Ward County, Texas: commercial real estate data.
Ward County, Texas had an estimated 11,038 residents on July 1, 2024, down 5.2 percent since the 2020 census base of 11,643, across 836 square miles. County output reached $5.27 bn in 2024, 339 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 5 7(a) approvals worth $8.8 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Ward County
How many people live in Ward County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202411,144
- Households4,388
- Average household size2.54
- Median household income$65,952
- Median age34.5
- Median gross rent$1,118 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$150,700
- Home value to household income2.3 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income20.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher12.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree3.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over7,237
- Population under 183,255
- Share under 1829.2 percent
- Population 65 and over1,510
- Share 65 and over13.5 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 646,379
- Civilian labor force5,400
- Unemployment rate2.9 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over68.4 percent
- Rank by population among Texas counties159th of 254
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included2407th of 3,222
Ward County is the 159th largest of 254 Texas counties by population. A median home costs 2.3 times median household income, which is affordable by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 29.2 percent against 13.5 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Ward County
Is Ward County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 202411,038
- Census 2020 base population11,643
- Population change since the 2020 census base-5.20 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 202464
- Births, 2024183
- Deaths, 2024141
- Natural change, 202442
- Net domestic migration, 20247
- Net international migration, 202416
- Total net migration, 202423
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-774
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2990th of 3,144
The county has lost 5.20 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. The population grew in 2024 from both sources: births exceeded deaths and more people moved in than left.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Ward County
Where are people moving to Ward County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving333
- People arriving, from those returns687
- Tax returns filed by households leaving375
- Net household movement-42
- Adjusted gross income arriving$17.0 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$-3.0 m
- Average income of an arriving household$50,982
- Average income of a leaving household$53,392
- Largest single originEctor County (36 households)
- Largest single destinationEctor County (65 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ector County | 36 | 64 | $1.8 m |
Households arriving report $2,410 less average income than households leaving, which drains spending power even where headcount holds up. The largest single source of arrivals is Ector County, 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.
Ward County
What is the Ward County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$5.27 bn
- County GDP, 2023$4.96 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20246.2 percent
- GDP change over five years184.1 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Texas areas BEA publishes53rd of 254
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes691st of 3,127
- GDP per resident$473,193
Output grew 6.2 percent in the latest year and 184.1 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.
Ward County
Employment by industry in Ward County
- Covered employment, annual average6,516
- Establishments reporting403
- Average annual pay$80,838
- Average weekly wage$1,555
- Construction, employment1,167
- Construction, average annual pay$91,747
- Professional, scientific and technical services, employment425
- Professional, scientific and technical services, average annual pay$96,526
- Transportation and warehousing, employment398
- Transportation and warehousing, average annual pay$124,449
- Retail trade, employment355
- Retail trade, average annual pay$34,770
- Real estate and rental and leasing, employment179
- Manufacturing, employment158
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | 1,167 | 34 | $91,747 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 425 | 23 | $96,526 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 398 | 32 | $124,449 |
| Retail trade | 355 | 31 | $34,770 |
| Real estate and rental and leasing | 179 | 17 | $76,557 |
| Manufacturing | 158 | 12 | $83,278 |
| Wholesale trade | 144 | 18 | $86,905 |
| Finance and insurance | 88 | 13 | $67,510 |
Construction is the largest private sector at 1,167 jobs, 17.9 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Ward County
How many businesses are in Ward County?
- Establishments, all industries339
- Employment at those establishments4,718
- Annual payroll$356.8 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents30.4
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Ward County
Building permits in Ward County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 202426
- Declared construction value permitted$4.2 m
- Single family units authorized8
- Multifamily units authorized18
- Multifamily share of units69.2 percent
- Average declared value per unit$160,428
- Units authorized per 1,000 households5.9
Multifamily is 69.2 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is being built for renters rather than buyers.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Ward County
SBA loans in Ward County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded5
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$8.8 m
- Average 7(a) approval$1,768,200
- Median 7(a) approval$1,756,000
- Largest single approval$3,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)61
- Jobs per approval12.2
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active5
- Distinct industries receiving approvals4
- Median 7(a) term300 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer60.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms3
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter1
- Franchise loans1
- Franchise share of approvals20.0 percent
- 504 approvals recorded4
- 504 gross approval dollars$7.0 m
- Average 504 approval$1,761,000
- Median 504 approval$1,790,000
- Distinct CDCs active4
- 504 jobs per approval20.3
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved11.5
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$15.9 m
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.
Ward County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Ward County
Do SBA loans in Ward County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded0
- Paid in full0
- Charged off0
- Status: Exempt from disclosure5
Only 0 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Ward County
How large is Ward County?
- Land area836 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Texas counties190th of 254
- Width, east to west49.7 mi
- Height, north to south26.5 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land13
- Establishments per square mile0.41
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.
Ward County
Flood risk in Ward County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Ward County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 481249
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book7
- Of those, participating in the NFIP3
- NFIP participation rate42.9 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Ward County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/LZone 3
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Ward County (community 481249), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Ward County in radon zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. 42.9 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Ward 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 Ward County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202411,144
- Households4,388
- Average household size2.54
- Median household income$65,952
- Median age34.5
Common questions
Ward County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Ward County, Texas?
The Census Bureau estimates 11,038 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 11,144, in 4,388 households, ranking 159th of 254 Texas counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Ward County's population growing?
The population has fallen 5.20 percent since the 2020 census base of 11,643, to 11,038 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 183 births against 141 deaths, with net migration of 23. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Ward County?
$65,952. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $150,700, which is 2.3 times income, and median gross rent is $1,118 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Ward County?
339 establishments, employing 4,718 people with an annual payroll of $356.8 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Ward County?
Construction is the largest private sector at 1,167 jobs, 17.9 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 6,516 jobs at an average annual pay of $80,838, or $1,555 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Ward County?
5 7(a) approvals totaling $8.8 m since FY2020, across 5 lenders, with a median approval of $1,756,000, plus 4 504 approvals worth $7.0 m since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Ward County?
26 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $4.2 m. Multifamily was 69.2 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Ward 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 Ward County come from?
The largest single origin is Ector County, with 36 households. Arriving households report an average income of $50,982 against $53,392 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Ward 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 Ward County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Ward County
Cities and places in Ward.
7 Census places lie wholly or partly in Ward County. All 7 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monahans | city | 7,452 | 5 | 71.9 percent here, 28.1 percent Winkler County |
| Southwest Sandhill | CDP | 1,143 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Wickett | town | 699 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Thorntonville | town | 626 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Grandfalls | town | 375 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Barstow | city | 198 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Pyote | town | 115 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
Nearby