{"area":{"county":"Starr County","state":"TX","stateName":"Texas","slug":"starr-tx","metro":null},"homeValue":{"series":[{"date":"2021-04-01","value":79723},{"date":"2021-07-01","value":83695},{"date":"2021-10-01","value":87345},{"date":"2022-01-01","value":90895},{"date":"2022-04-01","value":95084},{"date":"2022-07-01","value":95100},{"date":"2022-10-01","value":95248},{"date":"2023-01-01","value":95309},{"date":"2023-04-01","value":96088},{"date":"2023-07-01","value":97500},{"date":"2023-10-01","value":97570},{"date":"2024-01-01","value":98194},{"date":"2024-04-01","value":98775},{"date":"2024-07-01","value":98962},{"date":"2024-10-01","value":99779},{"date":"2025-01-01","value":100298},{"date":"2025-04-01","value":99289},{"date":"2025-07-01","value":99049},{"date":"2025-10-01","value":99227},{"date":"2026-01-01","value":99063},{"date":"2026-04-01","value":99741}],"latest":99741,"yoy":0.45523673317285906,"fiveYr":25.10944144098943,"sinceStart":344.2608347066946,"modeled":true},"rent":{"series":[{"date":"2026-11-01","value":1014}],"latest":1014,"yoy":null,"fiveYr":null,"sinceStart":null,"modeled":true},"census":{"medianIncome":37639,"population":66067,"povertyRate":33.51579653574042,"medianHomeValue":95100,"medianGrossRent":726,"medianPropertyTax":1083},"hud":{"county":"Starr County","year":"2027","perUnit":1014,"bedrooms":2,"estimated":false,"baseBedrooms":2},"crime":{"scope":"state","state":"Texas","period":"11-2024 to 10-2026","window":{"from":"11-2024","to":"10-2026","fellBack":false},"violentCrime":{"total":200412,"ratePer100k":316.00935243374596},"propertyCrime":{"total":1038472,"ratePer100k":1637.4611512313488},"note":"State-level totals from the FBI CDE summarized offense endpoint."},"crimeVintage":{"from":"11-2024","to":"10-2026","fellBack":false},"priceToRentRatio":8.2,"ratioVerdict":"Favorable for buying — price-to-rent favors owning (modeled investor cash flow is positive at standard assumptions)","priceCagr":4.582900181988081,"rentCagr":3,"cashFlow":{"price":99741,"monthlyRent":1014,"grossRent":1014,"downPct":20,"ratePct":6.75,"units":1,"state":"TX","down":19948.2,"loan":79792.8,"mortgagePI":517.5345819984832,"monthlyTax":94.6708325,"taxRatePct":1.139,"taxRateSource":"Census ACS county effective rate 1.14% ($1,083 tax ÷ $95,100 ACS median), applied to current value","monthlyInsurance":70.64987500000001,"insuranceRatePct":0.85,"insuranceBasis":"Insurance: state-level estimate (TX avg 0.85%/yr)","insuranceHighRisk":true,"vacancyPct":5,"vacancyLoss":50.7,"egi":963.3,"mgmtPct":10,"monthlyMgmt":101.4,"maintenancePct":5,"monthlyMaint":50.7,"capexPct":5,"monthlyCapex":50.7,"hoaMonthly":0,"monthlyHoa":0,"operatingExpenses":368.1207075,"noi":595.1792925,"totalExpenses":885.6552894984832,"cashFlow":77.64471050151678,"annualCf":931.7365260182014,"cocReturn":4.6707799501619265,"capRate":7.160697717087255},"resilience":{"scenarios":[{"id":"rentDown","label":"Rent drops 10%","kind":"standard","detail":"Standard assumption","cashFlow":1.594710501516829,"delta":-76,"survives":true},{"id":"vacancy","label":"Vacancy stretches to 8%","kind":"standard","detail":"Standard assumption","cashFlow":47.224710501516824,"delta":-30,"survives":true},{"id":"insurance","label":"Insurance costs rise 25%","kind":"standard","detail":"Standard assumption","cashFlow":59.98224175151677,"delta":-18,"survives":true},{"id":"rateReset","label":"If financed at 8.25% instead","kind":"standard","detail":"Fixed-rate comparison — the deal if you'd borrowed at a higher rate today; your actual fixed payment never resets","cashFlow":-4.277366337146304,"delta":-82,"survives":false},{"id":"historyHome","label":"Worst market shock in available history (since 1991-01-01) (home values −2.6% over 9 months)","kind":"history","detail":"History-derived proxy: worst decline found in any window of up to 12 months in the state FHFA home-value series, 2010-04-01 → 2011-01-01, applied to rent","cashFlow":57.75337513914269,"delta":-20,"survives":true}],"survived":4,"total":5,"score":80,"worstCashFlow":-4.277366337146304,"baselineCashFlow":77.64471050151678,"framing":"scored","confidenceLabel":"crosscheck","omitted":[],"note":"Each scenario re-runs the same verified cash-flow engine with one shock applied, then re-checks the cash-flow identity before display. Standard shocks are fixed assumptions; the history-derived scenario is this market's own worst observed 12-month decline. Estimates only — not a guarantee of performance."},"rentVsBuy":{"years":7,"priceCagr":4.582900181988081,"rentCagr":3,"totalRentPaid":93236.83981632728,"totalCashOutlay":91085.13832428615,"insuranceBasis":"Insurance: state-level estimate (TX avg 0.85%/yr)","homeValueAfter":136489.26199138083,"equityBuilt":64047.394987401014,"netCostOfBuying":46985.94333688513,"buyingCheaper":true,"savings":46250.89647944215},"priceToIncome":{"ratio":2.6499375647599566,"price":99741,"medianIncome":37639,"label":"Affordable (≤3x income — historical rule of thumb)"},"countyTaxRatePct":1.139,"countyTaxSource":"Census ACS county effective rate 1.14% ($1,083 tax ÷ $95,100 ACS median), applied to current value","dataCheck":{"status":"crosscheck","checks":[{"metric":"home value (vintage update)","primary":99741,"secondary":95100,"primarySource":"current estimate (ACS county median × FHFA state HPI growth)","secondarySource":"raw ACS 2023 county median (as measured ~2021)","ratio":1.05,"grade":"verified","consistent":true,"hidePoint":false},{"metric":"HUD fair market rent","primary":1014,"secondary":726,"primarySource":"HUD FMR (county)","secondarySource":"Census ACS (county gross rent)","ratio":1.4,"grade":"crosscheck","consistent":false,"hidePoint":true}],"confidence":{"homeValue":{"label":"verified","ratio":1.05,"sources":["current estimate (ACS county median × FHFA state HPI growth)","raw ACS 2023 county median (as measured ~2021)"],"hidePoint":false,"range":{"low":95100,"high":99741}},"rent":{"label":"crosscheck","ratio":1.4,"sources":["HUD FMR (county)","Census ACS (county gross rent)"],"hidePoint":true,"range":{"low":726,"high":1014}},"income":{"label":"estimate","sources":["Census ACS"]},"crime":{"label":"estimate","sources":["FBI CDE"]}},"note":"Every headline metric is checked against a second figure, and each check names its own basis. The rent and property-price checks pair genuinely independent datasets (HUD FMR vs Census ACS gross rent; your price vs the county estimate). The home-value check compares our current estimate (ACS county median updated by the FHFA state index) against the raw ACS 2023 median — its spread reflects price movement since the ACS measurement period (~2021), not disagreement between unrelated sources. 'Verified' means the two figures agree within 15%; 'Cross-checked' means they diverge more than 15%; 'Divergent' flags a >2x difference. A spread beyond 35% is too wide to defend a single point — the headline shows the source range instead, flagged 'sources disagree'."},"integrity":{"status":"pass","checks":[{"name":"home value freshness","status":"pass","detail":"latest 2026-04-01 (227d old — current for quarterly cadence)"},{"name":"home value card↔chart","status":"pass","detail":"card matches chart"},{"name":"home value growth window","status":"pass","detail":"growth matches the 5.0yr available window"},{"name":"rent freshness","status":"pass","detail":"latest 2026-11-01 (13d old — current for monthly cadence)"},{"name":"rent card↔chart","status":"pass","detail":"card matches chart"},{"name":"cash flow identity","status":"pass","detail":"NOI − P&I = cash flow"},{"name":"cash-on-cash","status":"pass","detail":"annual CF ÷ down matches"},{"name":"cap rate","status":"pass","detail":"NOI×12 ÷ price matches"},{"name":"price-to-rent","status":"pass","detail":"price ÷ (rent×12) matches"},{"name":"income plausibility","status":"pass","detail":"within expected range"},{"name":"price-to-income","status":"pass","detail":"price ÷ income matches"},{"name":"buy-vs-rent: home value at term","status":"pass","detail":"compounds at 4.6%/yr"},{"name":"buy-vs-rent: total rent paid","status":"pass","detail":"geometric series matches"},{"name":"buy-vs-rent: equity built","status":"pass","detail":"home value − loan balance matches"},{"name":"buy-vs-rent: net cost","status":"pass","detail":"outlay − equity gain matches"},{"name":"buy-vs-rent: savings & verdict","status":"pass","detail":"savings = rent − net cost, verdict matches"}],"summary":"16/16 verified","freshness":{"homeValue":{"date":"2026-04-01","ageDays":227,"cadence":"quarterly","current":true},"rent":{"date":"2026-11-01","ageDays":13,"cadence":"monthly","current":true}}},"confidence":{"homeValue":{"label":"verified","ratio":1.05,"sources":["current estimate (ACS county median × FHFA state HPI growth)","raw ACS 2023 county median (as measured ~2021)"],"hidePoint":false,"range":{"low":95100,"high":99741}},"rent":{"label":"crosscheck","ratio":1.4,"sources":["HUD FMR (county)","Census ACS (county gross rent)"],"hidePoint":true,"range":{"low":726,"high":1014}},"income":{"label":"estimate","sources":["Census ACS"]},"crime":{"label":"estimate","sources":["FBI CDE"]}},"verdict":"Starr County, TX leans favorable for buying: a price-to-rent ratio of 8.2 favors owning at the median, and modeled investor cash flow is positive (78/mo at standard assumptions).","faqs":[{"q":"Is Starr County, TX a good rental market?","a":"For owning at the median, yes — Starr County's price-to-rent ratio of 8.2 is in the favorable range, and modeled investor cash flow is positive (about $78/mo at 20% down)."},{"q":"What is the median home value in Starr County?","a":"The typical home value in Starr County is about $99,741 (county-level, Census ACS & FHFA state HPI), up 0.5% year-over-year, and up 25.1% over five years."},{"q":"What is the median rent in Starr County?","a":"The typical rent in Starr County is about $1,014/mo (county-level, HUD 2-bedroom benchmark bridged from Census ACS gross rent), a current modeled estimate."},{"q":"Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Starr County?","a":"Over a 7-year horizon, buying is cheaper in Starr County — roughly $46,251 ahead of renting, with about $64,047 in equity built."},{"q":"Is Starr County affordable for homebuyers?","a":"Starr County's median home value is 2.6x the local median household income — Affordable (≤3x income — historical rule of thumb)."},{"q":"What is the property tax rate in Starr County?","a":"Starr County's effective property tax rate is about 1.14% of home value (Census ACS county effective rate 1.14% ($1,083 tax ÷ $95,100 ACS median), applied to current value), which on a $99,741 median home is roughly $95/mo."}],"takeaways":["The median home value in Starr County, TX was $99,741 as of April 2026, up 0.5% year over year (FHFA HPI applied to the Census ACS county median).","The typical market rent in Starr County, TX was $1,014/mo as of November 2026, a current modeled estimate (HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027, bridged from Census ACS gross rent).","Starr County, TX has a price-to-rent ratio of 8.2 — a reading that favors owning (owner-occupant math — not automatically strong investor cash flow). (Computed by Areal from the figures above.)"],"citationSources":[{"name":"U.S. Census Bureau — ACS ACS 2024 5-year estimates","url":"https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/"},{"name":"FHFA House Price Index","url":"https://www.fhfa.gov/data/hpi"},{"name":"HUD Fair Market Rent","url":"https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr.html"},{"name":"FBI Crime Data Explorer","url":"https://cde.ucr.cjis.gov/"}],"jsonApi":{"function":"getCountyReport","query":"slug=starr-tx","url":"https://areal.studio/functions/getCountyReport?slug=starr-tx"},"assumptions":{"downPct":20,"ratePct":6.75,"years":7},"dataVintage":{"pulledAt":"2026-11-14T04:49:23.733Z","homeValueBasis":"FHFA state HPI (quarterly) × ACS county anchor","rentBasis":"HUD county FMR — flat current estimate (modeled, no public trend)","zhviThrough":null,"zoriThrough":null,"fhfaHpiThrough":"2026-04-01","hpiLevel":"state","hpiMetro":null,"acsVintage":"ACS 2024 5-year estimates","acsVintageMisses":[],"hudFy":"2027","safmrFy":null},"zipAnchors":{"homeValueTier":"county-fhfa-acs","rentTier":"county-acs-hud","zhvi":null,"zori":null,"safmr":null,"countyHomeEstimate":99741,"countyFmr":1014,"countyRatio":null,"hpiLevel":"state","hpiMetro":null},"links":{"stateDir":"TX","stateName":"Texas","cityPages":[],"zips":[]},"sources":["Census ACS 5-year","FHFA HPI","HUD Fair Market Rent","FBI CDE (state-level context)"]}