Highlands County, FL
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 27.34, -81.34.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 49th pct · 1,548th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 16th pct · 56th of 67 Florida counties · median $307,929
- counties in the Sebring metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Sebring metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 12th pct · 2,695th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 27th pct · 49th of 67 Florida counties · median -0.8%
- counties in the Sebring metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Sebring metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 48th pct · 723rd of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 6th pct · 44th of 47 Florida counties · median $1,898
- counties in the Sebring metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Sebring metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 77th pct · 738th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 45th pct · 37th of 67 Florida counties · median 43,443
- counties in the Sebring metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Sebring metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 33rd pct · 2,128th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 26th pct · 49th of 67 Florida counties · median $1,084
- counties in the Sebring metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Sebring metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 57th pct · 1,303rd of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 25th pct · 50th of 67 Florida counties · median 5.4
- counties in the Sebring metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Sebring 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 $233,302 (Aug 2026), -1.5% over one year, +28.0% over five
- 49th pct · 1,548th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 16th pct · 56th of 67 Florida counties · median $307,929
- counties in the Sebring metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Sebring metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Highlands County, FL | $233,302 · -1.5% 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 $1,482/mo (Aug 2026), +1.3% over one year; price-to-rent 13.1
- 48th pct · 723rd of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 6th pct · 44th of 47 Florida counties · median $1,898
- counties in the Sebring metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Sebring metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Highlands County, FL | $1,482/mo · +1.3% 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 $1,277 a month on $233,302 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,190 a month: 30.5% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $233,302 × 80% = $186,642, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,277/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $967 × 52 / 12 = $4,190) = 30% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $233,302 / ($967 × 52) = 4.6
- price-to-rent = $233,302 / ($1,482 × 12) = 13.1
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 #
28,803 jobs at 2,610 employers (2026 Q1); -1.4% jobs and +1.4% average weekly wage over the year
- 77th pct · 738th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 45th pct · 37th of 67 Florida counties · median 43,443
- counties in the Sebring metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Sebring metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Highlands County, FL | 28,803 jobs · $967/wk · -1.4% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 6,572 | $1,229 | 1.52 | +1.7% |
| Retail trade | 4,726 | $724 | 1.68 | +0.5% |
| Accommodation and food services | 2,999 | $515 | 1.16 | -5.5% |
| Construction | 1,553 | $1,038 | 1.03 | -12.9% |
| Administrative and waste services | 1,210 | $879 | 0.74 | +5.0% |
| Professional and technical services | 1,143 | $1,070 | 0.58 | +19.7% |
| Manufacturing | 762 | $1,064 | 0.33 | -4.2% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 716 | $575 | 1.51 | -24.1% |
| Finance and insurance | 496 | $1,653 | 0.42 | -9.5% |
| Wholesale trade | 491 | $1,895 | 0.45 | -0.4% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 381 | $852 | 0.31 | +50.0% |
| Educational services | 376 | $758 | 0.61 | +9.0% |
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 #
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 #
93 gauges · 0 flooding · 8 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 29 stale
Sites found: 93, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| JOSEPHINE CREEK NEAR DE SOTO CITY FL | flow 35.0 ft³/s | 6 km |
| C-41A CANAL NEAR LAKE PLACID, FL | flow 631.0 ft³/s · STALE | 9 km |
| PLACID-JUNE CANAL OUTFALL NEAR LAKE PLACID FL | flow 32.0 ft³/s · STALE | 9 km |
| ARBUCKLE CREEK NEAR DE SOTO CITY, FL | flow 225.0 ft³/s | 12 km |
| FISHEATING CREEK NEAR LAKE PLACID,FL | flow 0.32 ft³/s | 19 km |
| C-41 CANAL NEAR BRIGHTON, FL | flow 179.0 ft³/s · STALE | 20 km |
| C-41 Canal at SR 70 Near Brighton | observation not current | 20 km |
| CARTER CREEK NEAR SEBRING FL | flow 16.7 ft³/s | 22 km |
| KISSIMMEE RIVER AT PC-33 NEAR BASINGER, FL | flow 643.0 ft³/s · STALE | 22 km |
| KISSIMMEE RIVER NEAR LORIDA, FL | stage 40.0 ft · STALE | 24 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 #
20 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 20, 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-272745081232601 | level 89.3 ft · 2012-10-01 | 14 km |
| USGS-272504081120101 | level 44.5 ft · 2025-11-17 | 16 km |
| USGS-270157081203101 | level 54.3 ft · 2025-11-17 | 34 km |
| USGS-272012081482501 | level 39.2 ft · 2025-11-20 | 46 km |
| USGS-273156081451401 | level 55.3 ft · 2025-11-24 | 46 km |
| USGS-274812081190301 | level 100.0 ft · 2024-04-30 | 51 km |
| USGS-272714081545901 | level 51.0 ft · 2012-09-30 | 58 km |
| USGS-272714081545903 | level 75.0 ft · 2012-09-30 | 58 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 #
$2.1 bn in deposits at 18 offices of 9 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,755, moderately concentrated. $991.5 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $962.0 m, grants $26.8 m), $34,422 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Seacoast National Bank | $609.9 m · 28.6% share · 4 offices | |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $423.7 m · 19.8% share · 2 offices | |
| Crews Bank & Trust | $272.5 m · 12.8% share · 2 offices | |
| Highlands, FL | $991.5 m FY2026 · $34,422/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $940.3 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seacoast National Bank | $609,863,000 | 28.6% | 4 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $423,656,000 | 19.8% | 2 |
| Crews Bank & Trust | $272,537,000 | 12.8% | 2 |
| SouthState Bank, National Association | $262,749,000 | 12.3% | 3 |
| Truist Bank | $220,835,000 | 10.3% | 3 |
| Bank of America, National Association | $217,239,000 | 10.2% | 1 |
| First Southern Bank | $90,406,000 | 4.2% | 1 |
| Gulf Atlantic Bank | $23,521,000 | 1.1% | 1 |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $13,927,000 | 0.7% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,755 across 9 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 9 banks with deposits in the county = 28.6² + 19.8² + 12.8² + … (6 more) = 1,755
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 | $831,459,136 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $104,323,213 |
| Department of Transportation | $25,009,224 |
| Department of Education | $8,579,252 |
| Department of Agriculture | $7,798,564 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $4,968,558 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $4,219,267 |
| Department of Defense | $1,819,648 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $1,538,226 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $812,731 |
| Department of the Interior | $797,236 |
| Department of Commerce | $83,881 |
That is $34,422 per covered job, against 28,803 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $991.5 m / 28,803 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $34,422
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 | 2026-10-06 | +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 #
Highlands County, FL: 12 findings, 6 at a watch level and 6 noted
watchHighlands County, FL's typical home value is -1.5% against a year earlier, a watch level here: typical home value below a year ago (arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; not an official level). The previous published period is not in this table, so this is a standing level rather than a change.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- test: home.yoyPct = -1.5361702919266342 < 0
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; not an official level
watchHighlands County, FL'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
watchHighlands County, FL's typical asking rent of $1,482 scores 48 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 7 across Florida counties, a gap of 42 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 42 = |48 across US counties - 7 across Florida counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchHighlands County, FL's typical home value of $233,302 scores 49 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 17 across Florida counties, a gap of 33 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 33 = |49 across US counties - 17 across Florida counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchHighlands County, FL's years of wages of 4.6 scores 57 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 26 across Florida counties, a gap of 32 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 32 = |57 across US counties - 26 across Florida counties|
- typical home value / (average weekly wage × 52); one average covered job, not a household
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.