Walker County, GA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 34.74, -85.31.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 52nd pct · 1,446th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 58th pct · 67th of 159 Georgia counties · median $219,820
- 0th pct · 6th of 6 counties in the Chattanooga metro · median $273,795
- 33rd pct · 2,051st of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 30th pct · 111th of 159 Georgia counties · median +2.6%
- 60th pct · 3rd of 6 counties in the Chattanooga metro · median +1.3%
- 38th pct · 867th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 23rd pct · 55th of 72 Georgia counties · median $1,651
- counties in the Chattanooga metro: only 3 of counties in the Chattanooga metro published this metric; fewer than 5 is too few to rank
- 64th pct · 1,156th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 68th pct · 50th of 159 Georgia counties · median 7,095
- 60th pct · 3rd of 6 counties in the Chattanooga metro · median 11,575
- 24th pct · 2,433rd of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 37th pct · 100th of 159 Georgia counties · median $964
- 60th pct · 3rd of 6 counties in the Chattanooga metro · median $915
- 65th pct · 1,065th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 66th pct · 54th of 159 Georgia counties · median 4.3
- 40th pct · 4th of 6 counties in the Chattanooga metro · median 5.3
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 $242,843 (Aug 2026), +1.4% over one year, +26.1% over five
- 52nd pct · 1,446th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 58th pct · 67th of 159 Georgia counties · median $219,820
- 0th pct · 6th of 6 counties in the Chattanooga metro · median $273,795
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Walker County, GA | $242,843 · +1.4% 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 $1,369/mo (Aug 2026), +3.2% over one year; price-to-rent 14.8
- 38th pct · 867th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 23rd pct · 55th of 72 Georgia counties · median $1,651
- counties in the Chattanooga metro: only 3 of counties in the Chattanooga metro published this metric; fewer than 5 is too few to rank
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Walker County, GA | $1,369/mo · +3.2% 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 $1,329 a month on $242,843 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,013 a month: 33.1% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $242,843 × 80% = $194,275, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,329/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $926 × 52 / 12 = $4,013) = 33% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $242,843 / ($926 × 52) = 5.0
- price-to-rent = $242,843 / ($1,369 × 12) = 14.8
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 #
14,754 jobs at 946 employers (2026 Q1); +0.5% jobs and +2.7% average weekly wage over the year
- 64th pct · 1,156th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 68th pct · 50th of 159 Georgia counties · median 7,095
- 60th pct · 3rd of 6 counties in the Chattanooga metro · median 11,575
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Walker County, GA | 14,754 jobs · $926/wk · +0.5% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 4,624 | $966 | 3.90 | -5.0% |
| Retail trade | 1,511 | $534 | 1.05 | -6.1% |
| Finance and insurance | 1,041 | $1,593 | 1.73 | -2.5% |
| Health care and social assistance | 1,004 | $870 | 0.45 | +0.0% |
| Accommodation and food services | 830 | $424 | 0.63 | +9.1% |
| Construction | 537 | $1,352 | 0.69 | -6.4% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 521 | $540 | 2.15 | +31.2% |
| Administrative and waste services | 416 | $362 | 0.50 | +46.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 352 | $1,212 | 0.62 | +0.3% |
| Other services | 222 | $944 | 0.50 | +0.5% |
| Real estate and rental | 67 | $982 | 0.30 | +21.8% |
| Unclassified | 45 | $1,415 | 1.43 | +60.7% |
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 #
5 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 5, 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 RE-REGULATION LAKE NEAR CARTERS, GA | 37.2 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 58 km |
| CARTERS LAKE NEAR CARTERS, GA | 1,072 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 59 km |
| ALLATOONA LAKE NEAR CARTERSVILLE, GA | 835.9 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 83 km |
| CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER AT MORGAN FALLS DAM, GA | 865.2 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 120 km |
| LAKE SIDNEY LANIER NEAR BUFORD, GA | 1,064 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 130 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 · 3 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 12 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-03568933 | flow 22.2 ft³/s | 23 km |
| USGS-03568400 | flow 19.8 ft³/s | 25 km |
| USGS-03566700 | flow 50.6 ft³/s | 26 km |
| USGS-03567340 | flow 39.9 ft³/s | 26 km |
| CHATTOOGA RIVER AT SUMMERVILLE, GA | flow 67.1 ft³/s | 30 km |
| USGS-03569008 | stage 4.54 ft | 31 km |
| MILL CREEK AT DALTON, GA | flow 29.3 ft³/s | 31 km |
| USGS-03567500 | flow 240.0 ft³/s | 32 km |
| CONASAUGA RIVER AT TILTON, GA | flow 328.0 ft³/s | 35 km |
| USGS-03567595 | stage 2.43 ft | 36 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 #
10 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 10, 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-345403085160001 | depth 16.1 ft · 2026-10-05 | 19 km |
| USGS-345848085173701 | depth 70.7 ft · 1981-06-27 | 27 km |
| USGS-350234085181200 | depth 16.5 ft · 1998-10-26 | 34 km |
| USGS-350750085045802 | depth 9.53 ft · 2026-10-05 | 48 km |
| USGS-342922084511601 | depth 25.0 ft · 2026-10-05 | 50 km |
| USGS-351146085122701 | depth 69.8 ft · 2026-10-05 | 52 km |
| USGS-351248085131601 | depth 22.1 ft · 2026-10-05 | 54 km |
| USGS-351249085110101 | depth 99.8 ft · 2011-06-01 | 54 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 #
$654.6 m in deposits at 10 offices of 7 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 3,996, highly concentrated. $407.7 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $412.9 m, loans $107,317), $27,635 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| The Bank of LaFayette, Georgia | $396.2 m · 60.5% share · 3 offices | |
| First Financial Bank, National Association | $73.3 m · 11.2% share · 2 offices | |
| Pinnacle Bank | $65.1 m · 9.9% share · 1 office | |
| Walker, GA | $407.7 m FY2026 · $27,635/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $411.4 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Bank of LaFayette, Georgia | $396,232,000 | 60.5% | 3 |
| First Financial Bank, National Association | $73,275,000 | 11.2% | 2 |
| Pinnacle Bank | $65,130,000 | 9.9% | 1 |
| Colony Bank | $50,971,000 | 7.8% | 1 |
| The Huntington National Bank | $39,011,000 | 6.0% | 1 |
| Builtwell Bank | $20,834,000 | 3.2% | 1 |
| CB&S Bank, Inc. | $9,176,000 | 1.4% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 3,996 across 7 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 7 banks with deposits in the county = 60.5² + 11.2² + 9.9² + … (4 more) = 3,996
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 | $355,707,620 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $53,487,239 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $17,350,648 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $2,230,373 |
| Department of Agriculture | $1,646,283 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $1,117,718 |
| Federal Communications Commission | -$97,103 |
| Department of Transportation | -$23,708,986 |
That is $27,635 per covered job, against 14,754 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $407.7 m / 14,754 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $27,635
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 | 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 #
Walker County, GA: 6 findings, 6 noted
noteWalker County, GA's average weekly wage was 2.7% 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
- +2.7 % = 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
noteWalker County, GA's covered employment was 0.5% 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
- +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
noteWalker County, GA's typical asking rent rose 0.3% from $1,365 in July 2026 to $1,369 in August 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.3% = (1369.236111111111 - 1364.8194834768665) / 1364.8194834768665 × 100
- 1369.236111111111 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
- 1364.8194834768665 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-07
noteWalker County, GA's typical home value of $242,843 ranks 6th of 6 counties in the Chattanooga metro, against a median of $273,795.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 0 on the 0-to-100 scale across 6 counties in the Chattanooga metro that published home.latest
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteThe next Zillow ZHVI typical home value (monthly) covering Walker 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
Read all 6 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.