Estill County, KY
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 37.69, -83.96.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 4th pct · 2,930th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 10th pct · 107th of 120 Kentucky counties · median $181,373
- 1st pct · 3,009th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 22nd pct · 93rd of 120 Kentucky counties · median -2.1%
- US counties: not published this period
- Kentucky counties: not published this period
- 19th pct · 2,603rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 23rd pct · 92nd of 120 Kentucky counties · median 5,237
- 22nd pct · 2,485th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 37th pct · 75th of 120 Kentucky counties · median $953
- 7th pct · 2,834th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 13th pct · 104th of 120 Kentucky counties · median 3.6
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 $110,489 (Aug 2026), -9.2% over one year, -0.4% over five
- 4th pct · 2,930th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 10th pct · 107th of 120 Kentucky counties · median $181,373
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Estill County, KY | $110,489 · -9.2% 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
- Kentucky 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 $605 a month on $110,489 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $3,982 a month: 15.2% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $110,489 × 80% = $88,391, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $605/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $919 × 52 / 12 = $3,982) = 15% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $110,489 / ($919 × 52) = 2.3
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 #
2,351 jobs at 264 employers (2026 Q1); +6.2% jobs and +2.7% average weekly wage over the year
- 19th pct · 2,603rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 23rd pct · 92nd of 120 Kentucky counties · median 5,237
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Estill County, KY | 2,351 jobs · $919/wk · +6.2% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 275 | $560 | 1.20 | +0.7% |
| Accommodation and food services | 215 | $287 | 1.02 | +0.0% |
| Finance and insurance | 91 | $1,109 | 0.95 | +13.8% |
| Wholesale trade | 76 | $1,527 | 0.84 | -2.6% |
| Administrative and waste services | 47 | $1,270 | 0.35 | -6.0% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 44 | $342 | 1.14 | +0.0% |
| Construction | 43 | $750 | 0.35 | +53.6% |
| Information | 36 | $972 | 0.83 | +0.0% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 10 | $668 | 0.10 | +11.1% |
| Real estate and rental | 9 | $1,074 | 0.25 | +0.0% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | withheld | |||
| Mining, oil and gas | 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 #
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 #
No reservoir gauges within 150 km (or the camera is above the gauge altitude)
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 #
59 gauges · 0 flooding · 10 with quality panels averaging 95 % · 15 stale
Sites found: 59, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| KENTUCKY RIVER AT LOCK 12 NEAR IRVINE, KY | stage 10.2 ft · no flooding | 2 km |
| FURNACE FORK NEAR CRYSTAL , KY | flow 46.0 ft³/s · STALE | 9 km |
| KENTUCKY RIVER AT LOCK 13 NEAR WILLOW SHOALS, KY | flow 290.0 ft³/s | 15 km |
| KENTUCKY RIVER AT LOCK 11 NEAR COLLEGE HILL, KY | flow 235.0 ft³/s | 16 km |
| BIG SINKING CREEK NEAR CRYSTAL, KY | flow 53.0 ft³/s · STALE | 17 km |
| RED RIVER AT CLAY CITY, KY | flow 31.2 ft³/s · no flooding | 19 km |
| CAT CREEK NEAR STANTON, KY | flow 42.0 ft³/s · STALE | 21 km |
| KENTUCKY RIVER AT LOCK 14 AT HEIDELBERG, KY | flow 233.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 23 km |
| STURGEON CREEK AT CRESSMONT, KY | flow 1.19 ft³/s | 25 km |
| NORTH FORK KENTUCKY RIVER AT BEATTYVILLE, KY | stage 9.06 ft | 26 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 #
16 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 16, 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-370757084045001 | depth 43.7 ft · 1984-11-08 | 63 km |
| USGS-375928084362001 | depth 13.0 ft · 2024-05-16 | 65 km |
| USGS-381524083341601 | depth 13.1 ft · 2009-07-06 | 72 km |
| USGS-381532083342501 | depth 14.4 ft · 2009-07-06 | 72 km |
| USGS-381537083342201 | depth 6.38 ft · 2009-07-06 | 72 km |
| USGS-381538083342005 | depth 14.1 ft · 2009-07-06 | 72 km |
| USGS-381538083342004 | depth 19.7 ft · 2009-07-06 | 72 km |
| USGS-381538083342002 | depth 14.3 ft · 2009-07-06 | 72 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 (0.02)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.05 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$175.6 m in deposits at 4 offices of 2 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 8,114, highly concentrated. $93.8 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $90.6 m, grants $3.1 m), $39,895 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Citizens Guaranty Bank | $157.1 m · 89.5% share · 2 offices | |
| Pbt Bancorp | $18.5 m · 10.5% share · 2 offices | |
| Estill, KY | $93.8 m FY2026 · $39,895/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $89.4 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Citizens Guaranty Bank | $157,078,000 | 89.5% | 2 |
| Pbt Bancorp | $18,514,000 | 10.5% | 2 |
Deposit concentration is 8,114 across 2 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 2 banks with deposits in the county = 89.5² + 10.5² = 8,114
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 | $74,312,396 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $9,602,197 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $5,594,530 |
| Department of Agriculture | $2,324,833 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $1,084,929 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $404,028 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $300,000 |
| Department of Transportation | $143,363 |
| National Science Foundation | $29,981 |
| Department of Homeland Security | -$2,000 |
That is $39,895 per covered job, against 2,351 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $93.8 m / 2,351 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $39,895
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 #
Estill County, KY: 11 findings, 1 at an alert level, 1 at a watch level and 9 noted
alertEstill County, KY's typical home value is -9.2% against a year earlier, an alert level here: typical home value at least 5 percent below a year ago (arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; 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: home.yoyPct = -9.241058319620405 <= -5
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchEstill County, KY's typical home value is -9.2% against a year earlier, a watch level here: typical home value below a year ago (arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; 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: home.yoyPct = -9.241058319620405 < 0
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; not an official level
noteEstill County, KY's covered employment was 6.2% 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
- +6.2 % = 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
noteEstill County, KY'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
noteEstill County, KY's typical home value fell 0.7% from $111,261 in July 2026 to $110,489 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- -0.7% = (110489.00124118706 - 111260.74097120763) / 111260.74097120763 × 100
- 110489.00124118706 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 111260.74097120763 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
Read all 11 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.