Menard County, Texas

• Income gap: Households earn meaningfully less than the national median, which directly affects retail demand, housing absorption, and tax base.
• Elevated poverty: At 18.9%, the rate is in economically distressed territory and supports federal funding narratives (CDFI, NMTC, EDA).
• Talent gap: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment trails the national average by 11.7 pts, relevant for advanced-services attraction strategy.
• Aging population: Median age of 60 is materially above the U.S. norm; succession planning and senior-services demand are real factors.

• Largest sector: Retail Trade employs 79 workers (82.3% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $24,285.
• Economic scale: Regional GDP of $62M (2024).
• Wage stratification: Construction averages $64,970 while Retail Trade averages $24,285, a 2.7x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.

• Top specialization: Food and Beverage Retailers concentrates at 5.46x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.

• Affordable market: Home value to income ratio of 2.0x is well below the ~4.1x national average; supports talent attraction and family settlement narratives.
• High home ownership: 80.7% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
• Elevated vacancy: 31.9% vacancy rate. In resort, rural, and seasonal markets much of this is recreational/seasonal (second homes), not available supply; confirm the vacancy-by-reason split before treating it as a redevelopment opportunity.
• Affordable rent tiers: 3 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,326/mo).

• Succession risk is real: 45.1% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
• Low participation: 55.4% labor force participation suggests untapped capacity; workforce development programs may unlock supply.
• Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 48,998 annual credentials.

Menard County shows strong potential for food and beverage retailers attraction, with a 5.46x concentration and 49 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 45.1% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.