Cottle County

Cottle County sits at the extreme low end of the Texas price spectrum, with a median home price of $65,066 and a 26.2% year-over-year appreciation rate that stands out as the headline number here. The affordability index scores a perfect 100 against a median household income of $47,625, meaning the price-to-income relationship is genuinely favorable. However, the cash flow score is zero and cap rate data is absent from the dataset, which is a material gap. Without reliable rent comparables feeding into the model, an investor cannot confirm whether the gross yield justifies acquisition, financing, and carry costs. What the numbers do say clearly is that this is not a conventional cap-rate-driven, cash-flow-certain market, and any underwrite built on the 26.2% appreciation figure needs to treat that as a trailing data point on a tiny, illiquid market rather than a forward projection.

The appreciation score of 57 out of 100 and the overall rank of 183 out of 1,000 counties nationally (77th percentile) suggest the market has relative momentum, but the cash flow score of zero should stop any yield-focused buyer before they get too far into a deal. This county is not suited for a cash-flow buyer seeking predictable monthly returns backed by rent data, and it is probably not suited for a value-add operator either, given the lack of scale and the absence of rent comp infrastructure that makes repositioning viable. The case here, if there is one, is for a speculative appreciation buyer with a very high risk tolerance, a small acquisition check at $65,066, and no dependence on income from the asset. The low price point means the absolute dollar exposure is limited, but that cuts both ways: the exit market is equally thin.

The population figure of 1,647 is the single most important context number in this dataset, and it drives nearly every risk factor. At under 2,000 residents, Cottle County has essentially no tenant pool depth. A vacancy of even one unit is a meaningful percentage of the total rental demand in the county. No economic anchor data was provided, so the employment base and job stability picture cannot be assessed from this dataset. What can be said is that rural West Texas counties of this size are typically exposed to agricultural cycles and, where applicable, oil and gas activity, but those connections cannot be confirmed without the data.

On carry costs, the monthly tax and insurance figure is $125, composed of $1,171 in annual property tax at Texas's state-average effective rate of 1.80% and $325 in annual insurance. The 1.80% rate carries a high flag, and it deserves its own line on any underwrite. At a $65,066 purchase price the absolute dollar amount is manageable, but the rate itself is high enough that if county or township assessments diverge upward from the state average, it erodes a meaningful slice of whatever gross yield the property generates. The dataset note is worth taking literally: the 1.80% is a state-average estimate per Tax Foundation 2024 data, and actual Cottle County rates may differ. Confirm with the county appraisal district before closing.

The primary risks here are concentration and liquidity. A 1,647-person county means any investment is entirely dependent on a handful of renters, a single economic sector, and a buyer pool measured in dozens rather than thousands when it comes time to exit. Population trajectory data is not provided, but rural Texas counties of this size have historically faced outmigration pressure, and an investor should independently verify population trend data before committing. There are no regulatory or demographic data points in this dataset to flag beyond what the population number itself implies.

Against its neighbors, Cottle's $65,066 median price is the lowest in the comparison set by a wide margin. Wichita County sits at $163,787 with a rent-to-price ratio of 8.67% and a median rent of $1,182, making it the clearest alternative for an investor who needs both rent data and scale. Wichita carries the same overall score of 68 but with an actual functioning rental market behind it. Donley at $107,131 and Dawson at $102,880 are mid-range on price with the same overall score of 68, and Matagorda at $210,399 pairs a higher price with a weaker 5.39% rent-to-price ratio and a lower overall score of 64. The only reason to choose Cottle over any of these neighbors is if an investor specifically wants the lowest possible dollar exposure and is making a pure price-appreciation bet with no expectation of rental income supporting the carry. For any investor who needs rent to service debt or produce a return, Wichita County is the straightforward choice in this comparison set.