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Montague County, TX

Migration of people and income, 20222023 filing years

At a glance (2023)

Cost of living
97
3% below the U.S. average
Median home value
$189,400
national $303,400
Home prices, 5 years
+75.9%
over the 5 years to 2023
Monthly rent
$957
national $1,348
Homeownership
79%
national 65%
Unemployment
3.9%
national 3.6%
Household income
$62,818
national $78,538
Median age
44.0 yrs
national 38.7

Cost of living is the statewide price level for Texas (state avg).

The cost of living runs about 3% below the national average. The median home is valued at $189,400 (nominal). Home prices have risen about 76% over the five years to 2023. Median rent is about $957 a month. Unemployment averaged 3.9% in 2023 (national 3.6%). Median household income is $62,818. 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, Montague County, TX saw a net gain of 137 tax-filing households and a net gain of 285 individuals. Against a population of about 21,598, that is a net inflow of about 13 per 1,000 residents. On net, the area gained $28.8M in associated adjusted gross income (AGI, nominal dollars). The largest inflow, about 103 households, came from Wise County; the largest outflow, about 52 households, went to Tarrant County. In the prior (2022) filing year, the area saw a net gain of 743 individuals. These figures cover federal income tax filers only and do not indicate why people moved.

Net income (AGI)
+$28.8M
nominal dollars
Net households
+137
tax returns
Net people
+285
exemptions

+13.2 net people per 1,000 residents (population 21,598)

Income (AGI) in and out

Moved in$58.1M
Moved out$29.3M
Net +$28.8M (nominal)
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Montague County within Texas

Montague 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.
Loading map…

Where movers came from

  1. 1Wise County, TX103$6.7M
  2. 2Tarrant County, TX92$13.7M
  3. 3Denton County, TX90$9.2M
  4. 4Wichita County, TX45$1.9M
  5. 5Cooke County, TX32$1.9M
  6. 6Parker County, TX27$2.9M
  7. 7Clay County, TX22$1.1M
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Where movers went

  1. 1Tarrant County, TX52$3.1M
  2. 2Wichita County, TX52$1.7M
  3. 3Wise County, TX51$3.3M
  4. 4Denton County, TX49$2.1M
  5. 5Cooke County, TX34$1.8M
  6. 6Clay County, TX23$1.1M
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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.

Wise County, TX10351+52+$3.4M
Tarrant County, TX9252+40+$10.6M
Denton County, TX9049+41+$7.1M
Wichita County, TX4552-7+$256K
Cooke County, TX3234-2+$116K
Clay County, TX2223-1-$26K
Parker County, TX27

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: +$143.7M (+2,560 people)
20122023
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Net AGI and net people by year (nominal dollars)
YearNet AGINet people
2012+$11.2M-91
2013-$3.5M-7
2014-$7M-155
2015+$1.2M-81
2016+$8.2M+149
2017+$15.4M+208
2018+$17.9M+367
2019+$4.4M+180
2020+$23.4M+515
2021+$8.6M+447
2022+$35.2M+743
2023+$28.8M+285
Migration in context

How big is this move, relative to the county?

In the 20222023 filing year, about 285 more people moved into Montague County, TX than left (counting tax filers and their dependents) — a net gain of about $28.8M in income (nominal) — in a county of 21,649 people.

Population
21,649
Census 2023 estimate
Net migration rate
+13.2
net people per 1,000 residents
A town of 10,000 would net about +132 people.
Net income per resident
+$1,330
nominal dollars
+$28.8M total across 21,649 residents.

The rate lets you compare Montague 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
+217
Deaths
-308
Net domestic migration
+615
Net international migration
+8
Total change
+543

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 Montague County, TX run about 3% below the national average. In plain terms: $100 spent here buys about what $103 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
$50,461
what people here earn (BEA 2023, nominal)
28% below the U.S. average
Price level
97.1
100 = U.S. average prices (BEA price parity)
everyday costs about 2.9% lower than average
What that income buys
$51,947
local income restated at U.S.-average prices
26% below the U.S. average
Cheaper than U.S. avgU.S. average (100)Pricier

This county isn't in a metro area that BEA prices separately, so cost of living shows the Texas (state avg) figure.

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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 & rents97.5
Goods98.1
Utilities92.4
Other services96.6

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 Montague County, TX

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

Median age
44.0
years
Median household income
$62,818
per household (ACS 2019–2023, nominal)
20% below the U.S. median
College degree
18%
adults 25+ with a bachelor's or higher
Poverty rate
13.5%
residents below the poverty line
Average commute
31 min
mean travel time to work
Broadband at home
79%
households with any broadband
Race and ethnicity (share of residents)
White 84%Hispanic 12%Black 0%Asian 0%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
$189,400
owner-occupied homes
38% below the U.S. median
Median rent
$957
gross rent per month
29% below the U.S. median
Homeownership
79%
of occupied homes are owner-occupied
Home-price appreciation · FHFA index, 2023
Past year
+10.7%
price change, 2022 to 2023
Past 5 years
+76%
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
6new housing units authorized in 2023
Single-family 67%Multifamily 33%

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
3.9%
BLS 2023 annual average
Labor force
9,116
8,759 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 · ▲ 0.1 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 Montague County, TX has voted. Certified returns, popular vote only. This is a separate dataset from the migration figures on this page.

YearDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
20241,2089,82568R +77.611,101
20201,0978,615107R +76.69,819
20168857,526193R +77.28,604
20121,1166,54986R +70.17,751
20081,5976,245108R +58.57,950
20041,9465,91041R +50.27,897
20002,2564,951123R +36.87,330

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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