Wilkes County, GA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 33.78, -82.75.
Assembled 2026-10-07. Read the brief.
- 24th pct · 2,322nd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 27th pct · 115th of 159 Georgia counties · median $219,820
- 92nd pct · 227th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 90th pct · 16th of 159 Georgia counties · median +2.6%
- US counties: not published this period
- Georgia counties: not published this period
- 20th pct · 2,566th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 25th pct · 118th of 159 Georgia counties · median 7,095
- 28th pct · 2,307th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 42nd pct · 91st of 159 Georgia counties · median $964
- 31st pct · 2,099th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 32nd pct · 108th 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 $171,297 (Aug 2026), +8.6% over one year, +39.3% over five
- 24th pct · 2,322nd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 27th pct · 115th of 159 Georgia counties · median $219,820
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Wilkes County, GA | $171,297 · +8.6% 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 #
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 $938 a month on $171,297 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,095 a month: 22.9% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $171,297 × 80% = $137,038, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $938/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $945 × 52 / 12 = $4,095) = 23% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $171,297 / ($945 × 52) = 3.5
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 #
2,491 jobs at 244 employers (2026 Q1); -7.8% jobs and -4.6% average weekly wage over the year
- 20th pct · 2,566th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 25th pct · 118th of 159 Georgia counties · median 7,095
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Wilkes County, GA | 2,491 jobs · $945/wk · -7.8% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 333 | $650 | 1.37 | +9.5% |
| Manufacturing | 318 | $1,119 | 1.59 | -19.1% |
| Construction | 262 | $1,474 | 2.01 | -40.3% |
| Finance and insurance | 101 | $1,590 | 1.00 | +6.3% |
| Wholesale trade | 71 | $1,408 | 0.74 | -6.6% |
| Administrative and waste services | 58 | $589 | 0.41 | -7.9% |
| Professional and technical services | 34 | $865 | 0.20 | -5.6% |
| Real estate and rental | 14 | $1,013 | 0.37 | +0.0% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | withheld | |||
| Mining, oil and gas | withheld | |||
| Utilities | withheld | |||
| Transportation and warehousing | withheld |
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 #
11 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 11, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| RUSSELL LAKE ABOVE CALHOUN FALLS, SC | 473.0 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 38 km |
| THURMOND LAKE NEAR PLUM BRANCH, SC | 320.0 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 38 km |
| SAVANNAH RVR AT STEVENS CREEK DAM NR MORGANA, SC | 186.4 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 69 km |
| BUTLER CREEK RESERVOIR AT FORT GORDON, GA | 27.4 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 72 km |
| HARTWELL LAKE NEAR ANDERSON, SC | 649.0 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 82 km |
| LAKE GREENWOOD NEAR CHAPPELLS, SC | 438.8 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 89 km |
| RANDY POYNTER LAKE AT SPILLWAY, NEAR MILSTEAD, GA | 731.7 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 110 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 #
33 gauges · 0 flooding · 3 with quality panels averaging 92 % · 8 stale
Sites found: 33, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| KETTLE CREEK NEAR WASHINGTON, GA | flow 0.54 ft³/s | 15 km |
| LITTLE RIVER NEAR WASHINGTON, GA | flow 0.44 ft³/s | 18 km |
| BROAD RIVER NEAR BELL, GA | flow 183.0 ft³/s | 22 km |
| SOUTH FORK BROAD RIVER AT CARLTON, GA | flow 104.0 ft³/s · STALE | 37 km |
| LITTLE RIVER NEAR MT. CARMEL, SC | flow 23.6 ft³/s | 40 km |
| CLOUDS CREEK AT WATSON MILL PARK NR CARLTON, GA | flow 16.1 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) · STALE | 40 km |
| BROAD RIVER ABOVE CARLTON, GA | flow 173.0 ft³/s | 40 km |
| BEAVERDAM CREEK ABOVE ELBERTON, GA | flow 9.33 ft³/s | 45 km |
| KIOKEE CREEK AT US 221, AT APPLING, GA | flow 601.0 ft³/s · STALE | 48 km |
| OCONEE RIVER NEAR PENFIELD, GA | flow 130.0 ft³/s | 51 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 #
5 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 5, 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-335336082214600 | depth 38.4 ft · 2026-10-05 | 38 km |
| USGS-332808083010201 | depth 5.61 ft · 2026-10-05 | 43 km |
| USGS-340224083125101 | depth 32.0 ft · 2006-12-03 | 52 km |
| USGS-340204083132601 | depth 17.3 ft · 2026-10-05 | 52 km |
| USGS-341020083201701 | depth 13.3 ft · 2002-04-25 | 70 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 (0.19)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.25 + 0.2×0.08 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$311.1 m in deposits at 4 offices of 3 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 5,580, highly concentrated. $73.4 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $72.3 m, grants $1.1 m), $29,457 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| F&M Bank | $223.9 m · 72.0% share · 2 offices | |
| Regions Bank | $49.9 m · 16.0% share · 1 office | |
| Farmers State Bank | $37.3 m · 12.0% share · 1 office | |
| Wilkes, GA | $73.4 m FY2026 · $29,457/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $70.8 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| F&M Bank | $223,863,000 | 72.0% | 2 |
| Regions Bank | $49,882,000 | 16.0% | 1 |
| Farmers State Bank | $37,324,000 | 12.0% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 5,580 across 3 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 3 banks with deposits in the county = 72.0² + 16.0² + 12.0² = 5,580
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 | $60,909,507 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $9,578,164 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $1,371,710 |
| Department of Agriculture | $814,262 |
| Department of Transportation | $376,579 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $326,003 |
That is $29,457 per covered job, against 2,491 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $73.4 m / 2,491 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $29,457
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 #
Wilkes County, GA: 15 findings, 1 at an alert level, 3 at a watch level and 11 noted
alertWilkes County, GA's covered employment is -7.8% against a year earlier, an alert level here: covered employment at least 3 percent below the same quarter a year earlier (BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; convention chosen for this dashboard, 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 = -7.8 <= -3
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchWilkes County, GA's covered employment is -7.8% 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 = -7.8 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchWilkes County, GA's average weekly wage is -4.6% against a year earlier, a watch level here: average weekly wage below the same quarter a year earlier, before inflation (BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published, nominal dollars; convention chosen for this dashboard, 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.avgWeeklyWage = -4.6 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published, nominal dollars; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchWilkes County, GA's momentum index is -0.27, a watch level here: momentum index in the cooling band (the cooling band of the momentum index computed here, score at or below -0.25; convention chosen for this dashboard, 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: momentum = -0.27478553299837316 <= -0.25
- momentum = Σ wᵢ · clip(changeᵢ / scaleᵢ, −1, 1) / Σ wᵢ over the terms present; weights and scales: home value 1-yr change 0.3 (±10%), rent 1-yr change 0.15 (±10%), jobs over-the-year change 0.3 (±3%), avg weekly wage over-the-year change 0.25 (±6%)
the cooling band of the momentum index computed here, score at or below -0.25; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
noteWilkes County, GA's covered employment was 7.8% 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
- -7.8 % = 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
Read all 12 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.