Ector County, Texas: commercial real estate data.
Ector County, Texas has a population of 164,654 across 898 square miles, up 2.9 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $16.52 bn in 2024, 3,994 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 141 7(a) approvals worth $130.1 m.
125 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Ector County
How many people live in Ector County
- Population164,654
- Households64,563
- Average household size2.55
- Median household income$71,536
- Median age31.4
- Median gross rent$1,259 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$200,200
- Home value to household income2.8 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income21.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher17.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree5.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over98,717
- Population under 1850,018
- Share under 1830.4 percent
- Population 65 and over16,258
- Share 65 and over9.9 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6498,378
- Civilian labor force80,130
- Unemployment rate5.9 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over69.9 percent
- Rank by population among Texas counties32nd of 254
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents417th
Ector County is the 32nd largest of 254 Texas counties by population. A median home costs 2.8 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 30.4 percent against 9.9 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Ector County
Is Ector County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base2.93 percent
- Census 2020 base population165,182
- Births, 20243,067
- Deaths, 20241,410
- Natural change, 20241,657
- Net domestic migration, 20241,098
- Net international migration, 20241,810
- Total net migration, 20242,908
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-5,747
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents890th
The county has grown 2.93 percent since the 2020 census base. Migration contributed more to 2024 change than births over deaths, so demand here follows people arriving rather than families forming.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Ector County
Where people moving to Ector County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving3,852
- People arriving, from those returns7,653
- Adjusted gross income arriving$196.8 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$51,094
- Largest single originEctor County Non-migrants (54,889 households)
- Largest single destination (54,889 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ector County Non-migrants | 54,889 | 122,758 | $3.77 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 875 | 1,694 | $45.9 m |
| Midland County | 782 | 1,588 | $51.3 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 633 | 1,320 | $31.0 m |
| Other flows - South | 335 | 634 | $14.9 m |
| Other flows - West | 328 | 653 | $19.3 m |
| El Paso County | 203 | 466 | $8.4 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 157 | 304 | $8.7 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Ector County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Ector County
What the Ector County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$16.52 bn
- County GDP, 2023$15.98 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20243.4 percent
- GDP change over five years52.9 percent
- Rank by GDP among Texas counties23rd
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents306th
- GDP per resident$100,307
Output grew 3.4 percent in the latest year and 52.9 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Ector County
Who employs people in Ector County
- Covered employment, annual average79,763
- Establishments reporting4,285
- Average annual pay$75,029
- Average weekly wage$1,443
- Sector 21, employment12,258
- Sector 21, average annual pay$115,992
- Sector 72, employment9,077
- Sector 72, average annual pay$27,120
- Sector 44-45, employment8,774
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$44,134
- Sector 23, employment6,880
- Sector 23, average annual pay$90,094
- Sector 42, employment6,634
- Sector 62, employment5,063
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 21 | 12,258 | 341 | $115,992 |
| Sector 72 | 9,077 | 381 | $27,120 |
| Sector 44-45 | 8,774 | 494 | $44,134 |
| Sector 23 | 6,880 | 341 | $90,094 |
| Sector 42 | 6,634 | 368 | $100,960 |
| Sector 62 | 5,063 | 307 | $62,174 |
| Sector 31-33 | 4,354 | 272 | $92,467 |
| Sector 48-49 | 3,549 | 333 | $80,008 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 12,258 jobs, 15.4 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job exceeds median household income, which usually means single earner households and a wage base that can carry rent.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Ector County
What businesses operate in Ector County
- Establishments, all industries3,994
- Employment at those establishments66,236
- Annual payroll$4.77 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents24.3
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Ector County
What is being built in Ector County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 20241,004
- Declared construction value permitted$226.8 m
- Single family units authorised1,004
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$225,945
- Units authorised per 1,000 households15.6
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Ector County
How much SBA lending happens in Ector County
- 7(a) approvals recorded141
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$130.1 m
- Average 7(a) approval$922,945
- Median 7(a) approval$350,000
- 10th percentile approval$60,000
- 90th percentile approval$2,527,300
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)2,284
- Jobs per approval16.2
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active54
- Distinct industries receiving approvals87
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer28.4 percent
- Loans on real estate terms40
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter87
- Franchise loans29
- Franchise share of approvals20.6 percent
- Leading industry by approval countSupport Activities for Oil and Gas Operations (7)
- Most active lenderSouthWest Bank (29)
- 504 approvals recorded20
- 504 gross approval dollars$30.0 m
- Average 504 approval$1,497,600
- Median 504 approval$1,390,000
- Distinct CDCs active5
- 504 jobs per approval18.4
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved12.3
- Most active CDCCapital Certified Development Corporation (9)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals87.6 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$160.1 m
The average approval of $922,945 sits well above the median of $350,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 28.4 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Ector County
Do SBA loans in Ector County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded24
- Paid in full22
- Charged off2
- Charge off rate on resolved loans8.3 percent
- Status: Exempt from disclosure96
- Status: Paid in full22
- Status: Charged off2
- Status: Cancelled13
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed8
Of the 24 loans that have reached a final outcome, 8.3 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Ector County
Which parts of Ector County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending2
- Odessa, approvals139
- GARDENDALE, approvals2
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Odessa | 139 | $127,486,600 |
| GARDENDALE | 2 | $2,648,700 |
Odessa accounts for 139 approvals against 2 in GARDENDALE. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Ector County
How big is Ector County
- Land area898 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Texas counties152nd of 254
- Width, east to west30.1 mi
- Height, north to south30.1 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land183
- Establishments per square mile4.45
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Ector County
What hazards affect Ector County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/LZone 3
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book3
- Of those, participating in the NFIP3
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Best Community Rating System class in the county A lower CRS class is a larger flood insurance premium discount.Class 8
- Communities carrying a CRS class1
The EPA places the county in radon zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. The best Community Rating System class in the county is 8, which carries a flood insurance premium discount for properties in the participating community.
US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001. FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Community Status Book, Community Status Book, as retrieved.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Ector County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Ector County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population164,654
- Households64,563
- Average household size2.55
- Median household income$71,536
- Median age31.4
Common questions
Ector County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Ector County, Texas?
164,654, in 64,563 households, ranking 32nd of 254 Texas counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Ector County growing?
The population has grown 2.93 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 3,067 births against 1,410 deaths, with net migration of 2,908. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Ector County?
$71,536. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $200,200, which is 2.8 times income, and median gross rent is $1,259 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Ector County?
3,994 establishments, employing 66,236 people with an annual payroll of $4.77 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Ector County?
Average annual pay is $75,029, or $1,443 a week, across 79,763 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Ector County?
141 7(a) approvals totalling $130.1 m since FY2020, across 54 lenders, with a median approval of $350,000, plus 20 504 approvals worth $30.0 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Ector County get paid back?
Of the 24 loans that have reached a final outcome, 22 were paid in full and 2 charged off, a charge off rate of 8.3 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Ector County?
1,004 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $226.8 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Ector County?
Zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Ector County come from?
The largest single origin is Ector County Non-migrants, with 54,889 households. Arriving households report an average income of $51,094 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Ector County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Ector County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.