Walton County, FL
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 30.57, -86.16.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 97th pct · 85th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 98th pct · 2nd of 67 Florida counties · median $307,929
- counties in the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 23rd pct · 2,330th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 65th pct · 24th of 67 Florida counties · median -0.8%
- counties in the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 80th pct · 268th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 56th pct · 21st of 47 Florida counties · median $1,898
- counties in the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 79th pct · 646th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 48th pct · 35th of 67 Florida counties · median 43,443
- counties in the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 64th pct · 1,147th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 54th pct · 31st of 67 Florida counties · median $1,084
- counties in the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 98th pct · 48th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 98th pct · 2nd of 67 Florida counties · median 5.4
- counties in the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin 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 $654,948 (Aug 2026), +0.4% over one year, +12.0% over five
- 97th pct · 85th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 98th pct · 2nd of 67 Florida counties · median $307,929
- counties in the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Walton County, FL | $654,948 · +0.4% 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 #
Typical rent $1,947/mo (Aug 2026), +0.4% over one year; price-to-rent 28.0
- 80th pct · 268th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 56th pct · 21st of 47 Florida counties · median $1,898
- counties in the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Walton County, FL | $1,947/mo · +0.4% 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 $3,585 a month on $654,948 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,819 a month: 74.4% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $654,948 × 80% = $523,958, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $3,585/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,112 × 52 / 12 = $4,819) = 74% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $654,948 / ($1,112 × 52) = 11.3
- price-to-rent = $654,948 / ($1,947 × 12) = 28.0
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 #
36,124 jobs at 4,344 employers (2026 Q1); +2.2% jobs and +1.7% average weekly wage over the year
- 79th pct · 646th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 48th pct · 35th of 67 Florida counties · median 43,443
- counties in the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Walton County, FL | 36,124 jobs · $1,112/wk · +2.2% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and food services | 8,565 | $723 | 2.64 | +2.7% |
| Retail trade | 5,448 | $758 | 1.55 | -0.5% |
| Construction | 3,832 | $1,178 | 2.02 | -1.9% |
| Health care and social assistance | 2,778 | $1,297 | 0.51 | +9.1% |
| Professional and technical services | 2,251 | $1,684 | 0.90 | +3.5% |
| Administrative and waste services | 1,921 | $1,069 | 0.94 | -1.9% |
| Real estate and rental | 1,784 | $1,113 | 3.22 | +6.7% |
| Other services | 1,076 | $912 | 1.00 | +9.0% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 643 | $876 | 0.42 | -3.9% |
| Wholesale trade | 620 | $2,013 | 0.45 | -4.5% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 552 | $756 | 0.93 | +16.7% |
| Finance and insurance | 507 | $2,891 | 0.34 | -4.2% |
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 #
2 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 2, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| LAKE SEMINOLE NEAR CHATTAHOOCHEE, FL | 77.2 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 125 km |
| CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER NEAR COLUMBIA, AL | 102.4 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 126 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 #
24 gauges · 0 flooding · 2 with quality panels averaging 75 % · 7 stale
Sites found: 24, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| ALAQUA CREEK NEAR PORTLAND, FLORIDA | flow 219.0 ft³/s · STALE | 2 km |
| ALAQUA CREEK NEAR PLEASANT RIDGE, FL | flow 47.0 ft³/s · STALE | 11 km |
| BRUCE CREEK AT SH 81 NR REDBAY, FL | flow 83.7 ft³/s | 22 km |
| SHOAL RIVER NR MOSSY HEAD, FLA. | flow 476.0 ft³/s | 29 km |
| CHOCTAWHATCHEE RIVER NR BRUCE, FLA. | flow 2,560 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 29 km |
| PINE LOG CREEK NR EBRO, FL | flow 285.0 ft³/s · STALE | 33 km |
| JUNIPER CREEK AT STATE HWY 85 NR NICEVILLE, FLA. | flow 65.8 ft³/s · STALE | 34 km |
| CHOCTAWHATCHEE RIVER AT CARYVILLE, FLA. | flow 1,550 ft³/s | 39 km |
| CANEY CREEK TRIB. NO.2 NR CANEY CREEK TOWER | flow 0.00 ft³/s · STALE | 41 km |
| SHOAL RIVER NR CRESTVIEW, FLA. | flow 1,850 ft³/s | 41 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 #
60 wells in 2 named aquifers: Floridan aquifer system, Surficial aquifer system
Sites found: 60, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Floridan aquifer system | depth 167.4 ft · 1973-11-11 | 6 km |
| Floridan aquifer system | depth 135.0 ft · 1973-11-13 | 6 km |
| FRM NO 2 SH FST AM FRMS | depth 20.3 ft · 1970-09-23 | 6 km |
| Floridan aquifer system | depth 74.2 ft · 1972-01-11 | 7 km |
| Floridan aquifer system | depth 10.9 ft · 1970-06-22 | 8 km |
| Floridan aquifer system | depth 30.2 ft · 1972-10-11 | 9 km |
| Floridan aquifer system | depth -4.30 ft · 1969-06-18 | 10 km |
| FRM NO 41 SH FST AM FRMS | depth 6.25 ft · 1970-08-20 | 12 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 (0.09)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.25 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$3.1 bn in deposits at 38 offices of 20 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,014, moderately concentrated. $666.9 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $607.0 m, contracts $49.5 m), $18,461 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Regions Bank | $622.1 m · 20.1% share · 6 offices | |
| Gulf Coast Bank and Trust Company | $403.0 m · 13.0% share · 1 office | |
| Trustmark Bank | $380.5 m · 12.3% share · 5 offices | |
| Walton, FL | $666.9 m FY2026 · $18,461/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $601.3 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regions Bank | $622,081,000 | 20.1% | 6 |
| Gulf Coast Bank and Trust Company | $402,981,000 | 13.0% | 1 |
| Trustmark Bank | $380,499,000 | 12.3% | 5 |
| Hancock Whitney Bank | $274,370,000 | 8.9% | 1 |
| Renasant Bank | $221,165,000 | 7.2% | 3 |
| Community Bank of Mississippi | $205,734,000 | 6.7% | 1 |
| United Community Bank | $202,522,000 | 6.5% | 2 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $148,921,000 | 4.8% | 2 |
| Truist Bank | $112,501,000 | 3.6% | 2 |
| United Fidelity Bank, fsb | $110,096,000 | 3.6% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,014 across 20 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 20 banks with deposits in the county = 20.1² + 13.0² + 12.3² + … (17 more) = 1,014
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 | $482,256,244 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $162,009,825 |
| Department of Transportation | $9,232,229 |
| Department of Defense | $4,542,381 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $3,386,841 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $1,734,432 |
| Department of Agriculture | $1,638,238 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $954,969 |
| Department of Education | $782,840 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $469,946 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
| Department of Justice | $0 |
That is $18,461 per covered job, against 36,124 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $666.9 m / 36,124 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $18,461
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 #
Walton County, FL: 14 findings, 6 at a watch level and 8 noted
watchWalton County, FL's years of wages of 11.3 ranks 48th of 3,063 US counties, a watch level here: years of wages in the top tenth of US counties (position among the counties that published both a ZHVI value and a QCEW average weekly wage; 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: yearsOfWages percentile = 98.46505551926845 >= 90
- typical home value / (average weekly wage × 52); one average covered job, not a household
position among the counties that published both a ZHVI value and a QCEW average weekly wage; not an official level
watchWalton County, FL's price-to-rent ratio of 28.0 ranks 34th of 1,399 US counties, a watch level here: price-to-rent in the top tenth of US counties (position among the counties that published both ZHVI and ZORI this month; 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: priceToRent percentile = 97.63948497854076 >= 90
- typical home value / (typical rent × 12); Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month
position among the counties that published both ZHVI and ZORI this month; not an official level
watchWalton County, FL's price-to-rent ratio is 28.0, a watch level here: typical home value worth 25 or more years of typical rent (typical home value / (typical rent × 12), Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month; convention chosen for this dashboard, 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: priceToRent = 28.027679041162656 >= 25
- typical home value / (typical rent × 12); Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month
typical home value / (typical rent × 12), Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchWalton County, FL's years of wages is 11.3, a watch level here: typical home value worth 10 or more years of one average covered wage (typical home value / (average weekly wage × 52), one average covered job rather than a household; convention chosen for this dashboard, 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: yearsOfWages = 11.326574631055317 >= 10
- typical home value / (average weekly wage × 52); one average covered job, not a household
typical home value / (average weekly wage × 52), one average covered job rather than a household; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchWalton County, FL's typical home value of +0.4% scores 24 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 65 across Florida counties, a gap of 41 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 41 = |24 across US counties - 65 across Florida counties|
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.