Russell County, AL
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 32.29, -85.19.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 37th pct · 1,918th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 62nd pct · 26th of 67 Alabama counties · median $183,308
- 83rd pct · 2nd of 7 counties in the Columbus metro · median $185,617
- 71st pct · 886th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 87th pct · 9th of 67 Alabama counties · median +2.2%
- 66th pct · 3rd of 7 counties in the Columbus metro · median +4.7%
- 41st pct · 824th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 64th pct · 11th of 29 Alabama counties · median $1,362
- counties in the Columbus metro: only 3 of counties in the Columbus metro published this metric; fewer than 5 is too few to rank
- 62nd pct · 1,205th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 60th pct · 27th of 67 Alabama counties · median 10,118
- 83rd pct · 2nd of 7 counties in the Columbus metro · median 2,245
- 41st pct · 1,876th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 42nd pct · 39th of 67 Alabama counties · median $1,024
- 50th pct · 4th of 7 counties in the Columbus metro · median $1,002
- 41st pct · 1,807th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 66th pct · 23rd of 67 Alabama counties · median 3.3
- 66th pct · 3rd of 7 counties in the Columbus metro · median 3.7
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 $201,390 (Aug 2026), +4.9% over one year, +24.3% over five
- 37th pct · 1,918th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 62nd pct · 26th of 67 Alabama counties · median $183,308
- 83rd pct · 2nd of 7 counties in the Columbus metro · median $185,617
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Russell County, AL | $201,390 · +4.9% 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 $1,396/mo (Aug 2026), +4.7% over one year; price-to-rent 12.0
- 41st pct · 824th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 64th pct · 11th of 29 Alabama counties · median $1,362
- counties in the Columbus metro: only 3 of counties in the Columbus metro published this metric; fewer than 5 is too few to rank
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Russell County, AL | $1,396/mo · +4.7% 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 $1,102 a month on $201,390 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,342 a month: 25.4% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $201,390 × 80% = $161,112, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,102/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,002 × 52 / 12 = $4,342) = 25% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $201,390 / ($1,002 × 52) = 3.9
- price-to-rent = $201,390 / ($1,396 × 12) = 12.0
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 #
13,692 jobs at 1,285 employers (2026 Q1); -2.6% jobs and +5.4% average weekly wage over the year
- 62nd pct · 1,205th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 60th pct · 27th of 67 Alabama counties · median 10,118
- 83rd pct · 2nd of 7 counties in the Columbus metro · median 2,245
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Russell County, AL | 13,692 jobs · $1,002/wk · -2.6% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 2,025 | $1,739 | 1.84 | -15.7% |
| Retail trade | 1,964 | $628 | 1.47 | -2.6% |
| Health care and social assistance | 1,852 | $1,039 | 0.90 | +2.3% |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,825 | $391 | 1.48 | +0.0% |
| Finance and insurance | 562 | $1,292 | 1.01 | -16.9% |
| Administrative and waste services | 405 | $582 | 0.52 | -25.1% |
| Other services | 320 | $867 | 0.78 | +12.3% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 230 | $1,029 | 0.40 | -0.4% |
| Real estate and rental | 165 | $1,106 | 0.79 | +1.9% |
| Wholesale trade | 155 | $1,318 | 0.30 | +3.3% |
| Utilities | 49 | $2,283 | 0.91 | +4.3% |
| Educational services | 46 | $629 | 0.16 | -8.0% |
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 #
7 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 7, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| WEST POINT LAKE NEAR WEST POINT, GA | 624.3 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 70 km |
| WALTER F. GEORGE RESERVOIR NEAR FORT GAINES, GA | 189.0 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 75 km |
| CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER NEAR COLUMBIA, AL | 102.5 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 115 km |
| LAKE MCINTOSH NEAR PEACHTREE CITY, GA | 778.1 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 131 km |
| LAKE PEACHTREE HEADWATER AT PEACHTREE CITY, GA | 784.5 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 135 km |
| LAKE HORTON HEADWATER NEAR FAYETTEVILLE, GA | 775.1 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 135 km |
| LAKE KEDRON NEAR PEACHTREE CITY, GA | 833.6 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 138 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 #
29 gauges · 0 flooding · 0 with quality panels · 11 stale
Sites found: 29, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| UCHEE CREEK NEAR FORT MITCHELL, AL. | flow 17.7 ft³/s | 16 km |
| CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER AT SPUR 39, NEAR OMAHA, GA | flow -1,060 ft³/s | 21 km |
| UPATOI CREEK AT GA 357, AT FORT BENNING, GA | flow 347.0 ft³/s · STALE | 23 km |
| CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER AT US 280, NEAR COLUMBUS, GA | flow 1,990 ft³/s · STALE | 26 km |
| CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER AT COLUMBUS, GA | flow 4.40 ft³/s · STALE | 26 km |
| CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER AT 14TH ST, AT COLUMBUS, GA | flow 1,080 ft³/s · no flooding | 27 km |
| SOUTH FORK COWIKEE CREEK NR HOWE, AL | flow 24.9 ft³/s · STALE | 30 km |
| HANNAHATCHEE CREEK AT UNION ROAD, AT UNION, GA | flow 37.8 ft³/s · no flooding | 31 km |
| SOUTH FORK COWIKEE CREEK NEAR BATESVILLE AL | stage 6.46 ft | 32 km |
| OCHILLEE CREEK AT OCHILLEE, GA | flow 187.0 ft³/s · STALE | 34 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-322036084590301 | depth 54.3 ft · 2026-10-05 | 20 km |
| USGS-314602084473701 | depth 169.7 ft · 2026-09-09 | 69 km |
| USGS-322500085551201 | depth 11.3 ft · 2025-06-11 | 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 / 0.35
Banks & federal dollars #
$987.3 m in deposits at 10 offices of 6 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,735, highly concentrated. $565.5 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $495.3 m, contracts $35.5 m), $41,305 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Pinnacle Bank | $366.1 m · 37.1% share · 2 offices | |
| Phenix-Girard Bank | $313.4 m · 31.7% share · 3 offices | |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $135.0 m · 13.7% share · 1 office | |
| Russell, AL | $565.5 m FY2026 · $41,305/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $482.1 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pinnacle Bank | $366,112,000 | 37.1% | 2 |
| Phenix-Girard Bank | $313,351,000 | 31.7% | 3 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $134,983,000 | 13.7% | 1 |
| Regions Bank | $119,509,000 | 12.1% | 2 |
| Truist Bank | $42,058,000 | 4.3% | 1 |
| PeoplesSouth Bank | $11,295,000 | 1.1% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,735 across 6 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 6 banks with deposits in the county = 37.1² + 31.7² + 13.7² + … (3 more) = 2,735
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 | $285,042,349 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $195,460,829 |
| Department of Defense | $32,136,637 |
| Department of Transportation | $27,738,350 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $11,555,568 |
| Department of Education | $4,988,403 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $2,470,249 |
| Environmental Protection Agency | $2,320,000 |
| Department of Agriculture | $1,655,119 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $1,369,810 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $733,472 |
| General Services Administration | $61,618 |
That is $41,305 per covered job, against 13,692 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $565.5 m / 13,692 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $41,305
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 | -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 #
Russell County, AL: 7 findings, 1 at a watch level and 6 noted
watchRussell County, AL's covered employment is -2.6% 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 = -2.6 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteRussell County, AL's average weekly wage was 5.4% 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
- +5.4 % = 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
noteRussell County, AL's covered employment was 2.6% 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
- -2.6 % = 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
noteRussell County, AL's typical asking rent rose 0.3% from $1,391 in July 2026 to $1,396 in August 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.3% = (1395.70202020202 - 1391.3850186304608) / 1391.3850186304608 × 100
- 1395.70202020202 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
- 1391.3850186304608 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-07
noteRussell County, AL's price-to-rent ratio of 12.0 ranks 1,305th of 1,399 US counties, against a median of 17.2.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 7 on the 0-to-100 scale across 1399 US counties that published priceToRent
- 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
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.