DeKalb County, AL
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 34.46, -85.80.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 44th pct · 1,708th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 69th pct · 21st of 67 Alabama counties · median $183,308
- 66th pct · 1,036th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 78th pct · 15th of 67 Alabama counties · median +2.2%
- US counties: not published this period
- Alabama counties: not published this period
- 73rd pct · 842nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 71st pct · 20th of 67 Alabama counties · median 10,118
- 35th pct · 2,080th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 30th pct · 47th of 67 Alabama counties · median $1,024
- 51st pct · 1,485th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 77th pct · 16th 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 $220,309 (Aug 2026), +4.4% over one year, +23.0% over five
- 44th pct · 1,708th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 69th pct · 21st of 67 Alabama counties · median $183,308
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| DeKalb County, AL | $220,309 · +4.4% 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 #
Zillow publishes no rent index for this area (ZORI covers about 1,400 counties)
- US counties: not published this period
- Alabama counties: not published this period
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 $1,206 a month on $220,309 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,216 a month: 28.6% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $220,309 × 80% = $176,248, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,206/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $973 × 52 / 12 = $4,216) = 29% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $220,309 / ($973 × 52) = 4.4
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 #
23,104 jobs at 1,623 employers (2026 Q1); -2.1% jobs and +0.8% average weekly wage over the year
- 73rd pct · 842nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 71st pct · 20th of 67 Alabama counties · median 10,118
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| DeKalb County, AL | 23,104 jobs · $973/wk · -2.1% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 6,309 | $1,275 | 3.39 | -4.4% |
| Retail trade | 2,645 | $638 | 1.17 | -2.2% |
| Health care and social assistance | 2,208 | $847 | 0.64 | +0.0% |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,902 | $388 | 0.92 | +2.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 1,229 | $1,050 | 1.39 | -0.6% |
| Construction | 723 | $1,283 | 0.60 | -10.3% |
| Administrative and waste services | 670 | $768 | 0.51 | -11.0% |
| Finance and insurance | 444 | $1,213 | 0.47 | +12.1% |
| Professional and technical services | 414 | $1,108 | 0.26 | -8.8% |
| Other services | 304 | $826 | 0.44 | +3.4% |
| Information | 186 | $1,389 | 0.44 | +7.5% |
| Real estate and rental | 177 | $1,175 | 0.50 | +15.7% |
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 #
D1 moderate drought
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 #
4 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 4, 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.
| Site | Reading | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| CARTERS RE-REGULATION LAKE NEAR CARTERS, GA | 36.4 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 103 km |
| ALLATOONA LAKE NEAR CARTERSVILLE, GA | 835.9 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 104 km |
| CARTERS LAKE NEAR CARTERS, GA | 1,072 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 105 km |
| CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER AT MORGAN FALLS DAM, GA | 865.8 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 142 km |
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 #
50 gauges · 0 flooding · 3 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 11 stale
Sites found: 50, 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.
| Site | Reading | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| BIG WILLS CREEK AT STATE HWY 35 NR FORT PAYNE, AL | flow 6.41 ft³/s · no flooding | 4 km |
| SOUTH SAUTY CREEK NEAR RAINSVILLE, ALA | flow 0.64 ft³/s | 12 km |
| TOWN CREEK NEAR GERALDINE AL | flow 2.74 ft³/s | 19 km |
| LITTLE RIVER NEAR BLUE POND AL | flow 4.22 ft³/s · no flooding | 22 km |
| Tennessee River near Scottsboro | no flooding | 26 km |
| COOSA RIVER AT LEESBURG AL | stage 562.9 ft | 32 km |
| Coosa River at Weiss Dam | no flooding | 32 km |
| CHATTOOGA RIVER ABOVE GAYLESVILLE AL | flow 134.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 33 km |
| SCARHAM CREEK NEAR MCVILLE, AL | flow 0.04 ft³/s · STALE | 34 km |
| CHATTOOGA RIVER AT CHATTOOGAVILLE, GA | flow 695.0 ft³/s · STALE | 36 km |
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 #
2 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 2, 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.
| Site | Reading | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| USGS-345403085160001 | depth 16.1 ft · 2026-10-05 | 69 km |
| USGS-345848085173701 | depth 70.7 ft · 1981-06-27 | 74 km |
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 (0.16)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.25 + 0.2×0.00 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$1.2 bn in deposits at 21 offices of 8 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,559, moderately concentrated. $371.7 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $415.7 m, grants $33.8 m), $16,089 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| First State Bank of DeKalb County | $273.4 m · 23.0% share · 4 offices | |
| First Southern State Bank | $218.5 m · 18.3% share · 4 offices | |
| Regions Bank | $217.8 m · 18.3% share · 2 offices | |
| DeKalb, AL | $371.7 m FY2026 · $16,089/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $403.2 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| First State Bank of DeKalb County | $273,436,000 | 23.0% | 4 |
| First Southern State Bank | $218,483,000 | 18.3% | 4 |
| Regions Bank | $217,805,000 | 18.3% | 2 |
| First Bank of Alabama | $132,722,000 | 11.1% | 3 |
| Liberty Bank | $118,688,000 | 10.0% | 3 |
| Peoples Independent Bank | $110,869,000 | 9.3% | 3 |
| PNC Bank, National Association | $63,651,000 | 5.3% | 1 |
| The Huntington National Bank | $55,075,000 | 4.6% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,559 across 8 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 8 banks with deposits in the county = 23.0² + 18.3² + 18.3² + … (5 more) = 1,559
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 | $360,958,336 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $40,598,675 |
| Department of Transportation | $30,115,291 |
| Department of Education | $7,541,208 |
| Department of Agriculture | $4,301,505 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $3,592,732 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $1,611,929 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $925,031 |
| Department of Justice | $26,713 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $20,000 |
| Department of the Interior | $12,500 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
That is $16,089 per covered job, against 23,104 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $371.7 m / 23,104 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $16,089
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 | 12.69 | 2026-10-05 | +3.3% |
| 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 | 2026-10-06 | +0.0% |
| 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 | -105,572.00 | 2026-08-01 | -13.7% |
| 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 #
DeKalb County, AL: 5 findings, 1 at a watch level and 4 noted
watchDeKalb County, AL's covered employment is -2.1% against a year earlier, a watch level here: covered employment below the same quarter a year earlier (BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level). The previous published period is not in this table, so this is a standing level rather than a change.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- test: jobs.yoy.emp = -2.1 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteDeKalb County, AL's covered employment was 2.1% lower 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
- -2.1 % = 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
noteDeKalb County, AL's average weekly wage 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
noteDeKalb County, AL's typical home value rose 0.8% from $218,622 in July 2026 to $220,309 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.8% = (220309.45749934553 - 218622.25487285946) / 218622.25487285946 × 100
- 220309.45749934553 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 218622.25487285946 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
noteThe next Zillow ZHVI typical home value (monthly) covering DeKalb 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.