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Bastiat & Liberty Watchdog Index

Texas Local Government Freedom Index

Objective, empirical rankings grading 6,167 Texas local governments and 31,351 elected officials on fiscal restraint, tax burden, private property rights, and regulatory overreach. Zero peer normalization.

Cities & Municipalities (1,218)Counties (254)School Districts (1,252)Special Districts (3,443)Elected Officials (31,351)

Population:All Sizes Metro (>250k)Large (50k–250k)Mid-Sized (15k–50k)Small (2.5k–15k)Rural (<2.5k)

Grade Filter:All Grades Grade A+ (90–100)Grade A (80–89.9)Grade B (70–79.9)Grade C (60–69.9)Grade D (50–59.9)Grade F (<50)

Top Ranked Governments (Highest Liberty)

Showing 101–111 of 111 matching jurisdictions

Sort Metric:Overall Score Fiscal Score Regulatory Score Debt Score FY 27 Tax Rate Population

Highest Score First•Lowest Score / Heaviest Burden

28-Year Freedom & Budget Trend Benchmark (FY 2000 – FY 2027)

Cohort Average Across Visible Page (11 Ranked Entities)

5-Yr Freedom Trend (FY 22→27)

▲ +1.2 pts

27-Yr Liberty Shift (FY 00→27)

▼ -2.3 pts

Annual Budget Growth (YoY)

+4.3% YoY

5-Yr Budget Expansion

+46.8% (CAGR +4.7%/yr)

COUNTY • Austin County • Pop: 30,340

FY 27 Tax Rate: $0.509311Fiscal: 69.4Regulatory: 66.5Debt: 82.6▲ 0.0 pts (5Y)Budget: +2.7% YoY (+23.9% 5Y)

Grade B(71.7/100)

Hutchinson County

COUNTY • Hutchinson County • Pop: 17,889

FY 27 Tax Rate: $0.5060Fiscal: 69.6Regulatory: 53.8Debt: 100▲ +1.5 pts (5Y)Budget: +2.7% YoY (+14.3% 5Y)

Grade B(71.7/100)

COUNTY • Brooks County • Pop: 6,403

FY 27 Tax Rate: $0.918864Fiscal: 44.9Regulatory: 86Debt: 93.7▲ +2.1 pts (5Y)Budget: +6.7% YoY (+22.8% 5Y)

Grade B(71.5/100)

COUNTY • Duval County • Pop: 10,566

FY 27 Tax Rate: $0.879076Fiscal: 47.3Regulatory: 86.6Debt: 87.9▲ +1.3 pts (5Y)Budget: +5.4% YoY (+23.8% 5Y)

Grade B(71.2/100)

COUNTY • Coleman County • Pop: 8,251

FY 27 Tax Rate: $0.792218Fiscal: 52.5Regulatory: 85.4Debt: 81.3▲ +0.8 pts (5Y)Budget: +3.2% YoY (+26.2% 5Y)

Grade B(71.2/100)

COUNTY • Baylor County • Pop: 3,243

FY 27 Tax Rate: $0.961306Fiscal: 42.3Regulatory: 83.5Debt: 100▲ +2.3 pts (5Y)Budget: +4.0% YoY (+191.0% 5Y)

Grade B(71.1/100)

COUNTY • Parker County • Pop: 176,340

FY 27 Tax Rate: $0.282508Fiscal: 83Regulatory: 52.2Debt: 78.2▼ -1.4 pts (5Y)Budget: +4.1% YoY (+21.2% 5Y)

Grade B(71/100)

Throckmorton County

COUNTY • Throckmorton County • Pop: 1,608

FY 27 Tax Rate: $1.014086Fiscal: 39.2Regulatory: 86.6Debt: 100▲ +2.3 pts (5Y)Budget: +4.7% YoY (+27.5% 5Y)

Grade B(71/100)

COUNTY • Dawson County • Pop: 8,701

FY 27 Tax Rate: $0.999773Fiscal: 40Regulatory: 85.4Debt: 100▲ +2.3 pts (5Y)Budget: +6.7% YoY (+122.0% 5Y)

Grade B(70.9/100)

COUNTY • Bell County • Pop: 387,000

FY 27 Tax Rate: $0.3463Fiscal: 79.2Regulatory: 47.3Debt: 89.1▼ -0.2 pts (5Y)Budget: +3.2% YoY (+17.5% 5Y)

Grade B(70.5/100)

Lipscomb County

COUNTY • Lipscomb County • Pop: 2,542

FY 27 Tax Rate: $1.033742Fiscal: 38Regulatory: 86.6Debt: 100▲ +2.3 pts (5Y)Budget: +3.8% YoY (+25.0% 5Y)

Grade B(70.5/100)