Effingham County, GA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 32.36, -81.34.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 76th pct · 719th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 79th pct · 33rd of 159 Georgia counties · median $219,820
- counties in the Savannah metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Savannah metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 11th pct · 2,699th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 8th pct · 145th of 159 Georgia counties · median +2.6%
- counties in the Savannah metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Savannah metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 88th pct · 163rd of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 91st pct · 7th of 72 Georgia counties · median $1,651
- counties in the Savannah metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Savannah metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 64th pct · 1,140th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 69th pct · 49th of 159 Georgia counties · median 7,095
- counties in the Savannah metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Savannah metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 69th pct · 972nd of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 81st pct · 31st of 159 Georgia counties · median $964
- counties in the Savannah metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Savannah metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 73rd pct · 803rd of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 74th pct · 41st of 159 Georgia counties · median 4.3
- counties in the Savannah metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Savannah 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 $334,584 (Aug 2026), -1.6% over one year, +35.5% over five
- 76th pct · 719th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 79th pct · 33rd of 159 Georgia counties · median $219,820
- counties in the Savannah metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Savannah metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Effingham County, GA | $334,584 · -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 #
Typical rent $2,130/mo (Aug 2026), +2.5% over one year; price-to-rent 13.1
- 88th pct · 163rd of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 91st pct · 7th of 72 Georgia counties · median $1,651
- counties in the Savannah metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Savannah metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Effingham County, GA | $2,130/mo · +2.5% 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 $1,831 a month on $334,584 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,970 a month: 36.8% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $334,584 × 80% = $267,667, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,831/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,147 × 52 / 12 = $4,970) = 37% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $334,584 / ($1,147 × 52) = 5.6
- price-to-rent = $334,584 / ($2,130 × 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 #
15,059 jobs at 1,290 employers (2026 Q1); +4.7% jobs and +6.9% average weekly wage over the year
- 64th pct · 1,140th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 69th pct · 49th of 159 Georgia counties · median 7,095
- counties in the Savannah metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Savannah metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Effingham County, GA | 15,059 jobs · $1,147/wk · +4.7% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 2,800 | $1,751 | 2.31 | +4.8% |
| Retail trade | 1,921 | $687 | 1.31 | +6.5% |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,197 | $401 | 0.88 | +2.5% |
| Construction | 1,047 | $1,293 | 1.33 | -1.2% |
| Health care and social assistance | 1,028 | $1,012 | 0.45 | +24.5% |
| Administrative and waste services | 637 | $725 | 0.74 | +10.4% |
| Other services | 594 | $934 | 1.32 | -7.6% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 527 | $1,261 | 0.83 | -5.4% |
| Real estate and rental | 317 | $1,218 | 1.37 | +22.4% |
| Finance and insurance | 190 | $1,231 | 0.31 | +2.7% |
| Unclassified | 65 | $1,146 | 2.03 | +80.6% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 55 | $384 | 0.22 | +61.8% |
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 #
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 #
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 |
|---|---|---|
| BUTLER CREEK RESERVOIR AT FORT GORDON, GA | 27.5 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 138 km |
| SAVANNAH RVR AT STEVENS CREEK DAM NR MORGANA, SC | 186.4 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 149 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 #
58 gauges · 0 flooding · 21 with quality panels averaging 76 % · 13 stale
Sites found: 58, 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-320846080501709 | temp 21.0 °C · quality 50 % (2) | 53 km |
| USGS-321603080432202 | temp 21.3 °C · quality 50 % (2) · STALE | 59 km |
| MIDDLE RIVER AT FISH HOLE AT PORT WENTWORTH, GA | flow 7,670 ft³/s · quality 70 % (5) | 31 km |
| SAVANNAH RIVER AT FORT PULASKI, GA | flow -41,100 ft³/s · quality 50 % (2) | 55 km |
| COLLETON RIVER AT BLUFFTON, SC | stage -4.25 ft · quality 25 % (2) · STALE | 50 km |
| SAVANNAH RIVER AT ELBA ISLAND, NEAR SAVANNAH, GA | stage -2.48 ft · quality 70 % (5) | 43 km |
| BACK RIVER 0.4 MI DOWNSTREAM US17, NR SAVANNAH, GA | turb. 7.70 FNU · quality 70 % (5) | 38 km |
| SAVANNAH RIVER AT GARDEN CITY, GA | stage -2.56 ft · quality 70 % (5) | 34 km |
| MIDDLE RIVER AT GA 25 AT PORT WENTWORTH, GA | flow 7,080 ft³/s · quality 70 % (5) | 29 km |
| SAVANNAH RIVER AT GA 25, AT PORT WENTWORTH, GA | flow 31,500 ft³/s · quality 70 % (5) | 28 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 #
82 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 82, 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-322236081191001 | depth 39.2 ft · 2026-10-05 | 3 km |
| USGS-322234081190003 | depth 24.9 ft · 2026-10-05 | 3 km |
| USGS-321742081234904 | depth 77.7 ft · 2026-10-05 | 9 km |
| USGS-321742081234901 | depth 26.5 ft · 2026-10-05 | 9 km |
| USGS-321943081151401 | depth 44.9 ft · 2026-10-05 | 9 km |
| USGS-320716081153501 | depth 14.7 ft · 2016-05-23 | 28 km |
| USGS-321342081355701 | depth 9.25 ft · 2001-10-24 | 28 km |
| USGS-321353081360901 | depth 9.76 ft · 2001-10-25 | 28 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 (0.25)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.25 + 0.2×0.24 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$884.7 m in deposits at 10 offices of 7 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,671, moderately concentrated. $420.4 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $413.1 m, grants $6.5 m), $27,918 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Renasant Bank | $199.0 m · 22.5% share · 2 offices | |
| Ameris Bank | $166.9 m · 18.9% share · 1 office | |
| Bank of America, National Association | $145.0 m · 16.4% share · 1 office | |
| Effingham, GA | $420.4 m FY2026 · $27,918/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $409.8 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renasant Bank | $199,025,000 | 22.5% | 2 |
| Ameris Bank | $166,882,000 | 18.9% | 1 |
| Bank of America, National Association | $144,966,000 | 16.4% | 1 |
| Bank of Newington | $138,578,000 | 15.7% | 2 |
| Truist Bank | $134,077,000 | 15.2% | 1 |
| The Huntington National Bank | $55,282,000 | 6.2% | 2 |
| Queensborough National Bank & Trust Company | $45,865,000 | 5.2% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,671 across 7 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 7 banks with deposits in the county = 22.5² + 18.9² + 16.4² + … (4 more) = 1,671
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 | $287,660,596 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $117,156,062 |
| Department of Transportation | $6,485,060 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $5,647,900 |
| Department of Agriculture | $3,103,181 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $482,214 |
| Department of Defense | $14,537 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
| Department of the Treasury | -$2,861 |
| General Services Administration | -$133,567 |
That is $27,918 per covered job, against 15,059 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $420.4 m / 15,059 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $27,918
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 #
Effingham County, GA: 9 findings, 1 at a watch level and 8 noted
watchEffingham County, GA's typical home value is -1.6% 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 = -1.588299140355144 < 0
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; not an official level
noteEffingham County, GA's average weekly wage was 6.9% 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
- +6.9 % = 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
noteEffingham County, GA's covered employment was 4.7% 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
- +4.7 % = 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
noteEffingham County, GA's typical asking rent rose 0.6% from $2,117 in July 2026 to $2,130 in August 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.6% = (2130.1444444444446 - 2116.6143752769226) / 2116.6143752769226 × 100
- 2130.1444444444446 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
- 2116.6143752769226 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-07
noteEffingham County, GA's covered employment of +4.7% ranks 221st of 3,221 US counties, against a median of -0.2%.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 93 on the 0-to-100 scale across 3221 US counties that published jobs.yoy.emp
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
Read all 9 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.