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 251–254 of 254 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 (4 Ranked Entities)

5-Yr Freedom Trend (FY 22→27)

▼ -1.6 pts

27-Yr Liberty Shift (FY 00→27)

▼ -6.2 pts

Annual Budget Growth (YoY)

+3.0% YoY

5-Yr Budget Expansion

+30.9% (CAGR +3.8%/yr)

#251

Williamson County

COUNTY • Williamson County • Pop: 619,817

FY 27 Tax Rate: $0.421547Fiscal: 74.7Regulatory: 25.5Debt: 67.9▼ -1.3 pts (5Y)Budget: +3.2% YoY (+26.4% 5Y)

Grade D(55.8/100)

#252

Hays County

COUNTY • Hays County • Pop: 262,559

FY 27 Tax Rate: $0.4125Fiscal: 75.3Regulatory: 20Debt: 71.9▼ -1.1 pts (5Y)Budget: +2.0% YoY (+32.3% 5Y)

Grade D(55.1/100)

#253

Chambers County

COUNTY • Chambers County • Pop: 51,750

FY 27 Tax Rate: $0.473164Fiscal: 71.6Regulatory: 36.8Debt: 50.8▼ -2.3 pts (5Y)Budget: +3.1% YoY (+47.4% 5Y)

Grade D(54.2/100)

#254

Harris County

COUNTY • Harris County • Pop: 3,670,053

FY 27 Tax Rate: $0.38529Fiscal: 76.9Regulatory: 20Debt: 63.9▼ -1.7 pts (5Y)Budget: +3.6% YoY (+17.3% 5Y)

Grade D(53.7/100)

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