Yegua Ck nr Somerville, TX | flow 0.00 ft³/s | 15 km |
| Yegua Creek at Lake Somerville | no readings | 16 km |
| Brazos Rv nr Hempstead, TX | flow 461.0 ft³/s · quality 88 % (4) · no flooding | 23 km |
| Davidson Ck nr Lyons, TX | flow 0.32 ft³/s · no flooding | 26 km |
| Brazos Rv at Washington, TX | flow 383.0 ft³/s · quality 75 % (4) | 29 km |
| Navasota Rv at SH 6 nr Navasota, TX | flow 154.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 37 km |
| Peach Ck at SH 6 nr Millican, TX | stage 191.6 ft | 38 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 #
3 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 3, 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-302636095422803 | depth 16.6 ft · 2022-08-10 | 72 km |
| USGS-302636095422801 | depth 16.2 ft · 2022-08-10 | 72 km |
| USGS-302948095422501 | depth 51.0 ft · 2026-10-18 | 74 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 #
low (0.17)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.25 + 0.3×0.07 + 0.2×0.20 / 0.85
Banks & federal dollars #
$1.7 bn in deposits at 13 offices of 10 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,724, moderately concentrated. $297.5 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $287.7 m, grants $6.7 m), $17,985 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Citizens State Bank | $426.2 m · 25.7% share · 2 offices | |
| The Brenham National Bank | $379.4 m · 22.9% share · 2 offices | |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $220.9 m · 13.3% share · 1 office | |
| Washington, TX | $297.5 m FY2026 · $17,985/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $261.8 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Citizens State Bank | $426,224,000 | 25.7% | 2 |
| The Brenham National Bank | $379,405,000 | 22.9% | 2 |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $220,851,000 | 13.3% | 1 |
| The Huntington National Bank | $208,128,000 | 12.6% | 2 |
| Global One Bank | $182,423,000 | 11.0% | 1 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $137,395,000 | 8.3% | 1 |
| PNC Bank, National Association | $44,552,000 | 2.7% | 1 |
| Citizens National Bank | $24,831,000 | 1.5% | 1 |
| VeraBank, National Association | $21,815,000 | 1.3% | 1 |
| Woodforest National Bank | $11,054,000 | 0.7% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,724 across 10 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 10 banks with deposits in the county = 25.7² + 22.9² + 13.3² + … (7 more) = 1,724
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 | $237,771,514 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $22,407,078 |
| Department of Education | $22,066,156 |
| Department of Transportation | $6,167,866 |
| Department of Defense | $2,984,987 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $2,667,034 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $1,566,651 |
| Department of Agriculture | $1,534,925 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $214,715 |
| Department of Homeland Security | $55,100 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $47,697 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
That is $17,985 per covered job, against 16,541 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $297.5 m / 16,541 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $17,985
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 #
Washington County, TX: 11 findings, 2 at a watch level and 9 noted
watchWashington County, TX's covered employment is -1.1% 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 = -1.1 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchWashington County, TX's typical asking rent is -1.7% against the previous month, a watch level here: typical asking rent at least 1 percent below the previous month (arithmetic on the Zillow ZORI month columns; 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 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- test: rent.momPct = -1.7395103127385008 <= -1
- month-over-month percent change = (newest month − previous month) / |previous month| × 100, from Zillow's own published month columns
arithmetic on the Zillow ZORI month columns; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
noteWashington County, TX's average weekly wage was 5.4% 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
- +5.4 % = 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
noteWashington County, TX's typical asking rent fell 1.7% from $1,624 in August 2026 to $1,596 in September 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- -1.7% = (1595.638888888889 - 1623.8865631215633) / 1623.8865631215633 × 100
- 1595.638888888889 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-09
- 1623.8865631215633 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
noteWashington County, TX's covered employment was 1.1% 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
- -1.1 % = 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
Read all 11 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.