Your life in Howard County, Texas

What stands out

If you had to describe Howard County in numbers, start here: the share working from home is in the bottom 5% of American counties (2%), winter sunshine is in the top 5% of American counties (1.9 on the USDA scale), and rainfall is in the bottom 6% of American counties (15 inches a year). Within Texas it ranks 31st of 254 counties for the share working from home, counting from the bottom.

Where you are

You live in Howard County, Texas. 34,488 people live here with you. The population shrank 0.6% last year, and more Americans moved out than in (net -201).

Texas has no income tax and no estate tax, and its constitution prohibits an income tax without a statewide vote. Property taxes are among the highest in the country and are the main source of local school funding; the 2023 legislature raised the homestead exemption to $100,000 to offset that. Homeowner insurance costs are high along the Gulf coast and rising statewide after hail and freeze events. The grid is independent of the rest of the country.

Money

The typical household here brings in $67,243 a year, higher than 68% of American counties. Employers pay an average wage of $65,285. Unemployment runs 5.1%, higher than 90% of American counties. 2% of workers work from home; for the rest the average commute is 21 minutes each way.

Texas has no state income tax, so none of that goes to the state.

Home

The median home costs $151K, cheaper than 84% of American counties, about 1.7 years of the median household's income. A two-bedroom rents for around $993 a month. Property tax is 1.24% of home value, roughly $1,650 a year on that median home, higher than 75% of American counties. 67% of households own rather than rent.

Safety and health

Violent crime here is 4.1 per 1,000 residents, higher than 65% of American counties. Drug overdoses killed 33 people per 100,000 in 2024, one of the harder-hit counties in the country.

A child born here can expect to live 72.8 years, shorter than 81% of American counties. There are 35 active physicians in the county, about 10.1 per 10,000 people. 17.8% of people under 65 have no health insurance.

School

Local students test at grade level 2.68 where 3.0 is national grade level, lower than 69% of American counties. 81% of adults finished high school.

Neighbors and politics

In 2024 your neighbors voted Republican by 58 points, among the most lopsided counties in the country. 41% of eligible voters turned out. Under Texas law you can carry a concealed handgun without a permit, abortion is banned with narrow exceptions, and marijuana is medical only.

Weather and risk

The year averages 67°F, highs near 80 and lows near 54, warmer than 87% of American counties. About 15 inches of rain and snow fall a year. FEMA puts natural-hazard risk at 70 out of 100, riskier than 70% of American counties; the county has had 20 federal disaster declarations since 1953.

Getting around, going out

Home internet averages 203 Mbps down, faster than 51% of American counties. There is 1 airport in the county, counting general aviation. For a night or a weekend out: 0.7 full-service restaurants per 1,000 people.

Where these numbers come from

• BLS QCEW 2024
• CDC 2024
• CMS 2024
• Census 2023
• Census ACS
• Census ACS 2022
• Census Population Estimates 2023
• Census SAHIE 2024
• County Health Rankings 2024
• Derived from ACS 2022 home value / household income
• FAA Airport Database
• FEMA Disaster Declarations 1953–2026
• FEMA National Risk Index 2023 (0–100, all hazards)
• HRSA Area Health Resources File 2023
• IMLS
• NOAA Climate Normals
• National Park Service
• Ookla Speedtest Intelligence
• Open Brewery DB
• OpenElections 2024
• SEDA via County Health Rankings 2024 (3.0 = at grade level; not a Z-score)
• Tax Foundation 2023
• USDA Food Environment Atlas
• Zillow ZHVI 2024
• Texas tax and law data: state revenue department, Tax Foundation, Giffords, Guttmacher (2026)

Percentiles compare this county with every other county that reports the same figure. Missing figures are left out rather than guessed. Share this page: the address is permanent.