Irion County

Irion County is a rural county in West Texas, located on the Edwards Plateau at the northern edge of the Concho Valley, southwest of San Angelo. Established in 1889 and organized in 1890, it developed as part of the region’s late-19th-century ranching frontier and later benefited from nearby oil and gas activity in the Permian Basin. Irion County is small in population, with roughly 1,500 residents as of the 2020 U.S. Census. The landscape is characterized by rolling limestone uplands, rangeland, and intermittent streams typical of the semi-arid plateau environment. Land use is dominated by ranching, with employment and income also influenced by energy production and related services. Communities are few and widely spaced, reflecting low population density and a largely agricultural way of life. The county seat is Mertzon.

Irion County is a sparsely populated county in west-central Texas on the Edwards Plateau, anchored by the county seat of Mertzon and situated between San Angelo and the Permian Basin region. It is part of the broader Concho Valley area of West Texas.

Population Size

According to the U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts for Irion County, Texas, Irion County’s population was 1,513 (2020 Census).

Age & Gender

County-level age distribution and gender ratio are published in the Census Bureau’s QuickFacts profile for Irion County. The most direct reference is the U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts for Irion County, which reports:

• Age distribution (selected categories, including under 18, 18–64, and 65+)
• Sex (female and male shares of the population)

Racial & Ethnic Composition

County-level race and Hispanic/Latino ethnicity statistics are reported by the U.S. Census Bureau in the Irion County profile. The U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts for Irion County provides:

• Racial composition (e.g., White, Black or African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, and other categories as available for the county)
• Ethnicity (Hispanic or Latino, any race)

Household and Housing Data

The U.S. Census Bureau publishes county-level household and housing indicators (including households, average household size, owner/renter occupancy, and housing unit counts) in the county profile. The U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts for Irion County includes:

• Households and persons per household
• Owner-occupied housing rate and housing unit totals
• Additional housing and socioeconomic context commonly used in local planning

For local government and planning resources, visit the Irion County official website.

Irion County is a sparsely populated West Texas county where long distances between households and service nodes can limit fixed-network buildout, making digital communication (including email) more dependent on available broadband and devices. Direct county-level email-usage statistics are not generally published; the indicators below use adoption proxies from official surveys.

Digital access indicators come primarily from the American Community Survey (ACS), which reports household broadband subscription and computer availability as leading prerequisites for routine email access (see the U.S. Census Bureau data portal and the American Community Survey (ACS)).

Age structure influences email adoption because older age cohorts typically report lower uptake of newer digital services; Irion County’s age distribution can be referenced through ACS demographic tables via U.S. Census Bureau tables for Irion County, Texas.

Gender distribution is available from ACS but is not a primary predictor of email access compared with broadband/device availability.

Connectivity constraints are commonly associated with rural last‑mile economics and coverage gaps; federal broadband availability and deployment context can be reviewed via the FCC National Broadband Map and local information from the Irion County government website.

Irion County is a sparsely populated, predominantly rural county in West Texas, with the county seat in Mertzon. Large geographic area, low population density, and long distances between population centers and tower sites are key structural factors that tend to reduce the economics of dense cellular buildouts and can produce coverage gaps outside towns and along less-traveled roads. Terrain in the region is generally open rangeland with rolling hills, which often supports broader signal propagation than heavily forested areas, but distance and limited backhaul options remain important constraints.

Data availability and limits (county-level)

County-specific, carrier-grade metrics for “mobile penetration” (active SIMs per resident) are generally not published. Most publicly accessible indicators for Irion County are available through:

• Federal survey estimates (household device and internet-subscription measures), which are adoption indicators rather than network metrics.
• Coverage datasets (4G/5G availability), which are network-availability indicators rather than proof of subscription or consistent indoor service.

Primary public sources include the U.S. Census Bureau for adoption proxies and the FCC for coverage and broadband mapping:

• U.S. Census Bureau internet and device tables via data.census.gov
• FCC broadband availability and mobile coverage via the FCC National Broadband Map
• Texas statewide context and planning via the Texas Broadband Development Office

Network availability (coverage) versus household adoption (use)

Network availability describes whether a provider reports service in an area at a defined technology level (e.g., LTE, 5G). Household adoption describes whether residents actually subscribe to and use mobile or fixed internet services and what devices they have at home. These are related but not equivalent: an area can be “covered” yet have low subscription due to cost, device affordability, digital literacy, or performance limitations (especially indoors or at the edge of coverage).

Network availability in Irion County (4G/LTE and 5G)

4G/LTE availability (reported coverage)

In rural West Texas counties such as Irion, LTE is typically the baseline mobile broadband technology used for wide-area coverage. The most standardized public view of provider-reported coverage is the FCC’s mapping system:

• The FCC National Broadband Map includes a “Mobile Broadband” view that can be filtered by provider and technology generation and examined at local scales. This is the most direct public reference for 4G/LTE reported availability in and around Mertzon and rural road corridors.

Key interpretive limitation: FCC mobile availability reflects provider filings and modeled coverage; it does not guarantee consistent indoor performance, vehicle performance in fringe areas, or the capacity needed for high-demand applications during peak times.

5G availability (reported coverage)

5G in rural counties is often unevenly distributed, with coverage more likely near towns, highways, or specific tower upgrades. The FCC map provides the most accessible public indicator at the county scale:

• The FCC National Broadband Map can be used to check where providers report 5G (and, depending on provider reporting, “5G NR” availability).

Important limitations at county scale:

• The FCC map is the best public reference for whether 5G is reported, but it does not directly separate “low-band 5G” (wider area, often closer to LTE performance) from higher-frequency deployments that deliver higher speeds but shorter range.
• County-level summaries can mask substantial within-county variation between the county seat and remote ranchland.

Mobile internet usage and access indicators (adoption proxies)

Household internet subscription and device access (Census-based)

The most commonly cited adoption indicators come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS), typically table groupings that report:

• Household internet subscription type (including cellular data plans)
• Presence of a computer and type (desktop/laptop/tablet)
• Broadband subscription categories (though categories and wording can vary by release)

For Irion County, these estimates can be retrieved and compared to Texas benchmarks using:

• data.census.gov (search “Irion County, Texas internet subscription” and the corresponding ACS tables)

Interpretive limitations:

• ACS is survey-based and subject to margins of error, which can be large for low-population counties.
• “Cellular data plan” in ACS is a household-reported subscription category; it indicates adoption but not quality of service or whether the plan is the household’s primary internet connection.

Mobile-only versus fixed-plus-mobile patterns

Publicly accessible county-level data that cleanly separates “mobile-only internet households” from “fixed-plus-mobile” households can be limited or have high uncertainty in small counties. ACS provides the closest standardized proxy via subscription categories, but county-level precision may be constrained by sampling.

Common device types (smartphones versus other devices)

County-specific smartphone ownership rates are not typically published in an official, high-resolution way. Public data sources that partially describe device environments are:

• ACS “computer type” and “internet subscription” tables, which capture desktops/laptops/tablets and subscription modalities, but do not directly enumerate smartphones as a device category in the same way consumer surveys do.
• National and state-level surveys (e.g., Pew Research) describe smartphone adoption broadly but are not county-specific; applying them to Irion County would be non-specific and is not a county-level measure.

The most defensible county-level statements are therefore limited to:

• Households may be categorized by whether they have computing devices (desktop/laptop/tablet) and whether they subscribe to cellular data plans, as reported in ACS.
• Detailed splits of “smartphones vs basic phones” are not available as a standardized county estimate in major federal datasets.

Demographic and geographic factors influencing mobile usage in Irion County

Rural settlement pattern and distance

• Low density increases the per-user cost of building and maintaining towers and backhaul, influencing both coverage extent and capacity.
• Connectivity tends to be strongest around Mertzon and along primary travel routes, with greater variability across remote areas. This pattern is consistent with how rural macro-cell networks are engineered and reported in availability datasets such as the FCC National Broadband Map.

Income, age, and affordability (adoption-side factors)

County-level demographic distributions can influence device ownership and subscription uptake through affordability and digital skills. The most direct public source for Irion County demographic context is the ACS:

• Population, age structure, income, and poverty indicators via data.census.gov

These indicators are relevant to adoption (whether households subscribe and what devices are present), but they do not measure network availability.

Housing dispersion and indoor coverage considerations

• Widely spaced housing and substantial travel between ranches and service centers increase dependence on mobile connectivity for voice and data outside fixed-line footprints.
• Indoor performance can diverge from outdoor modeled availability, especially in metal-roof structures or at long distances from towers; public datasets generally do not quantify indoor experience at county scale.

Practical distinctions for interpreting Irion County metrics

• Network availability (FCC map): best public, standardized view of where LTE/5G is reported to be available by provider, with limitations related to modeling and real-world performance variability. Reference: FCC National Broadband Map.
• Household adoption (Census/ACS): best public, standardized proxy for whether households report cellular data plans and what computing devices are present, with larger uncertainty in small counties. Reference: data.census.gov.
• State planning context: Texas program information and broadband planning context are maintained by the Texas Broadband Development Office, which is useful for statewide initiatives but does not substitute for county-specific subscription measurement.

Summary

Irion County’s mobile connectivity landscape is shaped primarily by rural geography and low population density, which affect the intensity of network deployment and the uniformity of coverage. Publicly available information supports two complementary views: (1) provider-reported LTE/5G availability through the FCC’s mapping tools, and (2) household-reported adoption proxies through ACS tables on internet subscriptions and device presence. County-level smartphone-versus-basic-phone splits and direct mobile-penetration rates are not generally published in official datasets, and the most reliable county references remain the FCC availability map and Census adoption indicators, each measuring different aspects of “mobile usage” and requiring careful separation between coverage and subscription.

Irion County is a sparsely populated county in West Texas on the Edwards Plateau, with its county seat in Mertzon and a regional economy tied to ranching, oil and gas activity, and small‑town public services. These characteristics typically align with heavier reliance on mobile connectivity, local Facebook groups, and messaging for community information, alongside broader state and national social media patterns.

User statistics (penetration / active use)

• County-specific social media penetration: No robust, publicly released dataset provides statistically reliable, Irion‑County‑only estimates of “active on social platforms” due to the county’s very small population base and survey sample-size limitations.
• Best available benchmark (U.S. adults): About 69% of U.S. adults report using at least one social media site, based on the Pew Research Center social media fact sheet. This serves as the most defensible reference point when county-level measures are unavailable.
• Texas context (broad): Texas generally tracks close to national patterns on major adoption measures in large-scale surveys, with local variation driven primarily by age structure, broadband availability, and income/education distributions.

Age group trends (highest-use groups)

Based on nationally representative results from Pew Research Center, social media use is highest among younger adults:

• 18–29: Highest overall usage (dominant users across most major platforms).
• 30–49: High usage, with platform mix shifting toward Facebook and YouTube alongside Instagram.
• 50–64: Moderate usage, with Facebook and YouTube typically leading.
• 65+: Lowest overall usage, with Facebook and YouTube generally most common among users. In rural counties such as Irion, age structure and out-migration of younger adults often amplify the importance of platforms used by middle-aged and older residents (notably Facebook), while younger cohorts maintain heavier use of Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat.

Gender breakdown

County-specific gender splits are not published in a reliable, directly comparable form. National survey patterns provide the most defensible signal:

• Women tend to report higher use than men on several social platforms in Pew’s platform-by-platform results (notably on platforms that emphasize social connection and community interaction).
• Men and women both report high usage of broadly “utility” platforms such as YouTube. Source baseline: Pew Research Center platform usage tables.

Most-used platforms (percentages where available)

No Irion‑County‑specific platform shares are publicly available with statistical reliability. National benchmarks from Pew provide comparable percentages for U.S. adults:

• YouTube: 83%
• Facebook: 68%
• Instagram: 47%
• Pinterest: 35%
• TikTok: 33%
• LinkedIn: 30%
• WhatsApp: 29%
• Snapchat: 27%
• X (formerly Twitter): 22% Source: Pew Research Center (Social Media Fact Sheet).

Behavioral trends (engagement patterns / preferences)

• Community-information use: In rural and small-town counties, Facebook commonly functions as a de facto local information layer (school updates, weather, events, buy/sell/trade), aligning with Facebook’s continued high reach among adults in Pew’s findings.
• Video-first consumption: YouTube’s very high penetration nationally (Pew) supports video as a dominant cross-age format; short instructional, local news clips, and entertainment content typically draw broad engagement.
• Age-driven platform split: Younger adults concentrate more time on TikTok/Instagram/Snapchat-style feeds, while older adults concentrate more on Facebook and YouTube (pattern reflected in Pew’s age-by-platform breakdowns).
• Messaging and group dynamics: Smaller communities often show higher relative reliance on group posts and direct messaging for coordination (events, church/community activities, local commerce), even when overall posting frequency is modest.
• Engagement timing: Engagement commonly clusters around commuting hours, lunch, and evenings in working communities; in counties with oil/gas and ranching schedules, activity often spikes early morning and after-work hours, with heavier weekend community-event posting.

Irion County family-related public records are primarily maintained through Texas state vital records systems and county offices for court filings. Birth and death records (vital records) are recorded by local registrars and filed with the state; certified copies are issued through the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Vital Statistics. The county clerk generally serves as the local contact point for records services and may accept applications or provide guidance on record location; office information is listed on the Irion County Clerk page.

Marriage records are typically filed with the county clerk; divorce records are part of district court case files, with case access and filings handled locally through the clerk’s office and the courts listed on the Irion County official website. Adoption records are handled through the courts and are generally sealed; access is restricted by law and court order.

Public databases vary; Irion County does not consistently provide comprehensive online search portals for vital or family court records. State-level ordering and verification resources are available via DSHS. In-person access commonly involves submitting a request to the appropriate office during business hours and providing required identification and fees. Privacy restrictions apply to many vital records (especially recent births) and to juvenile, adoption, and certain family court matters.

Types of records available

• Marriage license and marriage record (county-level)
  Irion County records marriages through applications for a marriage license, issuance of the license by the county clerk, and the returned/recorded license after the ceremony is performed and the officiant completes the certificate.

• Divorce records (district court-level)
  Divorce cases are maintained as court case files in the Irion County district court. Records commonly include the final decree of divorce and related filings (petitions, orders, and judgments) as part of the case file.

• Annulment records (district court-level)
  Annulments are handled as civil court matters and maintained in the district court case files. Records typically include the petition and the court’s final judgment/order granting or denying annulment.

• Statewide vital record indexes and verification letters (state-level)
  Texas maintains statewide marriage and divorce indexing/verification services through the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), distinct from county court files and certified court documents.

Where records are filed and how they can be accessed

• Marriage records

  • Filed/recorded by: Irion County Clerk (as the county’s recorder for marriage licenses and related instruments).
  • Access: Marriage records are generally accessed through the county clerk’s office (in-person or by written request, depending on the office’s procedures). Certified copies are issued by the county clerk for records maintained by that office.

• Divorce and annulment case records

  • Filed/maintained by: Irion County District Clerk (custodian of district court case files, including divorces and annulments).
  • Access: Court records are accessed through the district clerk’s office. Copies of filed documents and certified copies of final decrees/judgments are obtained from the district clerk. Some case information may be available through court record systems where provided; the official record remains the clerk-maintained case file.

• State-level records (Texas DSHS)

  • Maintained by: Texas Department of State Health Services, Vital Statistics Section.
  • Access: DSHS provides marriage and divorce verifications (often used to confirm that an event occurred and to provide basic indexed details). Certified copies of divorce decrees are not issued by DSHS; they are issued by the court clerk maintaining the case file.
  • Reference: Texas DSHS Vital Statistics

Typical information included in these records

• Marriage license / recorded marriage

  • Full names of the parties
  • Date the license was issued and county of issuance
  • Date and place of the ceremony (as reported on the completed certificate/return)
  • Name and title/authority of the officiant
  • Signatures and attestations required by Texas law
  • File/volume/page or instrument number and recording information maintained by the county clerk

• Divorce case file / final decree of divorce

  • Names of the parties, cause number, court, and county
  • Date of filing and date the divorce was granted
  • Terms of the judgment, often including:
    • Property and debt division
    • Child-related orders (conservatorship/custody, possession/access/visitation, child support) when applicable
    • Spousal maintenance (when ordered)
    • Name change provisions (when granted)
  • Judicial signature and clerk’s certification elements on certified copies

• Annulment case file / final judgment

  • Names of the parties, cause number, court, and county
  • Findings and legal basis for annulment under Texas law as reflected in pleadings and orders
  • Terms addressing property, child-related issues, and name changes where applicable
  • Judicial signature and clerk certification on certified copies

Privacy or legal restrictions

• Public-record status and access controls

  • Many Texas marriage records and court records are generally public, but access is subject to applicable statutes, court rules, and record-redaction requirements.
  • Court records may include sealed documents or confidential information restricted by law or court order. Access to sealed portions is not public.

• Confidential information and redaction

  • Texas court and clerk records commonly require protection of sensitive identifiers (such as Social Security numbers and certain financial account numbers) under Texas rules and privacy laws. Copies provided to the public may be redacted consistent with legal requirements.

• Special categories

  • Records involving minors, protective orders, or certain family-law matters can include additional confidentiality constraints or sealing orders depending on the circumstances and the court’s rulings.

• Proof of eligibility for certain certified copies

  • While marriage records are commonly obtainable as certified copies from the county clerk, access to some vital-record products and certain court documents may require specific identifying information, compliance with clerk procedures, payment of statutory fees, and adherence to any restrictions imposed by law or court order.

Irion County is a sparsely populated county in West Texas on the Edwards Plateau, with its county seat in Mertzon and regional ties to the San Angelo metro area. The community context is predominantly rural, with a small-town service center (Mertzon) and significant land area devoted to ranching and energy-related activity.

Education Indicators

Public schools (campuses and district structure)

• Public K–12 education is primarily served by Irion County ISD (Mertzon), which commonly operates as a single-campus or consolidated small-district model (elementary/secondary grades on one site or closely integrated campuses).
• A current, authoritative campus list is maintained through the Texas Education Agency district profile for Irion County ISD (Texas Education Agency district and campus snapshot tools) and the district’s own communications (Irion County ISD).
• Proxy note: Many national datasets do not consistently enumerate campus names for very small rural districts; TEA listings are the most reliable source for campus names and counts.

Student–teacher ratios and graduation outcomes

• Student–teacher ratio: Small rural districts in West Texas typically report low student–teacher ratios relative to state averages due to small enrollments. The exact ratio varies year to year and is reported in TEA and district accountability materials (TEA performance reporting).
• Graduation rate: High school graduation outcomes for Texas public districts are reported annually by TEA (four-year and extended-year rates). For Irion County ISD, TEA’s accountability and graduation datasets are the definitive source (TEA accountability).
• Proxy note: For very small cohorts, reported graduation rates can fluctuate substantially because a small number of students changes the percentage materially.

Adult educational attainment (county level)

• County-level adult education levels are most commonly sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates (data.census.gov).
• Proxy note (availability constraint): This summary relies on ACS as the standard county-level source; some tables for very small counties have larger margins of error. The most recent ACS 5-year release provides the best available county estimates for:
  • Share of adults (25+) with high school diploma or higher
  • Share with bachelor’s degree or higher

Notable programs (STEM, career/technical, AP/dual credit)

• In Texas, small rural districts commonly provide:
  • Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways (often regionally coordinated through Education Service Centers)
  • Dual credit options through nearby colleges or distance arrangements
  • Advanced Placement (AP) offerings may be limited by staffing and cohort size, with alternatives such as dual credit or online coursework.
• Definitive program listings are typically documented in district course catalogs and TEA accountability/CCMR reporting (College, Career, and Military Readiness) (TEA CCMR).
• Proxy note: Publicly comparable, campus-level program inventories are not consistently aggregated for very small districts in national datasets.

School safety measures and counseling resources

• Texas districts operate under state requirements for emergency operations plans, safety drills, and coordination with law enforcement; district-specific practices are documented in board policies and campus handbooks. State context is maintained by TEA’s school safety guidance (TEA school safety).
• Counseling services in small districts are typically provided by school counselors who cover multiple grade bands; mental-health supports may be supplemented through regional services. County-level behavioral health resources are often coordinated through regional providers (San Angelo area) rather than county-only systems.
• Proxy note: Staffing counts (e.g., counselor FTE) are best verified through TEA staffing reports or district staffing disclosures, which vary in how they are summarized publicly year to year.

Employment and Economic Conditions

Unemployment (most recent year available)

• The most widely cited local unemployment estimates come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) and Texas workforce publications. County annual averages and recent monthly readings are available via BLS and the Texas Workforce Commission (BLS LAUS; Texas Workforce Commission).
• Proxy note: For small counties, month-to-month rates can be volatile; the annual average unemployment rate is typically the most stable single-year metric.

Major industries and employment sectors

• Irion County’s economy is characteristically rural West Texas, with employment and income influenced by:
  • Agriculture and ranching (direct employment and supporting services)
  • Mining, quarrying, and oil & gas extraction (regional energy activity)
  • Government and education (school district, county services)
  • Health and social services and retail/service employment concentrated around local town centers and the larger San Angelo market
• County sector distributions are available through ACS industry-by-occupation tables and regional labor market profiles (ACS at data.census.gov).

Common occupations and workforce breakdown

• Typical occupational groups in rural West Texas counties include:
  • Management/business, sales/office, construction/extraction, transportation/material moving, education/health, and service occupations
• Definitive county occupational shares are reported in ACS occupation tables (ACS occupation data).
• Proxy note: For small-population counties, ACS occupational estimates carry larger margins of error; multi-year patterns are more reliable than a single-year shift.

Commuting patterns, mean commute time, and local vs out-of-county work

• Commuting in Irion County commonly reflects:
  • Out-of-county commuting to larger employment centers (notably San Angelo/Tom Green County) for healthcare, retail, education, and public-sector jobs
  • In-county commuting for local government, schools, ranching/energy-related work, and small-business services
• Mean travel time to work and the share working inside vs outside the county are available via ACS commuting tables (ACS commuting characteristics).
• Proxy note: Rural counties generally show longer or more variable commute times due to distances between towns, job sites, and regional centers.

Housing and Real Estate

Homeownership vs renting

• Irion County’s housing stock is predominantly owner-occupied, consistent with rural Texas counties with limited multifamily inventory.
• County tenure (owner vs renter) rates are reported in ACS housing tables (ACS housing tenure).
• Proxy note: Small rental counts can cause year-to-year percentage swings in ACS estimates.

Median property values and recent trends

• Median owner-occupied home value and changes over time are reported by ACS (5-year estimates) and can be compared with appraisal roll trends from the county appraisal district.
• Local market pricing in small counties can be thinly traded; values often reflect:
  • Single-family homes in/near Mertzon
  • Ranch properties and rural acreage, where per-acre values vary materially by water access, improvements, and proximity to highways/markets
• Authoritative assessed values and taxable value trends are documented through the local appraisal district and county tax records; county-level median value is available via ACS (ACS median home value).
• Proxy note: Median-value movements can be influenced by a small number of sales in low-volume markets.

Typical rent prices

• Median gross rent is reported in ACS for the county (ACS rent data).
• Proxy note: With limited apartment supply, reported median rent often reflects a small set of units and can be less stable than in metro counties.

Housing types and development pattern

• Housing is dominated by:
  • Detached single-family homes in town
  • Manufactured housing and farm/ranch residences outside town limits
  • Rural lots/acreage tracts with a mix of primary residences and land-use holdings
• Multifamily apartments typically represent a small share of units; the county’s rural land profile shapes both inventory and pricing.

Neighborhood characteristics (schools and amenities)

• The most developed neighborhood structure is generally in and around Mertzon, where proximity to the ISD campus(es), city services, and local businesses is greatest.
• Outside town, housing is dispersed with larger parcel sizes and greater travel distances to schools, groceries, and healthcare—often oriented to highway access and regional travel to San Angelo.

Property tax overview (rate and typical homeowner cost)

• Texas property taxes are levied by overlapping jurisdictions (county, school district, and any city/special districts). In rural counties, the school district is commonly the largest portion of the total rate.
• Effective tax rates and typical bills depend on exemptions (notably homestead) and appraised value. Countywide and school-district tax rates are published annually in local truth-in-taxation notices and tax office materials. Statewide context and rate concepts are summarized by the Texas Comptroller’s property tax guidance (Texas Comptroller property tax overview).
• Proxy note: A single “average” homeowner tax bill is not consistently published as an official county statistic; the most defensible approach is using the applicable tax rates times local appraisal values (less exemptions) from county appraisal/tax records, alongside ACS estimates of housing value distributions.

Data limitations note (county scale): For Irion County, the most current, comparable county-level indicators are typically from ACS 5-year estimates (education, commuting, housing), BLS LAUS/TWC (unemployment), and TEA (schools, staffing, graduation, CCMR). Small population and small graduating cohorts increase statistical volatility, so multi-year context and official agency datasets provide the most stable profile.