Hale County, AL
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 32.75, -87.62.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 30th pct · 2,144th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 51st pct · 33rd of 67 Alabama counties · median $183,308
- counties in the Tuscaloosa metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 4 counties in the Tuscaloosa metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 75th pct · 739th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 92nd pct · 6th of 67 Alabama counties · median +2.2%
- counties in the Tuscaloosa metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 4 counties in the Tuscaloosa metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- US counties: not published this period
- Alabama counties: not published this period
- counties in the Tuscaloosa metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 4 counties in the Tuscaloosa metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 21st pct · 2,534th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 7th pct · 62nd of 67 Alabama counties · median 10,118
- counties in the Tuscaloosa metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 4 counties in the Tuscaloosa metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 34th pct · 2,101st of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 28th pct · 48th of 67 Alabama counties · median $1,024
- counties in the Tuscaloosa metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 4 counties in the Tuscaloosa metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 35th pct · 1,983rd of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 54th pct · 31st of 67 Alabama counties · median 3.3
- counties in the Tuscaloosa metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 4 counties in the Tuscaloosa 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 $183,549 (Aug 2026), +5.4% over one year, +7.1% over five
- 30th pct · 2,144th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 51st pct · 33rd of 67 Alabama counties · median $183,308
- counties in the Tuscaloosa metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 4 counties in the Tuscaloosa metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Hale County, AL | $183,549 · +5.4% 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
- counties in the Tuscaloosa metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 4 counties in the Tuscaloosa metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
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 $1,005 a month on $183,549 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,203 a month: 23.9% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $183,549 × 80% = $146,839, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,005/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $970 × 52 / 12 = $4,203) = 24% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $183,549 / ($970 × 52) = 3.6
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 #
2,616 jobs at 357 employers (2026 Q1); -1.4% jobs and +4.1% average weekly wage over the year
- 21st pct · 2,534th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 7th pct · 62nd of 67 Alabama counties · median 10,118
- counties in the Tuscaloosa metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 4 counties in the Tuscaloosa metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Hale County, AL | 2,616 jobs · $970/wk · -1.4% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 366 | $1,829 | 1.74 | +1.1% |
| Health care and social assistance | 304 | $591 | 0.77 | +0.3% |
| Retail trade | 233 | $574 | 0.91 | -6.8% |
| Construction | 177 | $1,100 | 1.29 | +4.7% |
| Finance and insurance | 76 | $1,187 | 0.71 | +2.7% |
| Educational services | 59 | $671 | 1.05 | -4.8% |
| Professional and technical services | 54 | $1,011 | 0.30 | -18.2% |
| Other services | 47 | $858 | 0.60 | +0.0% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 25 | $1,093 | 0.23 | +4.2% |
| Utilities | 22 | $1,828 | 2.13 | +0.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 15 | $1,880 | 0.15 | +0.0% |
| Real estate and rental | 12 | $526 | 0.30 | +0.0% |
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 #
D2 severe 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 #
No reservoir gauges within 150 km (or the camera is above the gauge altitude)
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 #
28 gauges · 0 flooding · 2 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 3 stale
Sites found: 28, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| BLACK WARRIOR RIVER AT SELDEN L & D NEAR EUTAW, AL | flow 2,030 ft³/s | 21 km |
| BLACK WARRIOR RIVER BELOW SELDEN DAM NR EUTAW, AL | stage 73.8 ft | 21 km |
| BIG PRAIRIE CREEK NEAR GALLION, AL. | flow 37.6 ft³/s | 24 km |
| ELLIOTTS CREEK AT MOUNDVILLE AL | flow 11.1 ft³/s | 27 km |
| TOMBIGBEE RIVER BL DEMOPOLIS L&D NEAR COATOPA AL | stage 33.4 ft | 35 km |
| TOMBIGBEE R AT DEMOPOLIS L&D NEAR COATOPA, AL. | flow 2,170 ft³/s | 35 km |
| CAHABA RIVER NEAR SUTTLE, AL. | stage 2.92 ft | 47 km |
| CRIBBS MILL CREEK AT WW PLANT AT TUSCALOOSA, AL. | flow 7.50 ft³/s | 47 km |
| CAHABA RIVER AT CENTREVILLE AL | flow 358.0 ft³/s | 50 km |
| BLACK WARRIOR R BL OLIVER L&D NEAR TUSCALOOSA, AL. | stage 96.2 ft | 51 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-323001088021601 | depth 4.97 ft · 2024-06-04 | 48 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 #
moderate (0.32)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.50 + 0.2×0.00 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$353.0 m in deposits at 3 offices of 3 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 3,348, highly concentrated. $129.1 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $120.8 m, grants $8.2 m), $49,363 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Bank of Moundville | $127.8 m · 36.2% share · 1 office | |
| The Citizens Bank | $116.2 m · 32.9% share · 1 office | |
| Peoples Bank of Greensboro | $109.0 m · 30.9% share · 1 office | |
| Hale, AL | $129.1 m FY2026 · $49,363/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $108.1 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank of Moundville | $127,830,000 | 36.2% | 1 |
| The Citizens Bank | $116,156,000 | 32.9% | 1 |
| Peoples Bank of Greensboro | $108,976,000 | 30.9% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 3,348 across 3 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 3 banks with deposits in the county = 36.2² + 32.9² + 30.9² = 3,348
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 | $90,081,600 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $17,460,755 |
| Department of Agriculture | $12,987,153 |
| Department of Transportation | $7,174,190 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $696,317 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $562,111 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $95,000 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $76,243 |
That is $49,363 per covered job, against 2,616 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $129.1 m / 2,616 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $49,363
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 #
Hale County, AL: 7 findings, 1 at a watch level and 6 noted
watchHale County, AL's covered employment is -1.4% 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 = -1.4 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteHale County, AL's average weekly wage was 4.1% 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
- +4.1 % = 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
noteHale County, AL's covered employment was 1.4% 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
- -1.4 % = 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
noteHale County, AL's typical home value rose 0.5% from $182,587 in July 2026 to $183,549 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.5% = (183548.70718392392 - 182586.63138792955) / 182586.63138792955 × 100
- 183548.70718392392 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 182586.63138792955 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
noteHale County, AL's typical home value of +5.4% ranks 6th of 67 Alabama counties, against a median of +2.2%.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 92 on the 0-to-100 scale across 67 Alabama counties that published home.yoyPct
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
Read all 7 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.