Housing decision brief
King County, TX Housing Market
King County screens as a below-state purchase price, rent that needs comparison, a higher tax-rate signal market. Use the page as a decision brief, not just a price lookup, because local income, taxes, and data confidence change how affordable the county really is.
2nd lowest home value out of 250 Texas counties with data
Median home value
$52,100
Purchase-price signal from Census ACS.
Median rent
N/A
Gross rent, including utilities where reported.
Monthly owner cost
$486/mo
Owner costs before individual loan terms.
Decision snapshot
Read this county in four signals.
Buy screen
1.1x
Median home value divided by local household income.
Rent burden
N/A
Rent burden is unavailable in the current data.
Rent vs own
N/A
Needs rent and owner-cost data.
Data confidence
3 notes
Home-value estimate has a $35,060 ACS margin of error.
What Works
Lower purchase price
$52,100 median home value is 69% below Texas county median
Low disaster-risk signal
Risk score is 99.7 out of 100, a stronger cross-check for long-term ownership costs.
What to Check
Lower income base
$46,645 median income is 28% below Texas county median
Tax rate needs attention
1.08% effective property-tax rate is 8% above Texas county median
Water quality cross-check
Water quality grade is F. Review water data before treating housing cost as the full story.
Health context
Health score is 3.9 out of 100, so affordability should be weighed against local health indicators.
Crime data coverage
Crime data coverage is partial. Treat zero or low crime rates as incomplete until you check the source coverage.
Best Fit For
- Buyers comparing homes to local incomes
- Long-term owners who care about disaster-risk exposure
- Remote earners or cash buyers looking below the state price line
Poor Fit For
- Households dependent on a deep local wage market
- Buyers focused only on purchase price and ignoring annual property tax
- Buyers who will not investigate local water systems before moving
- Anyone treating reported crime rates as complete without source context
County vs State vs National
The county number only matters after you see the benchmark. These comparisons show where King County is genuinely cheap, where it is average, and where the hidden cost may be.
| Metric | County | State | U.S. | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Median home value Lower usually helps affordability. | $52,100 | $169,250 | $281,900 | 69% favorable69% below Texas county median |
Median gross rent Lower usually helps affordability. | N/A | $957 | $1,163 | Needs dataNo Texas county median comparison available |
Monthly owner cost Lower usually helps affordability. | $486 | $786 | $1,672 | 38% favorable38% below Texas county median |
Median household income | $46,645 | $65,035 | $74,755 | 28% pressure28% below Texas county median |
Effective property-tax rate Lower usually helps affordability. | 1.08% | 1.00% | 1.02% | 8% pressure8% above Texas county median |
Rent burden Lower usually helps affordability. | N/A | 27.70% | N/A | Needs dataRent burden unavailable. |
Income Fit
A low price only helps if local income can carry the monthly cost. This panel compares the county income base with rent and owner-cost thresholds.
Rent cushion
N/A
Median income minus rent threshold.
Owner cushion
+$25,816
Median income minus owner-cost threshold.
Affordability Advisory
This turns the raw housing numbers into income and buy-versus-rent screens.
Affordability verdict
Housing in King County is unknown. The median rent is N/A/month against a median household income of $70,192.
Rent vs own
King County has incomplete rent-vs-own data. Median gross rent is N/A/month and median monthly owner cost is $466/month.
Income needed
For owner costs at the 28% rule, the required income is roughly $19,971/year.
Regional context
Rental cost data for King County is unavailable for regional comparisons.
Better Counties to Compare
Similar counties are matched on home value, rent, income, and state context. This is more useful than a simple nearest-price list.
| County | Home Value | Rent | Why compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cottle County, TX | $59,300 | $264/mo | Same-state comparison near $59,300 home value and $264/mo rent. |
| Cochran County, TX | $53,200 | $697/mo | Same-state comparison near $53,200 home value and $697/mo rent. |
| Stonewall County, TX | $48,600 | $613/mo | Same-state comparison near $48,600 home value and $613/mo rent. |
| Todd County, SD | $53,900 | $532/mo | Out-of-state peer near $53,900 home value and $532/mo rent. |
| Hudspeth County, TX | $64,000 | $705/mo | Same-state comparison near $64,000 home value and $705/mo rent. |
Data Confidence
- Home-value estimate has a $35,060 ACS margin of error.
- Crime coverage is partial, so safety comparisons need source context.
- Water-quality monitoring is based on 2 active sites in recent WQP data.
Next Checks
Housing Questions for King County
Is King County affordable for buying a home?
Is renting or owning cheaper in King County?
How much income do you need for housing in King County?
What should I double-check before moving to King County?
Data: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates (2019-2023) — Informational only. Not financial or legal advice.