Big Spring anchors a county built on oil, wind, and wide horizons

Howard County is home to 32,702 residents across four communities in the heart of West Texas oil country. Big Spring, the county seat with 18 neighborhoods, anchors the region, while Coahoma, Forsan, and Sand Springs serve as smaller satellites. The median home value stands at $269,267, with median rent at $903 monthly. The economy runs on oil and gas extraction, where 884 workers average $96,554 annually, alongside manufacturing and utilities jobs that push the median household income to $93,104.

Cities Compared

Big Spring offers the county's most developed housing market with 18 neighborhoods ranging from historic Victorian homes to modern subdivisions, while Coahoma, Forsan, and Sand Springs provide progressively more rural options for families seeking space over services.

Demographics

The county's population of 32,702 skews younger than the Texas average, with a median age of 34.2 and a nearly even split between white (43.7%) and Hispanic (47.3%) residents. The 70% homeownership rate and $93,104 median household income reflect the stability that oil field wages bring to working families.

Economy

Howard County's employment landscape is dominated by energy extraction, with 884 workers in oil and gas averaging $96,554, while manufacturing and utilities add another thousand high-wage positions. Retail trade employs the most workers at 1,498, but at less than half the pay of energy sector jobs, creating a bifurcated economy typical of Permian Basin communities.

Schools

No school district data is currently available for Howard County, though the communities of Big Spring, Coahoma, and Forsan each operate their own independent school districts serving the county's families.

Cost of Living

With a median home value of $269,267 and median rent of $903, Howard County offers West Texas affordability, particularly for energy sector workers whose $96,554 average wages go considerably further here than in urban markets. The 70% homeownership rate suggests housing costs remain accessible relative to local incomes.

About Howard County

Howard County sits in the heart of West Texas, where the rolling plains of the Permian Basin collide with the edge of the Caprock Escarpment. Formed in 1876 from Young and Bexar Territories and organized in 1882, the county was named for Volney Erskine Howard, a delegate to the first state constitutional convention who came to Texas in 1844. This is a landscape shaped by oil, water, and the ancient Comanche War Trail that once threaded through the region on its way to San Antonio.

Big Spring dominates the county as both the seat and economic engine, home to roughly 18 distinct neighborhoods and the vast majority of Howard County's 32,702 residents. The city grew around the natural spring that gave it its name, a critical water source on the frontier that served as an oasis for Comanche war parties between 1750 and 1875. The 15-story Settles Hotel, opened in 1930 after oil was discovered on the Settles ranch in 1927, still anchors downtown as a reminder of the boom that transformed this ranching outpost into an oil town. Big Spring State Park preserves a section of the old Comanche War Trail, and the city's Victorian architecture, including the 1901 Potton House built by a Texas & Pacific Railroad master mechanic, speaks to its railroad and early commercial heritage.

The smaller communities of Coahoma, Forsan, and Sand Springs orbit Big Spring as rural satellites, each maintaining their own character while sharing in the county's oil-driven prosperity. Forsan developed as an oil camp, while Coahoma serves as a quieter residential option for families working in Big Spring or the surrounding energy sector. Sand Springs, with three neighborhoods, offers a more dispersed rural living pattern. These towns represent the county's ranching and agricultural past, even as the economy has shifted decisively toward extraction industries.

The county's economy tells the story of modern West Texas: oil and gas extraction employs 884 workers at an average pay of $96,554, while manufacturing and utilities add another thousand high-wage jobs. Retail trade and hospitality employ more people but at significantly lower wages, creating a bifurcated economy where energy workers enjoy six-figure incomes while service workers earn roughly a quarter of that. The median household income of $93,104 reflects the pull of those oil field wages, and homeownership at 70 percent suggests a population with deep roots and stable employment.

Howard County suits people who understand West Texas on its own terms. This is not a place of tree-lined boulevards or weekend farmers markets. It's a working landscape where the economy rises and falls with oil prices, where the wind blows hard across open plains, and where community life centers on high school football and church. The median home value of $269,267 offers affordability compared to urban Texas, and the relatively low median rent of $903 makes it accessible for young workers entering the energy sector. Families here value stability, space, and the kind of tight-knit community that forms when everyone's fortunes are tied to the same industry. The population skews young, with a median age of 34.2, and the Hispanic majority reflects the broader demographic shift across West Texas.

From County Seat to Oil Camps

Big Spring functions as the urban center of Howard County, though urban is a relative term in West Texas. With 18 neighborhoods spread across the city, it offers the county's most diverse housing stock, from historic homes near the original spring to mid-century subdivisions built during oil booms and newer construction on the edges. The Settles Hotel downtown remains the architectural landmark, a 15-story testament to the wealth that flowed through the city when oil first hit in the late 1920s. The J. & W. Fisher Company, established in 1881 when Joseph Fisher opened a general store in a tent, grew into a regional institution that served a trade territory stretching across the sparsely populated plains. Big Spring is where you find the county's retail establishments, medical facilities, and the bulk of its accommodation and food service jobs. It's the practical choice for anyone who wants walkable access to services or prefers neighborhood living to rural isolation.

Coahoma offers a quieter alternative just northeast of Big Spring, a small town that functions primarily as a bedroom community for families working in the county seat or the surrounding oil fields. The pace is slower, the lots are larger, and the schools serve a tighter community. This is where families move when they want their kids to grow up knowing everyone in their class but still need to be within a short drive of Big Spring's employment base.

Forsan developed as an oil camp and retains that character today. It's the most explicitly energy-focused of the county's towns, a place where the boom-and-bust cycle is a lived reality rather than an abstraction. Housing here tends toward the practical rather than the picturesque, built to house workers rather than impress visitors. For someone working in the oil fields, Forsan offers proximity to the job and a community that understands the rhythms of shift work and volatile commodity prices.

Sand Springs, with three defined neighborhoods, represents the most rural living option in Howard County. This is where the ranching heritage persists most visibly, where properties offer space and privacy, and where the trade-off for isolation is land and sky. It's not a town in the traditional sense but rather a scattering of homes across the landscape, suited to people who measure their neighbors in miles rather than feet.

Identifiers

GEOID

48227

State FIPS

48

County FIPS

227

Statistics

Neighborhoods

21

Population

28,138

Geography

Type

polygon

Area

2,342 km²

Data Source

Primary Source

tiger

Census Reference

QuickFacts

Frequently Asked Questions About Howard County

What is Howard known for?

Howard County is defined by oil extraction and the legacy of the frontier water source that gave Big Spring its name. This is working West Texas, where the economy rises and falls with energy prices and where the landscape transitions from the Permian Basin plains to the edge of the Caprock Escarpment. The county was organized in 1882 around the natural spring that served as an oasis on the Comanche War Trail, and it boomed in the late 1920s when oil was discovered. Today it's home to 32,702 residents, most concentrated in Big Spring, with a median household income of $93,104 driven by high-wage energy sector jobs. The Hispanic-majority population and young median age of 34.2 reflect the demographics of modern West Texas oil country.

What cities are in Howard County?

Big Spring is the undisputed center, with 18 neighborhoods, the county's historic downtown anchored by the 15-story Settles Hotel, and the bulk of retail and service employment. It's where you live if you want actual neighborhood options and walkable access to services. Coahoma functions as a quieter bedroom community northeast of Big Spring, offering small-town schools and larger lots for families who work in the county seat. Forsan retains its oil camp character, practical and unpretentious, closest to the working energy fields. Sand Springs is the most rural option, with three loosely defined neighborhoods scattered across ranch land, suited to people who prioritize space and privacy over proximity to town. The progression from Big Spring outward is a steady move from urban services to rural isolation.

What is the cost of living in Howard?

Howard County offers West Texas affordability, with a median home value of $269,267 and median rent of $903 that make homeownership accessible, particularly for energy sector workers earning an average of $96,554 annually. The 70% homeownership rate suggests housing costs remain manageable relative to local incomes. Without specific property tax data available, buyers should investigate rates in their target community, though West Texas counties generally maintain moderate tax burdens compared to suburban metro areas. The cost of living here is shaped more by isolation than by housing expense—you'll spend less on your mortgage but more on driving to reach urban amenities.

How are the schools in Howard?

Howard County's communities are served by independent school districts in Big Spring, Coahoma, and Forsan, though detailed performance data is not currently available. Big Spring ISD is the largest, serving the county seat's 18 neighborhoods, while Coahoma and Forsan operate smaller district systems for their respective communities. Families considering Howard County should research current school ratings and visit campuses directly, as West Texas districts can vary significantly in resources and outcomes. The county's young median age of 34.2 and 70% homeownership rate suggest a stable family population, and small-town districts often offer tight-knit communities where students are known individually rather than lost in large campuses.

Is Howard good for families?

Howard County works for families who value stability, space, and community over cultural amenities and urban convenience. The 70% homeownership rate and median household income of $93,104 create an environment where working families can build equity, particularly those with ties to the energy sector. Big Spring offers the most developed infrastructure for families, with 18 neighborhoods to choose from and the county's retail and service establishments concentrated there. Coahoma and Forsan provide small-town school environments where kids grow up knowing their entire class. The young median age of 34.2 means you'll find other families in similar life stages, and the tight-knit communities typical of West Texas oil country create natural support networks. This is not a place for families seeking museum trips and weekend festivals, but for those who value Friday night football, church communities, and the kind of childhood spent outdoors on big lots.

How does Howard compare to nearby areas?

Howard County sits in the heart of the Permian Basin, sharing the oil-driven economy of surrounding counties but distinguished by Big Spring's role as a regional hub. Martin County to the north and Glasscock County to the south are even more rural and extraction-focused, with smaller populations and fewer services. Mitchell County to the west centers on Colorado City, a smaller seat than Big Spring. Howard County offers more urban infrastructure than its immediate neighbors while maintaining the same energy-sector wage premium—the median household income of $93,104 reflects oil field pay scales common across the region. For buyers choosing between Permian Basin counties, Howard County provides the best balance of employment access, housing options in Big Spring's 18 neighborhoods, and small-town alternatives in Coahoma and Forsan. You're trading the explosive growth of Midland-Odessa to the southwest for a more stable, established community with deeper roots.

Find Your Place in Howard County

Whether you're drawn to Big Spring's established neighborhoods or the wide-open spaces around Sand Springs, a Texas Ally advisor who understands West Texas can help you navigate Howard County's market. We know the difference between oil boom construction and solid long-term value, and we'll help you find a home that fits both your budget and your vision of West Texas living.