Laurens County, GA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 32.39, -82.93.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 29th pct · 2,145th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 36th pct · 101st of 159 Georgia counties · median $219,820
- 58th pct · 1,282nd of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 62nd pct · 60th of 159 Georgia counties · median +2.6%
- 21st pct · 1,098th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 8th pct · 66th of 72 Georgia counties · median $1,651
- 71st pct · 911th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 75th pct · 39th of 159 Georgia counties · median 7,095
- 58th pct · 1,327th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 74th pct · 42nd of 159 Georgia counties · median $964
- 26th pct · 2,249th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 26th pct · 117th of 159 Georgia counties · median 4.3
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 $183,447 (Aug 2026), +3.7% over one year, +15.7% over five
- 29th pct · 2,145th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 36th pct · 101st of 159 Georgia counties · median $219,820
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Laurens County, GA | $183,447 · +3.7% 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 $1,192/mo (Aug 2026), +7.1% over one year; price-to-rent 12.8
- 21st pct · 1,098th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 8th pct · 66th of 72 Georgia counties · median $1,651
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Laurens County, GA | $1,192/mo · +7.1% 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 $1,004 a month on $183,447 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,684 a month: 21.4% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $183,447 × 80% = $146,758, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,004/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,081 × 52 / 12 = $4,684) = 21% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $183,447 / ($1,081 × 52) = 3.3
- price-to-rent = $183,447 / ($1,192 × 12) = 12.8
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 #
20,395 jobs at 1,259 employers (2026 Q1); -0.2% jobs and +3.8% average weekly wage over the year
- 71st pct · 911th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 75th pct · 39th of 159 Georgia counties · median 7,095
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Laurens County, GA | 20,395 jobs · $1,081/wk · -0.2% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 2,730 | $751 | 1.37 | -1.9% |
| Manufacturing | 2,185 | $1,440 | 1.33 | +1.1% |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,866 | $392 | 1.02 | +4.5% |
| Administrative and waste services | 1,206 | $887 | 1.04 | +5.5% |
| Construction | 877 | $1,221 | 0.82 | +1.5% |
| Wholesale trade | 433 | $1,077 | 0.55 | -4.6% |
| Other services | 415 | $776 | 0.68 | +8.6% |
| Finance and insurance | 399 | $2,289 | 0.48 | +5.6% |
| Information | 162 | $1,033 | 0.43 | +86.2% |
| Real estate and rental | 143 | $754 | 0.46 | +8.3% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 139 | $454 | 0.41 | -2.1% |
| Unclassified | 35 | $1,023 | 0.81 | -62.4% |
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 #
Surface water layer not loaded
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 #
Surface water layer not loaded
Sites found: 0, 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.
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 #
No USGS monitoring wells within 75 km (or above 1,500 km)
Sites found: 0, 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.
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 (0.00)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 / 0.35
Banks & federal dollars #
$1.6 bn in deposits at 20 offices of 11 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,975, highly concentrated. $372.8 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $321.4 m, contracts $40.2 m), $18,277 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Vallant Bank | $532.5 m · 34.3% share · 2 offices | |
| Bank of Dudley | $370.6 m · 23.9% share · 4 offices | |
| Farmers State Bank | $134.3 m · 8.7% share · 3 offices | |
| Laurens, GA | $372.8 m FY2026 · $18,277/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $308.3 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vallant Bank | $532,519,000 | 34.3% | 2 |
| Bank of Dudley | $370,568,000 | 23.9% | 4 |
| Farmers State Bank | $134,313,000 | 8.7% | 3 |
| Capital City Bank | $93,534,000 | 6.0% | 1 |
| The Citizens Bank of Swainsboro | $89,812,000 | 5.8% | 2 |
| Georgia First Bank | $83,949,000 | 5.4% | 1 |
| BankSouth | $64,379,000 | 4.1% | 2 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $52,728,000 | 3.4% | 1 |
| Sunmark Community Bank | $50,224,000 | 3.2% | 2 |
| Ameris Bank | $41,437,000 | 2.7% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,975 across 11 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 11 banks with deposits in the county = 34.3² + 23.9² + 8.7² + … (8 more) = 1,975
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 | $250,614,110 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $88,428,246 |
| Department of Agriculture | $19,579,810 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $4,952,113 |
| Department of Transportation | $3,630,537 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $3,064,513 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $999,546 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $875,498 |
| Department of Defense | $380,728 |
| General Services Administration | $245,167 |
| Small Business Administration | $5,664 |
| Department of the Interior | $0 |
That is $18,277 per covered job, against 20,395 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $372.8 m / 20,395 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $18,277
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 #
Laurens County, GA: 9 findings, 1 at a watch level and 8 noted
watchLaurens County, GA's covered employment is -0.2% 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 = -0.2 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteLaurens County, GA's average weekly wage was 3.8% 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
- +3.8 % = 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
noteLaurens County, GA's typical asking rent rose 1.8% from $1,172 in July 2026 to $1,192 in August 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +1.8% = (1192.3412698412696 - 1171.670859763775) / 1171.670859763775 × 100
- 1192.3412698412696 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
- 1171.670859763775 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-07
noteLaurens County, GA's typical home value rose 0.3% from $182,855 in July 2026 to $183,447 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.3% = (183446.88951912159 - 182854.97975494817) / 182854.97975494817 × 100
- 183446.88951912159 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 182854.97975494817 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
noteLaurens County, GA's covered employment was 0.2% 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
- -0.2 % = 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
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.