RANK #169 / 996 · POP 162,300 · TX
PROJECTED GROWTH: +2.4%
Ector County, in West Texas, is perhaps best known as home to Odessa, its largest city and county seat. The county is located approximately thirty miles southwest of Midland. Commuting within the Odessa area is primarily done by car, though public transit options like EZ-Rider offer fixed routes and commuter services connecting Odessa and Midland. Despite its semiarid climate, the area provides outdoor recreation, including parks with walking trails, playgrounds, and fishing ponds. Notable spots include Memorial Gardens Park and Comanche Trail Park, which offer trails and disc golf. The county also features the Odessa Mountain Bike Park with over 18 miles of trails.
Life in Ector County often revolves around its established communities, with many residents owning their homes. The Ector County Independent School District serves Odessa and surrounding communities like Gardendale and Goldsmith, offering various educational programs including high schools like Odessa High School and Permian High School. The local economy has historically been driven by petroleum production, with the county being a significant oil producer in Texas. More recently, economic development has seen investments in diverse sectors, including large-scale industrial projects, energy initiatives like wind and solar, and the development of data centers. The county is also undertaking significant civic projects, including a downtown overhaul with a new courthouse and library.
Above national median
Moderate climate & terrain
Housing looks undervalued at 2.1x — home prices are low relative to local economic output. The typical U.S. county is 4–6x.
Source: Redfin · Census BPS — Browse sales on Redfin →
| PROJECT | AMOUNT | STATUS |
|---|---|---|
|
Texas Critical Data Centers (TCDC) Campus
New Era Energy & Digital, Stream Data Centers
|
$12,000M | Under Construction |
|
Solar Farm Portfolio (Oberon, Swift Air I, II, III, Ophelia, M-Bar Solar I)
174 Power Global, Origis Energy USA, Inc., TotalEnergies
|
$635M | Operating/Planned |
|
Ector County Courthouse and Juvenile Detention Center Overhaul
Ector County
|
$273M | Under Construction |
Source: public records, news, corporate announcements. Amounts are estimates where noted.
Bars show percentile rank among all 996 counties.
Ector County has a Boom Town Index score of 83/100, ranking #169 among 996 U.S. counties. With job growth at +2.4% and a median household income of $70,566, it's an above-average county on economic indicators.
The median home value in Ector County is $175,600 with median rent at $1,232/month. The income-to-home-value ratio is 0.4019, which is more affordable than the national average.
Population growth: +0.7% year-over-year. Job growth: +2.4%. Home values changed +5.0% in the past 12 months.
Yes — 5.26% of Ector County's population moved from another state, which is above the national average and indicates strong in-migration.