Etowah County, AL
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 34.05, -86.03.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 31st pct · 2,096th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 54th pct · 31st of 67 Alabama counties · median $183,308
- counties in the Gadsden metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Gadsden metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 80th pct · 587th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 96th pct · 3rd of 67 Alabama counties · median +2.2%
- counties in the Gadsden metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Gadsden metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 10th pct · 1,259th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 10th pct · 26th of 29 Alabama counties · median $1,362
- counties in the Gadsden metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Gadsden metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 78th pct · 693rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 80th pct · 14th of 67 Alabama counties · median 10,118
- counties in the Gadsden metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Gadsden metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 27th pct · 2,323rd of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 19th pct · 54th of 67 Alabama counties · median $1,024
- counties in the Gadsden metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Gadsden metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 40th pct · 1,834th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 63rd pct · 25th of 67 Alabama counties · median 3.3
- counties in the Gadsden metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Gadsden metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
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 $187,728 (Aug 2026), +6.1% over one year, +24.2% over five
- 31st pct · 2,096th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 54th pct · 31st of 67 Alabama counties · median $183,308
- counties in the Gadsden metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Gadsden metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Etowah County, AL | $187,728 · +6.1% 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 $1,031/mo (Aug 2026), +3.1% over one year; price-to-rent 15.2
- 10th pct · 1,259th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 10th pct · 26th of 29 Alabama counties · median $1,362
- counties in the Gadsden metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Gadsden metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Etowah County, AL | $1,031/mo · +3.1% 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 $1,028 a month on $187,728 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,086 a month: 25.1% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $187,728 × 80% = $150,182, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,028/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $943 × 52 / 12 = $4,086) = 25% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $187,728 / ($943 × 52) = 3.8
- price-to-rent = $187,728 / ($1,031 × 12) = 15.2
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 #
32,720 jobs at 2,594 employers (2026 Q1); -1.3% jobs and +5.2% average weekly wage over the year
- 78th pct · 693rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 80th pct · 14th of 67 Alabama counties · median 10,118
- counties in the Gadsden metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Gadsden metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Etowah County, AL | 32,720 jobs · $943/wk · -1.3% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 7,068 | $1,088 | 1.44 | -1.2% |
| Retail trade | 4,408 | $667 | 1.38 | -4.2% |
| Manufacturing | 4,174 | $1,039 | 1.59 | -1.3% |
| Accommodation and food services | 3,695 | $400 | 1.26 | -3.4% |
| Administrative and waste services | 1,552 | $862 | 0.83 | -5.5% |
| Finance and insurance | 975 | $1,481 | 0.73 | +0.5% |
| Wholesale trade | 964 | $1,250 | 0.77 | +0.7% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 854 | $1,167 | 0.62 | +0.8% |
| Professional and technical services | 783 | $1,151 | 0.35 | +7.4% |
| Other services | 639 | $963 | 0.65 | -9.5% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 355 | $324 | 0.66 | +0.9% |
| Educational services | 283 | $652 | 0.40 | +52.2% |
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 #
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 |
|---|---|---|
| ALLATOONA LAKE NEAR CARTERSVILLE, GA | 835.9 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 121 km |
| CARTERS RE-REGULATION LAKE NEAR CARTERS, GA | 40.0 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 138 km |
| CARTERS LAKE NEAR CARTERS, GA | 1,072 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 140 km |
| WEST POINT LAKE NEAR WEST POINT, GA | 624.3 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 148 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 #
44 gauges · 0 flooding · 8 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 4 stale
Sites found: 44, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| COOSA RIVER AT GADSDEN AL | stage 20.6 ft · no flooding | 5 km |
| BIG WILLS CREEK NEAR REECE CITY | flow 38.6 ft³/s | 6 km |
| COOSA RIVER AT GADSDEN STEAM PLANT NR GADSDEN, AL | flow 9,640 ft³/s | 7 km |
| COOSA RIVER NR SOUTHSIDE, ALA | flow 2,810 ft³/s · STALE | 12 km |
| COOSA RIVER AT ADAMS FERRY BR NR BALLPLAY, AL | stage 506.0 ft | 23 km |
| SCARHAM CREEK NEAR MCVILLE, AL | flow 0.04 ft³/s · STALE | 29 km |
| Coosa River at Weiss Dam | no flooding | 29 km |
| Coosa River at Neely Henry Dam | no readings | 29 km |
| COOSA RIVER AT LEESBURG AL | stage 562.9 ft | 30 km |
| OHATCHEE CREEK AT OHATCHEE, AL | flow 53.9 ft³/s | 30 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 #
1 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 1, 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-340618086344001 | depth 46.9 ft · 2017-11-15 | 50 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 (0.00)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.00 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$1.5 bn in deposits at 21 offices of 12 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,665, moderately concentrated. $793.4 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $714.2 m, grants $66.2 m), $24,249 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Regions Bank | $352.1 m · 23.3% share · 4 offices | |
| The Exchange Bank of Alabama | $336.4 m · 22.2% share · 5 offices | |
| River Bank & Trust | $316.3 m · 20.9% share · 1 office | |
| Etowah, AL | $793.4 m FY2026 · $24,249/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $695.4 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regions Bank | $352,064,000 | 23.3% | 4 |
| The Exchange Bank of Alabama | $336,397,000 | 22.2% | 5 |
| River Bank & Trust | $316,265,000 | 20.9% | 1 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $157,577,000 | 10.4% | 1 |
| Metro Bank | $81,586,000 | 5.4% | 1 |
| PNC Bank, National Association | $64,466,000 | 4.3% | 2 |
| The Southern Bank Company | $56,355,000 | 3.7% | 1 |
| Peoples Bank of Alabama | $50,054,000 | 3.3% | 2 |
| The Huntington National Bank | $36,524,000 | 2.4% | 1 |
| Liberty Bank | $30,847,000 | 2.0% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,665 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 = 23.3² + 22.2² + 20.9² + … (9 more) = 1,665
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 | $599,810,771 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $92,552,638 |
| Department of Transportation | $34,171,976 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $20,813,905 |
| Department of Education | $18,600,490 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $10,316,148 |
| Department of Agriculture | $8,053,426 |
| Department of Labor | $8,035,503 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $3,230,752 |
| General Services Administration | $91,922 |
| Department of the Treasury | $25,000 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
That is $24,249 per covered job, against 32,720 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $793.4 m / 32,720 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $24,249
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 #
Etowah County, AL: 9 findings, 2 at a watch level and 7 noted
watchEtowah County, AL's covered employment is -1.3% 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 = -1.3 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchEtowah County, AL's price-to-rent ratio of 15.2 scores 30 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 61 across Alabama counties, a gap of 31 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 31 = |30 across US counties - 61 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
noteEtowah County, AL's average weekly wage was 5.2% 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
- +5.2 % = 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
noteEtowah County, AL's typical asking rent rose 2.8% from $1,002 in July 2026 to $1,031 in August 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +2.8% = (1030.8333333333333 - 1002.4965102452388) / 1002.4965102452388 × 100
- 1030.8333333333333 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
- 1002.4965102452388 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-07
noteEtowah County, AL's covered employment was 1.3% 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
- -1.3 % = 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
Read all 9 findings in the full brief
Every finding is produced by a fixed rule table and a fixed sentence for each rule. Nothing here is generated prose.