Texas Jumbo Loan Limits by County

Texas Has No High-Cost Counties — What This Means for Buyers

The 2025 conforming loan limit for every single county in Texas is $806,500 for a single-family home. Unlike California, Hawaii, New York, and parts of Colorado and Washington, no Texas county has received a “high-cost area” designation from FHFA that would elevate the conforming limit above the baseline. This means a buyer in Travis County (Austin) with a $900,000 purchase faces jumbo requirements at the same price point as a buyer in Upshur County (rural East Texas) — there’s no elevated limit in Austin’s premium market despite its home prices.

Why Texas doesn’t have high-cost counties: FHFA’s methodology evaluates each county’s median home value and applies a high-cost designation when 115% of that median exceeds the baseline conforming limit. Even with Austin’s, Dallas’s, and Houston’s significant price appreciation over the past decade, the county-wide medians haven’t cleared FHFA’s threshold. Travis County’s median is elevated — approximately $530,000–$560,000 in 2025 — but 115% of that ($610,000–$644,000) doesn’t exceed the $806,500 limit that would trigger high-cost designation. Compare to San Jose, California, where the county median exceeds $1.5 million and high-cost designation extends the limit to $1,209,750.

2025 Texas Conforming Limits by Property Type — All Counties

These limits apply uniformly to every Texas county from El Paso to Jefferson County:

• 1-unit (single-family home, condo, townhome): $806,500
• 2-unit (duplex): $1,032,650
• 3-unit (triplex): $1,248,150
• 4-unit (fourplex): $1,551,250

The multi-unit limits are strategically important for Texas real estate investors using conventional or VA financing. A buyer purchasing a $960,000 triplex in Houston’s Midtown with owner-occupancy intent stays within the $1,248,150 three-unit conforming limit — qualifying for conventional rates and underwriting without jumbo requirements. The same buyer purchasing a $960,000 single-family home triggers jumbo requirements because $960,000 exceeds the $806,500 one-unit limit. Property type affects which purchases remain conforming at the same purchase price.

County-by-County Context: Where Jumbo Most Commonly Activates

Understanding which specific Texas markets regularly transact above conforming limits helps buyers plan their financing strategy before they’re under contract:

Travis County (Austin proper): Conforming limit $806,500 applies. Austin’s median sale price ($530,000–$560,000 countywide in 2025) means most transactions remain conforming, but specific neighborhoods transact heavily above the limit. West Austin neighborhoods — Tarrytown, Barton Hills, Bryker Woods, Clarksville, Rosedale, Pemberton Heights — frequently transact in the $900,000–$2.5M range. Zero-dollar-down VA purchases by veterans remain available at any price point with full entitlement, bypassing the conforming limit entirely.

Williamson County (Round Rock, Cedar Park, Georgetown, Leander): Median approximately $430,000–$480,000. Most purchases conform. Luxury new construction in Leander’s premium planned communities and Georgetown’s master-planned developments occasionally exceeds $806,500.

Collin County (Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Allen, Prosper): Median approximately $500,000–$560,000. New luxury construction in Prosper, Celina, and the northern Frisco sections regularly transacts above $806,500 — Prosper has significant inventory above $1M. The DFW tech and corporate executive population in Collin County drives consistent jumbo volume in these premium developments.

Tarrant County (Fort Worth, Southlake, Westlake): Median approximately $320,000–$380,000. Most Fort Worth purchases conform. Southlake and Westlake are the jumbo markets — Southlake’s median exceeds $900,000 in premium sections, and Westlake’s luxury residential is almost entirely above conforming limits.

Dallas County (Dallas city plus suburbs): Highland Park and University Park (the “Park Cities”) — median sale prices above $1.5M, consistent jumbo transaction volume, frequent super-jumbo ($1.5M+ loan) activity. Most of Dallas County outside the Park Cities and luxury lakefront properties in the Lake Highlands area transact below conforming limits.

Harris County (Houston): Houston proper’s median approximately $300,000–$340,000. River Oaks, Memorial, Tanglewood, and Spring Branch luxury sections are consistent jumbo markets. River Oaks transactions at $2M–$10M are routine.

Bexar County (San Antonio): Median approximately $270,000–$300,000. Alamo Heights, Terrell Hills, and Shavano Park luxury sections occasionally transact above conforming. Most San Antonio purchases remain within conforming limits.

Jumbo Underwriting Standards in Texas: 2025 Requirements

Texas jumbo lenders (portfolio banks, credit unions, private label MBS issuers) have converged on common market standards by tier, though individual lenders vary:

Entry-level jumbo ($806,501–$1,000,000): 700 credit score minimum (720 preferred for best pricing); 10% down available at 720+; 15–20% at 700; 6 months PITI in liquid reserves; DTI 43–45% maximum; full income documentation. Rate premium over conforming: 0–0.375% for well-qualified borrowers (competition among portfolio lenders has compressed this spread significantly for strong profiles).

Mid-tier jumbo ($1,000,001–$1,500,000): 720 minimum credit; 15–20% down standard; 6–12 months PITI reserves required; rate premium 0.25–0.50% over conforming.

High-balance jumbo ($1,500,001–$2,500,000): 740 minimum; 20–25% down; 12+ months reserves; full income documentation depth; rate premium 0.375–0.75%.

Super-jumbo ($2,500,001+): Private banking relationship-driven; no standardized LTV/DTI/reserve requirements; pricing is relationship-based, sometimes at or below conforming for full-banking relationship customers.

VA as the Conforming Alternative for Texas Veterans Above $806,500

The most important Texas jumbo alternative is VA financing for eligible veterans. Post-Blue Water Navy Act (January 2020), veterans with full entitlement have no VA loan limit — zero down payment on any purchase price in any Texas county. A 680-score veteran purchasing a $1.1M Austin home uses VA’s standard underwriting (no LLPAs, no PMI, funding fee of 2.15% = $23,650 financed) rather than jumbo’s 720+ score requirement, 15–20% down, and reserve requirements. For veterans who qualify for VA and are purchasing above $806,500 in Texas, VA almost always produces better economics and lower barriers than jumbo conventional.