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Ellis County, TX

Migration of people and income, 20222023 filing years

At a glance (2023)

Cost of living
102
2% above the U.S. average
Median home value
$306,400
national $303,400
Home prices, 5 years
+61.0%
over the 5 years to 2023
Monthly rent
$1,449
national $1,348
Homeownership
76%
national 65%
Unemployment
3.6%
national 3.6%
Household income
$95,898
national $78,538
Median age
36.3 yrs
national 38.7

Cost of living is the metro-area price level for Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX.

The cost of living runs about 2% above the national average. The median home is valued at $306,400 (nominal). Home prices have risen about 61% over the five years to 2023. Median rent is about $1,449 a month. Unemployment averaged 3.6% in 2023 (national 3.6%). Median household income is $95,898. These figures describe all residents, not just tax filers, come from separate sources than the migration data on this page, and do not indicate why anyone moved.

Between the 2022 and 2023 filing years, Ellis County, TX saw a net gain of 2,845 tax-filing households and a net gain of 6,609 individuals. Against a population of about 222,829, that is a net inflow of about 30 per 1,000 residents. On net, the area gained $250.6M in associated adjusted gross income (AGI, nominal dollars). The largest inflow, about 3,219 households, came from Dallas County; the largest outflow, about 1,509 households, went to Dallas County. In the prior (2022) filing year, the area saw a net gain of 7,782 individuals. These figures cover federal income tax filers only and do not indicate why people moved.

Net income (AGI)
+$250.6M
nominal dollars
Net households
+2,845
tax returns
Net people
+6,609
exemptions

+29.7 net people per 1,000 residents (population 222,829)

Income (AGI) in and out

Moved in$621M
Moved out$370.4M
Net +$250.6M (nominal)
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Ellis County within Texas

Ellis County is outlined, with arrows tracing its largest moves to and from other Texas counties. Hover any county for its figures; click to open it.

Net outNet in(AGI $)
Hover an area to trace its top 5 inbound (in) and outbound (out) moves.
Net income (AGI) that moved in minus out, in nominal dollars (not adjusted for inflation).Net tax returns (filing households) that moved in minus out.Net people per 1,000 residents, so larger and smaller areas compare fairly.
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Where movers came from

  1. 1Dallas County, TX3,219$205.8M
  2. 2Tarrant County, TX1,508$112.5M
  3. 3Denton County, TX275$19M
  4. 4Johnson County, TX249$18M
  5. 5Navarro County, TX214$9.4M
  6. 6Collin County, TX206$16.4M
  7. 7Kaufman County, TX152$10.7M
  8. 8Harris County, TX113$8.4M
  9. 9Bexar County, TX75$5.4M
  10. 10Hill County, TX60$2.8M
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Where movers went

  1. 1Dallas County, TX1,509$73.9M
  2. 2Tarrant County, TX854$47.8M
  3. 3Johnson County, TX333$27M
  4. 4Navarro County, TX260$14.3M
  5. 5Denton County, TX206$15.7M
  6. 6Collin County, TX170$11.7M
  7. 7Kaufman County, TX150$10.2M
  8. 8Harris County, TX92$5.8M
  9. 9Hill County, TX88$7.7M
  10. 10Henderson County, TX79$4.6M
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Churn by county · both directions at once

The biggest two-way exchanges of filing households, 20222023. Moved in and moved out are gross one-way counts; net is the difference. Click a column to sort.

Dallas County, TX3,2191,509+1,710+$132M
Tarrant County, TX1,508854+654+$64.7M
Johnson County, TX249333-84-$9M
Denton County, TX275206+69+$3.3M
Navarro County, TX214260-46-$4.9M
Collin County, TX206170+36+$4.6M
Kaufman County, TX152150+2+$444K
Harris County, TX11392+21+$2.5M
Hill County, TX6088-28-$4.9M
Bexar County, TX7550+25+$2.9M
Henderson County, TX4479-35-$1.5M
Travis County, TX5751+6+$795K

Counts are filing households (IRS returns), matching the lists above; income is nominal AGI. A dash means the IRS published only one direction of that exchange (small flows are suppressed), so no net is computed.

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Net migration by year

Net 2012–2023: +$1.7B (+53,923 people)
20122023
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Net AGI and net people by year (nominal dollars)
YearNet AGINet people
2012+$20.3M+300
2013+$48.6M+2,155
2014+$58.5M+2,471
2015+$65.2M+1,823
2016+$78M+3,555
2017+$194.4M+6,416
2018+$154.8M+4,691
2019+$120M+4,512
2020+$251M+6,667
2021+$245.4M+6,942
2022+$255.3M+7,782
2023+$250.6M+6,609
Migration in context

How big is this move, relative to the county?

In the 20222023 filing year, about 6,609 more people moved into Ellis County, TX than left (counting tax filers and their dependents) — a net gain of about $250.6M in income (nominal) — in a county of 223,347 people.

Population
223,347
Census 2023 estimate
Net migration rate
+29.6
net people per 1,000 residents
A town of 10,000 would net about +296 people.
Net income per resident
+$1,122
nominal dollars
+$250.6M total across 223,347 residents.

The rate lets you compare Ellis County, TX with a countyof any size: it’s the net flow divided by population. The IRS counts tax filers; population counts all residents, so read the rate as a scale indicator, not a literal share of people.

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Components of population change · 2023 (Census)

Where the county’s overall change came from. Census counts all residents; the IRS migration above is one slice of the domestic-migration component.

Births
+2,903
Deaths
-1,561
Net domestic migration
+8,923
Net international migration
+449
Total change
+10,859

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program. Figures are people, not tax filers.

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Income & cost of living

What a dollar is worth here

Prices around Ellis County, TX run about 2% above the national average. In plain terms: $100 spent here buys about what $98 buys in the average American community. The figures below apply that to income, each compared to the U.S. average of $70,002 per person.

Income per person
$56,934
what people here earn (BEA 2023, nominal)
19% below the U.S. average
Price level
102.5
100 = U.S. average prices (BEA price parity)
everyday costs about 2.5% higher than average
What that income buys
$55,551
local income restated at U.S.-average prices
21% below the U.S. average
Cheaper than U.S. avgU.S. average (100)Pricier

Cost of living shown for the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area (BEA publishes price parities by metro, not by county).

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Where the cost comes from · price parity by category

Index where 100 = U.S. average for that category. Housing is usually what separates one place from another.

Housing & rents117.8
Goods103.6
Utilities96.5
Other services97.7

Housing is measured from rents (including an estimated rental value for owner-occupied homes), so a run-up in purchase prices shows here only as it reaches rents. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer income above. How the data works.

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Who lives here

The people of Ellis County, TX

American Community Survey, 2019–2023 (a 5-year average of all residents, not just tax filers).

Median age
36.3
years
Median household income
$95,898
per household (ACS 2019–2023, nominal)
22% above the U.S. median
College degree
29%
adults 25+ with a bachelor's or higher
Poverty rate
8.1%
residents below the poverty line
Average commute
31 min
mean travel time to work
Broadband at home
92%
households with any broadband
Race and ethnicity (share of residents)
White 55%Hispanic 28%Black 13%Asian 1%Other 4%

White, Black, and Asian counts are people who are not Hispanic or Latino; Hispanic or Latino can be of any race. Shares are rounded and may not total 100.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer data. A 5-year estimate is an average over 2019–2023; compare years at least five apart, since consecutive windows overlap. How the data works.

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Housing · what it costs to live here (ACS 2019–2023)

Median home value
$306,400
owner-occupied homes
1% above the U.S. median
Median rent
$1,449
gross rent per month
7% above the U.S. median
Homeownership
76%
of occupied homes are owner-occupied
Home-price appreciation · FHFA index, 2023
Past year
+4.6%
price change, 2022 to 2023
Past 5 years
+61%
price change, 2018 to 2023

A repeat-sales index (how much the same homes changed in price), so it tracks the market over time rather than the current level. Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency, annual all-transactions HPI; the county series is FHFA’s developmental index.

New home construction · building permits, 2023
2,884new housing units authorized in 2023
Single-family 99%Multifamily 1%

Units authorized by residential building permits (new supply), summed from counties for the state and U.S. Permits are authorizations, not completions. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.

Home value is what owners estimate their homes are worth, not recent sale prices. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023), nominal dollars. How the data works.

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Local economy & risk

Jobs and natural hazards

Unemployment rate
3.6%
BLS 2023 annual average
Labor force
118,702
114,397 employed
Disaster declarations
major federal, 2023

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS) and FEMA. A disaster declaration marks federal assistance eligibility, not damage severity, and says nothing about why anyone moved. How the data works.

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Unemployment now
3.7%
April 2026 · ▲ 0.3 points vs April 2025
January 2024April 2026

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS). Monthly unemployment for this county, not seasonally adjusted. Updated every month, so it moves faster than the annual average above. How the data works.

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How Ellis County, TX has voted. Certified returns, popular vote only. This is a separate dataset from the migration figures on this page.

YearDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
202433,85064,763944R +31.199,557
202027,56556,7171,211R +34.185,493
201616,25344,9412,479R +45.163,673
201213,88139,574696R +47.454,151
200815,33338,078442R +42.253,853
200411,64034,602202R +49.446,444
200010,62926,091587R +41.437,307

Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab county returns (CC0). Margins are the popular-vote gap as a share of all votes cast.

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