Murray County, GA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 34.80, -84.74.
Assembled 2026-10-07. Read the brief.
- 53rd pct · 1,438th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 58th pct · 66th of 159 Georgia counties · median $219,820
- counties in the Dalton metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Dalton metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 37th pct · 1,908th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 36th pct · 101st of 159 Georgia counties · median +2.6%
- counties in the Dalton metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Dalton metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 11th pct · 1,237th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 5th pct · 68th of 72 Georgia counties · median $1,651
- counties in the Dalton metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Dalton metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 49th pct · 1,630th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 55th pct · 71st of 159 Georgia counties · median 7,095
- counties in the Dalton metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Dalton metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 16th pct · 2,697th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 21st pct · 125th of 159 Georgia counties · median $964
- counties in the Dalton metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Dalton metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 69th pct · 949th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 70th pct · 48th of 159 Georgia counties · median 4.3
- counties in the Dalton metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Dalton 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 $243,198 (Aug 2026), +1.8% over one year, +25.1% over five
- 53rd pct · 1,438th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 58th pct · 66th of 159 Georgia counties · median $219,820
- counties in the Dalton metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Dalton metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Murray County, GA | $243,198 · +1.8% 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 $1,050/mo (Aug 2026), n/a over one year; price-to-rent 19.3
- 11th pct · 1,237th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 5th pct · 68th of 72 Georgia counties · median $1,651
- counties in the Dalton metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Dalton metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Murray County, GA | $1,050/mo · n/a 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 $1,331 a month on $243,198 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $3,826 a month: 34.8% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $243,198 × 80% = $194,558, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,331/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $883 × 52 / 12 = $3,826) = 35% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $243,198 / ($883 × 52) = 5.3
- price-to-rent = $243,198 / ($1,050 × 12) = 19.3
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 #
8,034 jobs at 566 employers (2026 Q1); -1.9% jobs and +3.2% average weekly wage over the year
- 49th pct · 1,630th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 55th pct · 71st of 159 Georgia counties · median 7,095
- counties in the Dalton metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Dalton metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Murray County, GA | 8,034 jobs · $883/wk · -1.9% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 2,532 | $896 | 3.92 | -9.7% |
| Retail trade | 1,274 | $690 | 1.63 | -2.8% |
| Accommodation and food services | 691 | $362 | 0.96 | +3.4% |
| Wholesale trade | 292 | $1,094 | 0.95 | -5.5% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 292 | $1,177 | 0.86 | -3.6% |
| Administrative and waste services | 222 | $757 | 0.49 | +11.0% |
| Construction | 184 | $857 | 0.44 | +4.5% |
| Finance and insurance | 177 | $1,249 | 0.54 | -1.1% |
| Other services | 149 | $833 | 0.62 | +22.1% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 90 | $1,027 | 1.55 | +15.4% |
| Real estate and rental | 52 | $709 | 0.42 | +33.3% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 43 | $476 | 0.33 | +22.9% |
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 #
6 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 6, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| CARTERS LAKE NEAR CARTERS, GA | 1,071 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 21 km |
| CARTERS RE-REGULATION LAKE NEAR CARTERS, GA | 39.7 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 22 km |
| ALLATOONA LAKE NEAR CARTERSVILLE, GA | 835.8 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 70 km |
| LAKE SIDNEY LANIER NEAR BUFORD, GA | 1,064 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 93 km |
| CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER AT MORGAN FALLS DAM, GA | 865.4 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 98 km |
| RANDY POYNTER LAKE AT SPILLWAY, NEAR MILSTEAD, GA | 731.7 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 140 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 #
70 gauges · 0 flooding · 5 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 16 stale
Sites found: 70, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| MILL CREEK NEAR CRANDALL, GA | flow 2.22 ft³/s | 8 km |
| HOLLY CREEK NEAR CHATSWORTH, GA | flow 16.2 ft³/s | 9 km |
| CONASAUGA RIVER AT GA 286, NEAR ETON, GA | flow 92.5 ft³/s | 11 km |
| COAHULLA CREEK AT KEITHS MILL ROAD, NEAR DALTON,GA | flow 70.6 ft³/s | 14 km |
| SUGAR CREEK AT CONISTON ROAD, NEAR CARTERS, GA | flow 124.0 ft³/s · STALE | 18 km |
| MOUNTAINTOWN CREEK AT GA 282, NEAR ELLIJAY, GA | flow 71.2 ft³/s | 21 km |
| CARTERS LAKE TAILRACE NEAR CARTERS, GA | stage 690.6 ft | 21 km |
| MILL CREEK AT DALTON, GA | flow 25.4 ft³/s | 22 km |
| COOSAWATTEE RIVER AT CARTERS, GA | flow 1,070 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 22 km |
| CONASAUGA RIVER AT TILTON, GA | flow 255.0 ft³/s | 23 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 #
12 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 12, 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-342922084511601 | depth 25.0 ft · 2026-10-05 | 36 km |
| USGS-350750085045802 | depth 9.53 ft · 2026-10-05 | 49 km |
| USGS-345403085160001 | depth 16.1 ft · 2026-10-05 | 50 km |
| USGS-351115085025001 | depth 12.7 ft · 2026-10-05 | 52 km |
| USGS-345848085173701 | depth 70.7 ft · 1981-06-27 | 55 km |
| USGS-351428085003600 | depth 22.7 ft · 2026-10-05 | 55 km |
| USGS-341913084325301 | depth -1.05 ft · 2008-04-29 | 56 km |
| USGS-350234085181200 | depth 16.5 ft · 1998-10-26 | 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 #
$475.6 m in deposits at 5 offices of 4 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,833, highly concentrated. $221.7 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $210.8 m, grants $6.9 m), $27,590 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| First National Community Bank | $165.3 m · 34.8% share · 2 offices | |
| Pinnacle Bank | $148.4 m · 31.2% share · 1 office | |
| Bank OZK | $109.4 m · 23.0% share · 1 office | |
| Murray, GA | $221.7 m FY2026 · $27,590/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $208.8 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| First National Community Bank | $165,348,000 | 34.8% | 2 |
| Pinnacle Bank | $148,436,000 | 31.2% | 1 |
| Bank OZK | $109,426,000 | 23.0% | 1 |
| Regions Bank | $52,432,000 | 11.0% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,833 across 4 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 4 banks with deposits in the county = 34.8² + 31.2² + 23.0² + … (1 more) = 2,833
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 | $189,837,952 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $18,542,176 |
| Department of Transportation | $5,979,536 |
| Department of Agriculture | $4,020,346 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $1,074,962 |
| Department of Defense | $1,041,242 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $468,174 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $335,296 |
| Department of Justice | $250,000 |
| Department of the Treasury | $113,068 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | -$8,524 |
That is $27,590 per covered job, against 8,034 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $221.7 m / 8,034 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $27,590
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 #
Murray County, GA: 9 findings, 1 at a watch level and 8 noted
watchMurray County, GA's covered employment is -1.9% 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 = -1.9 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteMurray County, GA's average weekly wage was 3.2% 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
- +3.2 % = 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
noteMurray County, GA's covered employment was 1.9% 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
- -1.9 % = 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
notetypical asking rent (rent.latest) and typical asking rent (rent.momPct) for Murray County, GA could not be lined up against the previous published period this run, so no change is printed for them.
Show the arithmetic
- not comparable this run: rent.latest, rent.momPct
the two newest month columns in the published file are not the two this table carries
noteMurray County, GA's typical asking rent of $1,050 ranks 68th of 72 Georgia counties, against a median of $1,651.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 6 on the 0-to-100 scale across 72 Georgia counties that published rent.latest
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.