Wichita County, TX
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 33.99, -98.71.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 24th pct · 2,306th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 33rd pct · 162nd of 243 Texas counties · median $207,861
- counties in the Wichita Falls metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Wichita Falls metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 40th pct · 1,822nd of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 69th pct · 74th of 243 Texas counties · median +0.1%
- counties in the Wichita Falls metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Wichita Falls metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 32nd pct · 911th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 32nd pct · 66th of 98 Texas counties · median $1,449
- counties in the Wichita Falls metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Wichita Falls metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 84th pct · 489th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 86th pct · 34th of 254 Texas counties · median 6,022
- counties in the Wichita Falls metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Wichita Falls metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 54th pct · 1,464th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 39th pct · 154th of 254 Texas counties · median $1,115
- counties in the Wichita Falls metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Wichita Falls metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 23rd pct · 2,355th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 40th pct · 146th of 243 Texas counties · median 3.5
- counties in the Wichita Falls metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Wichita Falls 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 $169,452 (Sep 2026), +2.1% over one year, +22.8% over five
- 24th pct · 2,306th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 33rd pct · 162nd of 243 Texas counties · median $207,861
- counties in the Wichita Falls metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Wichita Falls metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Wichita County, TX | $169,452 · +2.1% 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 #
Typical rent $1,325/mo (Sep 2026), +8.0% over one year; price-to-rent 10.7
- 32nd pct · 911th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 32nd pct · 66th of 98 Texas counties · median $1,449
- counties in the Wichita Falls metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Wichita Falls metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Wichita County, TX | $1,325/mo · +8.0% 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 $939 a month on $169,452 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,589 a month: 20.5% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $169,452 × 80% = $135,561, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $939/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,059 × 52 / 12 = $4,589) = 20% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $169,452 / ($1,059 × 52) = 3.1
- price-to-rent = $169,452 / ($1,325 × 12) = 10.7
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 #
52,541 jobs at 3,226 employers (2026 Q1); -0.1% jobs and +4.2% average weekly wage over the year
- 84th pct · 489th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 86th pct · 34th of 254 Texas counties · median 6,022
- counties in the Wichita Falls metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Wichita Falls metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Wichita County, TX | 52,541 jobs · $1,059/wk · -0.1% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 10,223 | $1,134 | 1.29 | -0.8% |
| Retail trade | 6,571 | $687 | 1.28 | -3.0% |
| Accommodation and food services | 5,815 | $423 | 1.23 | +3.2% |
| Manufacturing | 4,949 | $1,497 | 1.17 | +0.2% |
| Administrative and waste services | 2,115 | $842 | 0.71 | +8.5% |
| Construction | 1,976 | $1,079 | 0.72 | +12.7% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 1,867 | $1,397 | 0.84 | +0.6% |
| Finance and insurance | 1,733 | $1,679 | 0.81 | -0.3% |
| Other services | 1,666 | $701 | 1.06 | -4.6% |
| Wholesale trade | 1,301 | $1,461 | 0.65 | -3.2% |
| Professional and technical services | 1,087 | $1,431 | 0.30 | +6.0% |
| Information | 551 | $1,263 | 0.57 | -2.1% |
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 #
D4 exceptional 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: 15, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| North Fork Buffalo Creek Reservoir | 76 % full · 15k ac-ft | 4 km |
| Lake Kickapoo | 81 % full · 86k ac-ft | 37 km |
| Lake Arrowhead | 71 % full · 230k ac-ft | 40 km |
| Lake Kemp | 71 % full · 245k ac-ft | 48 km |
| Millers Creek Reservoir | 63 % full · 27k ac-ft | 90 km |
| Lake Graham | 67 % full · 45k ac-ft | 95 km |
| Lake Amon G Carter | 81 % full · 19k ac-ft | 97 km |
| Lake Nocona (Farmer's Creek) | 74 % full · 21k ac-ft | 98 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 (0.67)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×1.00 + 0.3×0.29 / 0.65
Banks & federal dollars #
$4.1 bn in deposits at 31 offices of 13 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,377, highly concentrated. $1.1 bn federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $808.0 m, contracts $208.8 m), $20,274 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| American National Bank & Trust | $1.7 bn · 42.8% share · 4 offices | |
| Investar Bank, National Association | $553.9 m · 13.6% share · 2 offices | |
| First Bank | $506.1 m · 12.5% share · 5 offices | |
| Wichita, TX | $1.1 bn FY2026 · $20,274/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $781.5 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| American National Bank & Trust | $1,739,557,000 | 42.8% | 4 |
| Investar Bank, National Association | $553,946,000 | 13.6% | 2 |
| First Bank | $506,091,000 | 12.5% | 5 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $380,262,000 | 9.4% | 2 |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $326,871,000 | 8.0% | 2 |
| Prosperity Bank | $260,402,000 | 6.4% | 4 |
| Pilgrim Bank | $86,184,000 | 2.1% | 3 |
| First Capital Bank | $61,189,000 | 1.5% | 1 |
| First United Bank | $38,098,000 | 0.9% | 1 |
| FSNB, National Association | $36,928,000 | 0.9% | 2 |
Deposit concentration is 2,377 across 13 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 13 banks with deposits in the county = 42.8² + 13.6² + 12.5² + … (10 more) = 2,377
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 | $577,084,881 |
| Department of Defense | $231,939,186 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $200,042,916 |
| Department of Education | $15,651,017 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $13,674,132 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $10,004,935 |
| Department of Transportation | $7,841,968 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $4,658,530 |
| Department of Agriculture | $3,487,233 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $832,860 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
| Department of Commerce | $0 |
That is $20,274 per covered job, against 52,541 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $1.1 bn / 52,541 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $20,274
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 #
Wichita County, TX: 9 findings, 1 at a watch level and 8 noted
watchWichita County, TX's covered employment is -0.1% 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 = -0.1 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteWichita County, TX's average weekly wage was 4.2% 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
- +4.2 % = 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
noteWichita County, TX's typical asking rent rose 1.1% from $1,310 in August 2026 to $1,325 in September 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- +1.1% = (1324.550002811516 - 1309.5725960177215) / 1309.5725960177215 × 100
- 1324.550002811516 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-09
- 1309.5725960177215 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
noteWichita County, TX's covered employment was 0.1% 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
- -0.1 % = 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
noteWichita County, TX's price-to-rent ratio of 10.7 ranks 1,321st of 1,358 US counties, against a median of 17.0.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 3 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 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.