Cullman County, AL
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 34.13, -86.87.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 58th pct · 1,264th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 86th pct · 10th of 67 Alabama counties · median $183,308
- 55th pct · 1,360th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 68th pct · 22nd of 67 Alabama counties · median +2.2%
- 33rd pct · 925th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 42nd pct · 17th of 29 Alabama counties · median $1,362
- 78th pct · 709th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 77th pct · 16th of 67 Alabama counties · median 10,118
- 48th pct · 1,665th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 53rd pct · 32nd of 67 Alabama counties · median $1,024
- 61st pct · 1,194th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 86th pct · 10th of 67 Alabama counties · median 3.3
Typical home value divided by the average annual wage of one covered job.
A percentile here is a min-max scaling of average rank: the smallest published value in the cohort is 0 and the largest is 100, and tied values share the average of the ranks they span. It is not the share of entities below the value, so 0 means smallest, not none below. Entities that did not publish the metric are outside the cohort entirely and are counted in neither the rank nor its denominator.
Home values #
Typical home $258,633 (Aug 2026), +3.4% over one year, +20.7% over five
- 58th pct · 1,264th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 86th pct · 10th of 67 Alabama counties · median $183,308
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Cullman County, AL | $258,633 · +3.4% 1-yr |
Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), typical value of homes in the 35th to 65th percentile, smoothed and seasonally adjusted; a model estimate of value, not a sale price. Data through Zillow Research.
Rents #
Typical rent $1,334/mo (Aug 2026), +4.0% over one year; price-to-rent 16.2
- 33rd pct · 925th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 42nd pct · 17th of 29 Alabama counties · median $1,362
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Cullman County, AL | $1,334/mo · +4.0% 1-yr |
Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI), smoothed, all homes and multifamily; price-to-rent = typical home / (typical rent × 12).
What the typical home costs to carry #
Principal and interest of $1,416 a month on $258,633 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,472 a month: 31.7% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $258,633 × 80% = $206,906, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,416/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,032 × 52 / 12 = $4,472) = 32% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $258,633 / ($1,032 × 52) = 4.8
- price-to-rent = $258,633 / ($1,334 × 12) = 16.2
The wage is one covered job’s average, not a household’s income, so this is the share of a single paycheque and not a mortgage underwriting ratio.
Estimate. Principal and interest on the typical home with 20% down over 30 years at this week's Freddie Mac average rate; compared with the average weekly wage of all jobs covered by unemployment insurance in the area (BLS QCEW), which is pay per job, not household income.
Jobs & wages #
31,127 jobs at 2,472 employers (2026 Q1); +0.8% jobs and +2.5% average weekly wage over the year
- 78th pct · 709th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 77th pct · 16th of 67 Alabama counties · median 10,118
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Cullman County, AL | 31,127 jobs · $1,032/wk · +0.8% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 6,124 | $1,228 | 2.45 | -4.4% |
| Health care and social assistance | 4,437 | $1,160 | 0.95 | +4.2% |
| Retail trade | 4,345 | $746 | 1.43 | +2.5% |
| Accommodation and food services | 3,045 | $424 | 1.09 | +7.7% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 1,665 | $1,295 | 1.27 | -6.3% |
| Administrative and waste services | 989 | $844 | 0.56 | -1.5% |
| Finance and insurance | 769 | $1,620 | 0.61 | +1.9% |
| Wholesale trade | 761 | $1,548 | 0.64 | -4.8% |
| Professional and technical services | 668 | $1,155 | 0.31 | +5.5% |
| Other services | 599 | $947 | 0.64 | -2.0% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 273 | $770 | 0.53 | -1.4% |
| Real estate and rental | 167 | $992 | 0.35 | -1.8% |
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, all ownerships, total covered employment in the quarter's third month; over-the-year changes as published. Suppressed cells stay blank.
Drought #
D0 abnormally dry
Sites found: 5, searched within 0 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 0 km away are not.
US Drought Monitor current week; the highest class of any polygon containing the point.
Reservoirs #
Surface water layer not loaded
Sites found: 0, searched within 150 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 150 km away are not.
Σ(capacity × percent full) / Σ capacity over TWDB reservoirs within 150 km. Texas only; elsewhere USGS reservoir elevation/storage is listed without a capacity to normalise by.
Stream gauges #
Surface water layer not loaded
Sites found: 0, searched within 75 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 75 km away are not.
USGS latest readings screened against EPA freshwater criteria (DO ≥ 5 mg/L, pH 6.5–9, conductance, turbidity, temperature); NWS flood categories where a NWPS gauge is co-located.
Groundwater #
No USGS monitoring wells within 75 km (or above 1,500 km)
Sites found: 0, searched within 75 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 75 km away are not.
USGS latest daily water levels. A single latest reading says where the table is, not which way it is moving; select a well for its 365-day trace.
Water stress #
low (0.00)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 / 0.35
Banks & federal dollars #
$2.6 bn in deposits at 32 offices of 12 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,227, moderately concentrated. $607.5 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $585.0 m, grants $21.9 m), $19,518 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Traditions Bank | $425.7 m · 16.6% share · 3 offices | |
| Regions Bank | $425.4 m · 16.6% share · 1 office | |
| SouthPoint Bank | $384.2 m · 15.0% share · 4 offices | |
| Cullman, AL | $607.5 m FY2026 · $19,518/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $566.5 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traditions Bank | $425,672,000 | 16.6% | 3 |
| Regions Bank | $425,395,000 | 16.6% | 1 |
| SouthPoint Bank | $384,155,000 | 15.0% | 4 |
| Cullman Savings Bank | $308,242,000 | 12.0% | 5 |
| Peoples Bank of Alabama | $294,201,000 | 11.5% | 6 |
| Premier Bank of the South | $244,230,000 | 9.5% | 5 |
| EvaBank | $166,745,000 | 6.5% | 2 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $118,171,000 | 4.6% | 1 |
| Citizens Bank & Trust | $86,635,000 | 3.4% | 2 |
| PNC Bank, National Association | $64,095,000 | 2.5% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,227 across 12 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 12 banks with deposits in the county = 16.6² + 16.6² + 15.0² + … (9 more) = 1,227
FDIC Summary of Deposits: deposits at every insured office as of June 30, annual; HHI is the sum of squared county deposit shares (DOJ 1995 bank merger screen: 1000 / 1800). USAspending: obligations by place of performance for the latest complete federal fiscal year (Oct 1 to Sep 30), what agencies committed, not what they paid out; recipients are legal entities. Per-job divides obligations by BLS QCEW covered employment.
Federal obligations #
USAspending place-of-performance obligations for FY2026, by awarding agency.
| Awarding agency | Obligations |
|---|---|
| Social Security Administration | $491,640,262 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $70,361,228 |
| Department of Transportation | $19,495,339 |
| Department of Education | $14,846,241 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $4,631,471 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $3,546,329 |
| Department of Agriculture | $2,354,085 |
| Environmental Protection Agency | $520,000 |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | $224,998 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $196,902 |
| Department of Justice | $44,706 |
| Department of Homeland Security | $12,258 |
That is $19,518 per covered job, against 31,127 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $607.5 m / 31,127 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $19,518
USAspending obligations are recorded where the work is performed, so a prime award performed here is counted here even when the recipient is headquartered elsewhere. Recipients are legal entities, never people.
National context, not this county #
These are United States, single-gauge, single-state and port series. None of them is keyed to this county.
| Series | Latest | As of | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi River at Memphis, stage · ft | not published | not published | |
| Mississippi River at St. Louis, stage · ft | not published | not published | |
| Ohio River at Louisville, stage · ft | 12.28 | 2026-10-04 | -0.1% |
| Missouri River at St. Joseph, stage · ft | not published | not published | |
| Colorado River below Hoover Dam, flow (Hoover releases) · ft³/s | 5,170.00 | 2026-02-05 | -25.3% |
| Texas reservoirs, statewide percent full · % | 72.60 | 2026-10-05 | +0.1% |
| Laredo truck crossings, monthly · trucks | 258,700.00 | 2026-08-01 | -0.4% |
| Los Angeles + Long Beach container volume, annual · TEU | 10,513,167.00 | 2023-01-01 | -13.5% |
| Containerships waiting for a berth, all US ports · ships | 6.00 | 2026-09-22 | -14.3% |
| Shanghai to Los Angeles container rate · $ per 40 ft box | 6,830.00 | 2026-08-01 | +7.4% |
| US diesel retail price · $ per gallon | unavailable | not published | |
| WTI crude oil, spot · $ per barrel | 96.16 | 2026-09-29 | -3.2% |
| 30-year fixed mortgage rate · % | 7.28 | 2026-10-01 | +3.6% |
| Housing starts, annual rate · thousands of units | 1,275.00 | 2026-08-01 | -2.6% |
| Building permits, annual rate · thousands of units | 1,403.00 | 2026-08-01 | -2.1% |
| Case-Shiller US home price index · index, Jan 2000 = 100 | 337.31 | 2026-07-01 | +0.1% |
| Unemployment rate · % | 4.20 | 2026-09-01 | +2.4% |
| US goods and services trade balance, monthly · $ millions | -88,576.00 | 2026-07-01 | -24.4% |
| Retail sales excluding food services, monthly · $ millions | 646,347.00 | 2026-08-01 | +1.1% |
The indicator registry has no county-keyed series and no geographic selection: every entry is national, a named gauge, a single state or a port. They are here as the backdrop the county's own numbers move against, and they are never this county's readings.
What changed #
Cullman County, AL: 5 findings, 1 at a watch level and 4 noted
watchCullman County, AL's price-to-rent ratio of 16.2 scores 40 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 71 across Alabama counties, a gap of 31 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 31 = |40 across US counties - 71 across Alabama counties|
- typical home value / (typical rent × 12); Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteCullman County, AL's average weekly wage was 2.5% higher than the same quarter a year earlier in 2026 Q1, on BLS QCEW's published over-the-year change.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- +2.5 % = BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change for 2026 Q1, as published
- the newest QCEW file carries no year-earlier level, so no move from one level to another is printed
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published
noteCullman County, AL's covered employment was 0.8% higher than the same quarter a year earlier in 2026 Q1, on BLS QCEW's published over-the-year change.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- +0.8 % = BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change for 2026 Q1, as published
- the newest QCEW file carries no year-earlier level, so no move from one level to another is printed
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published
noteThe next Zillow ZHVI typical home value (monthly) covering Cullman County, AL is due between 2026-10-14 and 2026-10-21, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern.
Show the arithmetic
- window = 2026-10-14 to 2026-10-21, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern
estimated from the publisher's past release pattern; not an announced date
noteThe next Zillow ZORI typical rent (monthly) covering Cullman County, AL is due between 2026-10-14 and 2026-10-21, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern.
Show the arithmetic
- window = 2026-10-14 to 2026-10-21, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern
estimated from the publisher's past release pattern; not an announced date
Every finding is produced by a fixed rule table and a fixed sentence for each rule. Nothing here is generated prose.