Texas Public Sector Email Security

Texas by Entity Type

Entity Type	Count	Domains	TX DMARC	National Avg
K-12 Districts	1,245	1,229	67.2%	46.7%
Higher Education	189	147	91.8%	84.4%
Municipalities	1,180	~900	~40%	~42%
Counties	254	~230	~48%	~50%
State Agencies	462	~280	~45%	~47%
Special Districts	3,035	~1,700	~25%	~30%

Municipalities/counties/agencies estimated from state-wide data; exact entity-type DMARC by state in full report.

TX vs National Benchmarks

Metric	Texas	National	Delta
Total Public Entities	6,365	69,892	#1 by count
Domain Coverage	73.0%	51.3%	+21.7pp
SPF Adoption	78.3%	75.9%	+2.4pp
DMARC Adoption	46.9%	47.2%	−0.3pp
Proxy Rate	12.8%	14.2%	−1.4pp
K-12 DMARC	67.2%	46.7%	+20.5pp
Higher Ed DMARC	91.8%	84.4%	+7.4pp

The Texas story: Texas has the largest public-sector entity count of any state (6,365) with exceptional domain coverage (73% vs 51% national avg). K-12 performance is a standout — 67.2% DMARC ranks in the top 3 nationally. The challenge is Texas's 3,035 special districts: water districts, MUDs, hospital districts, and ESDs make up nearly half of all TX entities and likely have the lowest authentication rates, dragging the overall state average down to #21.

TX K-12 — National Standout

Metric	TX K-12	National K-12
Entities	1,245	18,476
Domains	1,229	15,949
Domain Coverage	99.7%	86.3%
SPF Adoption	87.8%	~77%
DMARC Adoption	67.2%	46.7%
SPF–DMARC Gap	20.6pp	~30pp

TX K-12 DMARC is +20.5pp above the national average — ranked #3 among all states

TX Higher Education — Strong Performance

Metric	TX Higher Ed	National Higher Ed
Institutions	189	3,246
Domains Analyzed	147	3,189
SPF Adoption	96.6%	~88%
DMARC Adoption	91.8%	84.4%
SPF–DMARC Gap	4.8pp	~12pp

TX higher ed SPF–DMARC gap (4.8pp) is far tighter than the national average — indicating strong policy enforcement

Recommended DIR Action Items — Based on Data Findings

Special districts are the highest-risk segment: 3,035 TX special districts (water, MUD, hospital, ESD) likely have DMARC below 30%. A targeted DIR outreach campaign could significantly move the state's overall ranking.
SPF-to-DMARC conversion opportunity: Texas has 78.3% SPF but only 46.9% DMARC — roughly 31pp of entities have SPF deployed but haven't enforced DMARC policy. A DIR directive or guidance document could accelerate this final step.
Gateway adoption lags national average: TX proxy rate (12.8%) is below the 14.2% national avg. DIR can recommend qualified email security gateways to state entities through the Texas DIR Cooperative Contracts program.
Leverage K-12 success: TX K-12 performance (#3 nationally) suggests that TEA guidance and district IT consolidation programs work. Replicate this model for municipal and special district sectors via COG outreach.

How MonitorWorkspace Can Support DIR

Entity-Level Scorecards

Generate individual email security scorecards for all 6,365 TX public entities — ready for DIR outreach campaigns or annual compliance reporting.

Annual Benchmarking

Track Texas entity adoption trends year-over-year — measure the impact of DIR security mandates, tech purchase programs, or outreach campaigns.

Special District Focus

Custom deep-dive for Texas's 3,035 special districts — the highest-risk, lowest-coverage segment. Identify which districts need immediate intervention.