Stephens County, GA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 34.55, -83.29.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 51st pct · 1,489th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 57th pct · 68th of 159 Georgia counties · median $219,820
- 39th pct · 1,853rd of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 39th pct · 96th of 159 Georgia counties · median +2.6%
- US counties: not published this period
- Georgia counties: not published this period
- 49th pct · 1,615th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 57th pct · 68th of 159 Georgia counties · median 7,095
- 47th pct · 1,701st of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 62nd pct · 60th of 159 Georgia counties · median $964
- 53rd pct · 1,413th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 56th pct · 69th 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 $238,517 (Aug 2026), +2.0% over one year, +34.9% over five
- 51st pct · 1,489th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 57th pct · 68th of 159 Georgia counties · median $219,820
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Stephens County, GA | $238,517 · +2.0% 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 #
Zillow publishes no rent index for this area (ZORI covers about 1,400 counties)
- US counties: not published this period
- Georgia counties: not published this period
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 $1,306 a month on $238,517 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,446 a month: 29.4% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $238,517 × 80% = $190,813, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,306/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,026 × 52 / 12 = $4,446) = 29% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $238,517 / ($1,026 × 52) = 4.5
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 #
8,211 jobs at 658 employers (2026 Q1); -0.5% jobs and +7.2% average weekly wage over the year
- 49th pct · 1,615th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 57th pct · 68th of 159 Georgia counties · median 7,095
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Stephens County, GA | 8,211 jobs · $1,026/wk · -0.5% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 1,914 | $1,365 | 2.90 | -4.3% |
| Retail trade | 1,238 | $699 | 1.55 | +0.5% |
| Accommodation and food services | 647 | $429 | 0.88 | -11.2% |
| Construction | 307 | $1,182 | 0.71 | -1.6% |
| Administrative and waste services | 263 | $791 | 0.56 | +38.4% |
| Finance and insurance | 177 | $1,006 | 0.53 | -2.7% |
| Other services | 163 | $597 | 0.66 | +2.5% |
| Wholesale trade | 138 | $969 | 0.44 | +13.1% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 106 | $568 | 0.78 | -19.7% |
| Real estate and rental | 50 | $752 | 0.40 | +4.2% |
| Information | 38 | $3,548 | 0.25 | -28.3% |
| Unclassified | 24 | $811 | 1.37 | +84.6% |
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 #
13 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 13, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| HARTWELL LAKE NEAR ANDERSON, SC | 649.1 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 40 km |
| RUSSELL LAKE ABOVE CALHOUN FALLS, SC | 473.0 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 80 km |
| LAKE SIDNEY LANIER NEAR BUFORD, GA | 1,064 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 84 km |
| LAKE LOGAN AT DAM NEAR HAZELWOOD, NC | 52.9 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 102 km |
| RANDY POYNTER LAKE AT SPILLWAY, NEAR MILSTEAD, GA | 731.7 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 109 km |
| THURMOND LAKE NEAR PLUM BRANCH, SC | 320.0 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 118 km |
| CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER AT MORGAN FALLS DAM, GA | 865.2 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 120 km |
| CARTERS LAKE NEAR CARTERS, GA | 1,072 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 127 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 · 13 with quality panels averaging 97 % · 13 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Tugalo River at YONAH DAM | no flooding | 14 km |
| Tallulah River at TUGALO DAM | no flooding | 18 km |
| USGS-344108083090600 | stage 7.77 ft | 19 km |
| TALLULAH RIVER AB POWERHOUSE, NR TALLULAH FALLS,GA | flow 39.4 ft³/s · no flooding | 21 km |
| Tallulah River at TALLULAH FALLS DAM | no flooding | 23 km |
| SOQUE RIVER AT GA 197, NEAR CLARKESVILLE, GA | flow 60.8 ft³/s · no flooding | 23 km |
| TALLULAH R AT TERRORA PWRHSE, NR TALLULAH FALLS,GA | flow 30.9 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 24 km |
| Tallulah River at MATHIS-TERRORA DAM | no flooding | 26 km |
| TIGER CREEK NEAR LAKEMONT, GA | flow 19.5 ft³/s | 28 km |
| CHATTOOGA RIVER NEAR CLAYTON, GA | flow 179.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 29 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 #
6 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 6, 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-345051083041800 | depth 30.9 ft · 2026-10-05 | 38 km |
| USGS-341020083201701 | depth 13.3 ft · 2002-04-25 | 43 km |
| USGS-344314083433201 | depth 6.23 ft · 2026-10-05 | 44 km |
| USGS-340224083125101 | depth 32.0 ft · 2006-12-03 | 58 km |
| USGS-340204083132601 | depth 17.3 ft · 2026-10-05 | 58 km |
| USGS-343714082285600 | depth 3.92 ft · 2026-10-04 | 74 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 (0.01)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.03 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$438.8 m in deposits at 5 offices of 5 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,378, highly concentrated. $192.4 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $192.1 m, grants $2.0 m), $23,438 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company | $152.9 m · 34.8% share · 1 office | |
| SouthState Bank, National Association | $98.7 m · 22.5% share · 1 office | |
| Oconee Federal Savings and Loan Association | $77.6 m · 17.7% share · 1 office | |
| Stephens, GA | $192.4 m FY2026 · $23,438/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $185.4 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company | $152,933,000 | 34.8% | 1 |
| SouthState Bank, National Association | $98,706,000 | 22.5% | 1 |
| Oconee Federal Savings and Loan Association | $77,623,000 | 17.7% | 1 |
| Regions Bank | $72,580,000 | 16.5% | 1 |
| Northeast Georgia Bank | $36,991,000 | 8.4% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,378 across 5 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 5 banks with deposits in the county = 34.8² + 22.5² + 17.7² + … (2 more) = 2,378
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 | $163,770,417 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $20,653,121 |
| Department of Education | $3,370,976 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $2,756,017 |
| Department of Transportation | $1,017,461 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $1,015,512 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $937,569 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
| Department of Defense | $0 |
| Department of Agriculture | -$1,073,899 |
That is $23,438 per covered job, against 8,211 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $192.4 m / 8,211 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $23,438
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 #
Stephens County, GA: 5 findings, 1 at a watch level and 4 noted
watchStephens County, GA's covered employment is -0.5% 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 = -0.5 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteStephens County, GA's average weekly wage was 7.2% 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
- +7.2 % = 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
noteStephens County, GA's covered employment was 0.5% 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
- -0.5 % = 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
noteStephens County, GA's typical home value rose 0.4% from $237,563 in July 2026 to $238,517 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.4% = (238516.74277970486 - 237563.44757501758) / 237563.44757501758 × 100
- 238516.74277970486 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 237563.44757501758 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
noteThe next Zillow ZHVI typical home value (monthly) covering Stephens County, GA is due between 2026-10-14 and 2026-10-21, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern.
Show the arithmetic
- window = 2026-10-14 to 2026-10-21, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern
estimated from the publisher's past release pattern; not an announced date
Every finding is produced by a fixed rule table and a fixed sentence for each rule. Nothing here is generated prose.