Howard County, Texas
Population 32,290 · Big Spring, Coahoma, Forsan
- Overall cost of living: −12.2% vs the US average, lower than 56% of US counties.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
- Hot days (90°F+): 115 days, higher than 97% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−12.2% | lower than 56% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for all of Texas outside its metro areas. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $155,600 | lower than 68% of US counties |
| Median rent | $1,034 | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $201/mo | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $7,280/yr | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.95% | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 6.25% | higher than 66% of US counties |
| State income tax | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| Property tax paid / yr | $1,480 | lower than 56% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $69,649 | higher than 61% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 3.8% | lower than 56% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | -8.4% | lower than 93% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 263.3 | lower than 51% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈277 days | higher than 96% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 95°F | higher than 94% of US counties |
| January low | 31°F | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 2 in | lower than 71% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 115 days | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 54 days | lower than 80% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 26.4% of weeks | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈60.7°F | lower than 64% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 18.2 in | lower than 88% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $78/yr | lower than 93% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $42/yr | lower than 95% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0.15/yr | lower than 51% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $0.25/yr | lower than 89% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $5.9/yr | lower than 61% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $11/yr | higher than 85% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 7.4 µg/m³ | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 401.6 mi | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈536.9 ft | higher than 59% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 81.1% | lower than 92% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 15.7% | lower than 84% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 5% | lower than 83% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 2 | lower than 49% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 13.2:1 | lower than 59% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 86.1% | lower than 70% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | N/A | |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 6.42 | lower than 93% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.85 | lower than 69% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 1.4 | lower than 74% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 18/100k | lower than 84% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 2 | lower than 60% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | N/A | |
| Life expectancy | 71.2 yrs | lower than 89% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 17.2% | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 246/100k | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 65/100k | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 64.5% | higher than 50% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 75 min | higher than 74% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 75 min | lower than 71% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 22 min | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 86.4% | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| Work-from-home share | 3% | lower than 96% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 128 min | higher than 50% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 57 per sq mi | higher than 83% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 6.1 per 1k | higher than 94% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 25.8 per 1k | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Population | 32,290 | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Median age | 36.7 | lower than 86% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | -31.1 per 1k/yr | lower than 99% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 18.2% Dem | lower than 79% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 81.1% Rep | higher than 81% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 0.7% | lower than 79% of US counties |
| % White | 43.1% | lower than 90% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 47.7% | higher than 96% of US counties |
| % Black | 4.5% | higher than 63% of US counties |
| % Asian | 1% | higher than 65% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.3% | higher than 64% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 3.1% | lower than 60% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.2% | lower than 54% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 17 parks | lower than 71% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 18 | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 1.9 | lower than 68% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 19 min | lower than 53% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 0.4% | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 1 | lower than 90% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 1 km | lower than 96% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 0 km | the lowest in the US |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Bars within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 3 | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 7 km | lower than 52% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data