Hempstead County, AR
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 33.74, -93.66.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 8th pct · 2,800th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 20th pct · 59th of 74 Arkansas counties · median $169,663
- 66th pct · 1,040th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 71st pct · 22nd of 74 Arkansas counties · median +3.0%
- US counties: not published this period
- Arkansas counties: not published this period
- 48th pct · 1,652nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 66th pct · 26th of 75 Arkansas counties · median 5,609
- 21st pct · 2,522nd of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 50th pct · 37th of 75 Arkansas counties · median $912
- 14th pct · 2,631st of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 27th pct · 54th of 74 Arkansas counties · median 3.6
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 $128,581 (Aug 2026), +4.4% over one year, +6.9% over five
- 8th pct · 2,800th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 20th pct · 59th of 74 Arkansas counties · median $169,663
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Hempstead County, AR | $128,581 · +4.4% 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
- Arkansas 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 $704 a month on $128,581 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $3,952 a month: 17.8% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $128,581 × 80% = $102,865, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $704/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $912 × 52 / 12 = $3,952) = 18% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $128,581 / ($912 × 52) = 2.7
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 #
7,792 jobs at 504 employers (2026 Q1); -0.5% jobs and +2.7% average weekly wage over the year
- 48th pct · 1,652nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 66th pct · 26th of 75 Arkansas counties · median 5,609
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Hempstead County, AR | 7,792 jobs · $912/wk · -0.5% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 2,346 | $1,096 | 3.74 | -0.5% |
| Retail trade | 771 | $613 | 1.02 | +5.2% |
| Accommodation and food services | 536 | $383 | 0.77 | -7.6% |
| Professional and technical services | 264 | $958 | 0.49 | +0.8% |
| Wholesale trade | 193 | $979 | 0.65 | +10.3% |
| Administrative and waste services | 190 | $656 | 0.43 | +1.6% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 149 | $1,074 | 0.45 | +4.9% |
| Utilities | 132 | $2,502 | 4.29 | +2.3% |
| Finance and insurance | 111 | $1,506 | 0.35 | -5.1% |
| Construction | 100 | $1,017 | 0.24 | +1.0% |
| Other services | 95 | $780 | 0.41 | -2.1% |
| Real estate and rental | 33 | $719 | 0.28 | -10.8% |
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 #
90 % of conservation capacity, weighted over 5 TWDB reservoirs
Sites found: 5, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Wright Patman Lake | 100 % full · 123k ac-ft | 66 km |
| Caddo Lake | 53 % full · 30k ac-ft | 116 km |
| Lake O the Pines | 93 % full · 241k ac-ft | 134 km |
| Lake Bob Sandlin | 89 % full · 192k ac-ft | 144 km |
| Monticello Reservoir | 73 % full · 35k ac-ft | 147 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 #
16 gauges · 0 flooding · 1 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 1 stale
Sites found: 16, 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-07341500 | flow 3,010 ft³/s · no flooding | 20 km |
| Little Missouri River (AR) near Boughton | no flooding | 37 km |
| USGS-07337000 | flow 2,620 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) · no flooding | 40 km |
| USGS-07361500 | flow 0.05 ft³/s | 41 km |
| USGS-07341200 | flow 8.47 ft³/s · no flooding | 44 km |
| Little Missouri River (AR) at Narrows Dam | no readings | 46 km |
| USGS-07341000 | stage 3.47 ft · no flooding | 56 km |
| USGS-07340500 | stage 2.81 ft · no flooding | 61 km |
| USGS-07359700 | flow 146.0 ft³/s · STALE | 66 km |
| USGS-07344210 | flow 559.0 ft³/s | 66 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-331609093144902 | depth 264.2 ft · 2026-10-05 | 65 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 (0.24)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.50 + 0.3×0.10 + 0.2×0.00 / 0.85
Banks & federal dollars #
$429.6 m in deposits at 7 offices of 6 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,934, highly concentrated. $140.1 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $119.5 m, grants $15.0 m), $17,983 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Farmers Bank & Trust Company | $194.2 m · 45.2% share · 2 offices | |
| The Huntington National Bank | $95.8 m · 22.3% share · 1 office | |
| Diamond Bank | $65.7 m · 15.3% share · 1 office | |
| Hempstead, AR | $140.1 m FY2026 · $17,983/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $112.2 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farmers Bank & Trust Company | $194,211,000 | 45.2% | 2 |
| The Huntington National Bank | $95,810,000 | 22.3% | 1 |
| Diamond Bank | $65,655,000 | 15.3% | 1 |
| Bank OZK | $47,685,000 | 11.1% | 1 |
| The First National Bank of Tom Bean | $25,820,000 | 6.0% | 1 |
| Bank of Delight | $424,000 | 0.1% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,934 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 = 45.2² + 22.3² + 15.3² + … (3 more) = 2,934
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 | $102,716,635 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $13,167,869 |
| Department of Transportation | $10,268,616 |
| Department of Education | $6,042,426 |
| Department of Agriculture | $3,596,820 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $2,184,038 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $1,342,985 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $413,112 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $263,528 |
| Department of Defense | $46,800 |
| Department of the Interior | $42,938 |
| Department of Justice | $37,693 |
That is $17,983 per covered job, against 7,792 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $140.1 m / 7,792 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $17,983
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 #
Hempstead County, AR: 6 findings, 1 at a watch level and 5 noted
watchHempstead County, AR's covered employment is -0.5% 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 = -0.5 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteHempstead County, AR's average weekly wage was 2.7% 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
- +2.7 % = 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
noteHempstead County, AR's typical home value rose 1.1% from $127,234 in July 2026 to $128,581 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +1.1% = (128580.9842121757 - 127233.71225945796) / 127233.71225945796 × 100
- 128580.9842121757 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 127233.71225945796 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
noteHempstead County, AR's covered employment was 0.5% 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
- -0.5 % = 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
noteHempstead County, AR's typical home value of $128,581 ranks 2,800th of 3,063 US counties, against a median of $234,566.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 9 on the 0-to-100 scale across 3063 US counties that published home.latest
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.