Lawrence County, AL
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 34.53, -87.32.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 46th pct · 1,647th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 72nd pct · 19th of 67 Alabama counties · median $183,308
- counties in the Decatur metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Decatur metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 30th pct · 2,119th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 36th pct · 43rd of 67 Alabama counties · median +2.2%
- counties in the Decatur metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Decatur metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- US counties: not published this period
- Alabama counties: not published this period
- counties in the Decatur metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Decatur metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 41st pct · 1,896th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 36th pct · 43rd of 67 Alabama counties · median 10,118
- counties in the Decatur metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Decatur metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 43rd pct · 1,802nd of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 45th pct · 37th of 67 Alabama counties · median $1,024
- counties in the Decatur metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Decatur metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 49th pct · 1,539th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 74th pct · 18th of 67 Alabama counties · median 3.3
- counties in the Decatur metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Decatur 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 $225,531 (Aug 2026), +1.2% over one year, +14.4% over five
- 46th pct · 1,647th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 72nd pct · 19th of 67 Alabama counties · median $183,308
- counties in the Decatur metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Decatur metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Lawrence County, AL | $225,531 · +1.2% 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 Decatur metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Decatur 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 $1,234 a month on $225,531 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,390 a month: 28.1% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $225,531 × 80% = $180,424, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,234/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,013 × 52 / 12 = $4,390) = 28% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $225,531 / ($1,013 × 52) = 4.3
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 #
5,771 jobs at 607 employers (2026 Q1); +4.9% jobs and +4.3% average weekly wage over the year
- 41st pct · 1,896th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 36th pct · 43rd of 67 Alabama counties · median 10,118
- counties in the Decatur metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Decatur metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Lawrence County, AL | 5,771 jobs · $1,013/wk · +4.9% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 846 | $609 | 1.50 | +1.4% |
| Administrative and waste services | 641 | $1,954 | 1.95 | +34.4% |
| Accommodation and food services | 537 | $366 | 1.04 | +0.0% |
| Health care and social assistance | 426 | $667 | 0.49 | -30.3% |
| Construction | 358 | $1,223 | 1.18 | -1.6% |
| Finance and insurance | 340 | $1,662 | 1.45 | +11.8% |
| Manufacturing | 206 | $1,271 | 0.44 | +8.4% |
| Wholesale trade | 136 | $1,002 | 0.62 | +3.8% |
| Utilities | 131 | $2,126 | 5.75 | -1.5% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 100 | $1,000 | 0.41 | +0.0% |
| Other services | 84 | $797 | 0.49 | +5.0% |
| Information | 34 | $1,393 | 0.32 | +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 #
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 #
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 #
37 gauges · 0 flooding · 1 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 7 stale
Sites found: 37, 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 NANCE CREEK AT COURTLAND AL | flow 3.01 ft³/s · no flooding | 16 km |
| WEST FLINT CREEK NEAR OAKVILLE AL | flow 0.60 ft³/s · STALE | 18 km |
| SIPSEY FORK NEAR GRAYSON AL | flow 7.22 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) · no flooding | 28 km |
| Tennessee River at Decatur | no flooding | 33 km |
| FLINT CREEK AT RED BANK RD SE NR DECATUR, AL | flow 89.3 ft³/s | 34 km |
| FLINT CREEK NEAR FALKVILLE AL | flow 10.1 ft³/s | 40 km |
| TENNESSEE RIVER AT FLORENCE AL | flow 0.00 ft³/s · no flooding · STALE | 43 km |
| SWAN CREEK BELOW ATHENS, ALA | flow 7.66 ft³/s | 43 km |
| BLUEWATER CREEK NR ANTIOCH, AL | flow 375.0 ft³/s · STALE | 45 km |
| CYPRESS CREEK NEAR FLORENCE AL | flow 25.2 ft³/s | 46 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 #
3 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 3, 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-342718087285601 | depth 5.28 ft · 2025-05-27 | 17 km |
| USGS-335929087021001 | depth 38.6 ft · 2025-02-01 | 65 km |
| USGS-344457086363701 | depth 62.4 ft · 2013-09-29 | 70 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 #
$447.1 m in deposits at 7 offices of 4 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 4,204, highly concentrated. $213.6 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $211.9 m, grants $1.5 m), $37,005 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Bank Independent | $243.2 m · 54.4% share · 3 offices | |
| CB&S Bank, Inc. | $148.1 m · 33.1% share · 2 offices | |
| Regions Bank | $54.5 m · 12.2% share · 1 office | |
| Lawrence, AL | $213.6 m FY2026 · $37,005/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $206.1 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank Independent | $243,194,000 | 54.4% | 3 |
| CB&S Bank, Inc. | $148,103,000 | 33.1% | 2 |
| Regions Bank | $54,493,000 | 12.2% | 1 |
| First Southern Bank | $1,324,000 | 0.3% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 4,204 across 4 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 4 banks with deposits in the county = 54.4² + 33.1² + 12.2² + … (1 more) = 4,204
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 | $189,596,730 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $16,389,651 |
| Department of Agriculture | $5,379,432 |
| Department of Transportation | $953,031 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $802,055 |
| Department of Education | $194,678 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $184,005 |
| Department of Defense | $47,630 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $7,920 |
That is $37,005 per covered job, against 5,771 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $213.6 m / 5,771 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $37,005
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 | 3.00 | 2026-10-06 | -50.0% |
| Shanghai to Los Angeles container rate · $ per 40 ft box | 7,848.00 | 2026-09-01 | +14.9% |
| 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 #
Lawrence County, AL: 6 findings, 6 noted
noteLawrence County, AL's covered employment was 4.9% 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
- +4.9 % = 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
noteLawrence County, AL's average weekly wage was 4.3% 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
- +4.3 % = 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
noteLawrence County, AL's covered employment of +4.9% ranks 4th of 67 Alabama counties, against a median of +0.5%.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 95 on the 0-to-100 scale across 67 Alabama counties that published jobs.yoy.emp
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteLawrence County, AL's momentum index of 0.61 ranks 5th of 67 Alabama counties, against a median of 0.26.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 94 on the 0-to-100 scale across 67 Alabama counties that published momentum
- momentum = Σ wᵢ · clip(changeᵢ / scaleᵢ, −1, 1) / Σ wᵢ over the terms present; weights and scales: home value 1-yr change 0.3 (±10%), rent 1-yr change 0.15 (±10%), jobs over-the-year change 0.3 (±3%), avg weekly wage over-the-year change 0.25 (±6%)
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteLawrence County, AL's covered employment of +4.9% ranks 202nd of 3,221 US counties, against a median of -0.2%.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 94 on the 0-to-100 scale across 3221 US counties that published jobs.yoy.emp
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
Read all 6 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.