Washington County, AL
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 31.41, -88.21.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 26th pct · 2,258th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 43rd pct · 38th of 67 Alabama counties · median $183,308
- 34th pct · 1,994th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 43rd pct · 38th of 67 Alabama counties · median +2.2%
- US counties: not published this period
- Alabama counties: not published this period
- 40th pct · 1,930th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 31st pct · 46th of 67 Alabama counties · median 10,118
- 98th pct · 54th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 100th pct · 1st of 67 Alabama counties · median $1,024
- 1st pct · 3,012th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 0th pct · 67th 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 $176,075 (Aug 2026), +1.6% over one year, +9.4% over five
- 26th pct · 2,258th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 43rd pct · 38th of 67 Alabama counties · median $183,308
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Washington County, AL | $176,075 · +1.6% 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 $964 a month on $176,075 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $8,654 a month: 11.1% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $176,075 × 80% = $140,860, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $964/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,997 × 52 / 12 = $8,654) = 11% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $176,075 / ($1,997 × 52) = 1.7
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 #
5,561 jobs at 336 employers (2026 Q1); +4.8% jobs and +5.9% average weekly wage over the year
- 40th pct · 1,930th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 31st pct · 46th of 67 Alabama counties · median 10,118
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Washington County, AL | 5,561 jobs · $1,997/wk · +4.8% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 2,773 | $2,793 | 6.20 | +2.8% |
| Construction | 276 | $1,449 | 0.95 | +46.0% |
| Retail trade | 269 | $559 | 0.50 | -4.9% |
| Wholesale trade | 218 | $1,828 | 1.02 | +7.9% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 153 | $983 | 3.81 | -10.5% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 135 | $1,482 | 0.58 | +3.8% |
| Utilities | 126 | $2,698 | 5.74 | +2.4% |
| Accommodation and food services | 113 | $429 | 0.23 | +0.0% |
| Administrative and waste services | 84 | $2,055 | 0.27 | -8.7% |
| Information | withheld | |||
| Finance and insurance | withheld | |||
| Real estate and rental | withheld |
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 #
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 #
22 gauges · 0 flooding · 1 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 2 stale
Sites found: 22, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| TOMBIGBEE RIVER AT STEAMPLANT NR LEROY, AL | stage 2.48 ft | 30 km |
| POND CREEK NEAR DEER PARK AL | flow 0.70 ft³/s · STALE | 31 km |
| TOMBIGBEE R BL COFFEEVILLE L&D NEAR COFFEEVILLE | flow 3,670 ft³/s | 40 km |
| TOMBIGBEE R AT COFFEEVILLE L&D NR COFFEEVILLE, AL. | flow 4,800 ft³/s | 40 km |
| SATILPA CREEK NEAR COFFEEVILLE AL | flow 29.1 ft³/s | 41 km |
| ALABAMA RIVER AT CHOCTAW BLUFF, AL. | flow 8,630 ft³/s | 43 km |
| CHICKASAWHAY RIVER AT LEAKESVILLE, MS | flow 427.0 ft³/s | 43 km |
| TENSAW RIVER NR MOUNT VERNON, ALA | flow 10,800 ft³/s | 45 km |
| MOBILE RIVER AT RIVER MILE 31.0 AT BUCKS, AL | flow 16,000 ft³/s | 47 km |
| MOBILE RIVER AT BARRY STEAMPLANT NR BUCKS (INTAKE) | stage 2.66 ft | 49 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-314115088392301 | depth 19.8 ft · 2026-10-04 | 52 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 #
$219.6 m in deposits at 4 offices of 2 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 5,720, highly concentrated. $121.7 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $121.3 m, grants $418,044), $21,884 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Renasant Bank | $151.5 m · 69.0% share · 2 offices | |
| SmartBank | $68.1 m · 31.0% share · 2 offices | |
| Washington, AL | $121.7 m FY2026 · $21,884/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $119.4 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renasant Bank | $151,467,000 | 69.0% | 2 |
| SmartBank | $68,125,000 | 31.0% | 2 |
Deposit concentration is 5,720 across 2 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 2 banks with deposits in the county = 69.0² + 31.0² = 5,720
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 | $105,083,947 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $13,812,449 |
| Delta Regional Authority | $1,000,000 |
| Department of Agriculture | $512,364 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $466,586 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $401,756 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $163,837 |
| Department of Transportation | $137,447 |
| Department of Education | $116,760 |
That is $21,884 per covered job, against 5,561 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $121.7 m / 5,561 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $21,884
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 #
Washington County, AL: 12 findings, 12 noted
noteWashington County, AL's average weekly wage was 5.9% 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
- +5.9 % = 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
noteWashington County, AL's covered employment was 4.8% 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
- +4.8 % = 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
noteWashington County, AL's typical home value rose 0.5% from $175,178 in July 2026 to $176,075 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.5% = (176074.66773575055 - 175177.5383957388) / 175177.5383957388 × 100
- 176074.66773575055 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 175177.5383957388 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
noteWashington County, AL's average weekly wage of $1,997 ranks 1st of 67 Alabama counties, against a median of $1,024.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 100 on the 0-to-100 scale across 67 Alabama counties that published jobs.avgWeeklyWage
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteWashington County, AL's momentum index of 0.70 ranks 1st of 67 Alabama counties, against a median of 0.26.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 100 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
Read all 12 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.