Laurel County, KY
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 37.11, -84.12.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 28th pct · 2,179th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 51st pct · 59th of 120 Kentucky counties · median $181,373
- 9th pct · 2,776th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 48th pct · 62nd of 120 Kentucky counties · median -2.1%
- 4th pct · 1,341st of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 3rd pct · 31st of 32 Kentucky counties · median $1,250
- 75th pct · 783rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 86th pct · 17th of 120 Kentucky counties · median 5,237
- 31st pct · 2,190th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 51st pct · 59th of 120 Kentucky counties · median $953
- 35th pct · 1,988th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 53rd pct · 56th 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 $181,431 (Aug 2026), -2.3% over one year, +26.2% over five
- 28th pct · 2,179th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 51st pct · 59th of 120 Kentucky counties · median $181,373
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Laurel County, KY | $181,431 · -2.3% 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 $900/mo (Aug 2026), n/a over one year; price-to-rent 16.8
- 4th pct · 1,341st of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 3rd pct · 31st of 32 Kentucky counties · median $1,250
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Laurel County, KY | $900/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 $993 a month on $181,431 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,160 a month: 23.9% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $181,431 × 80% = $145,145, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $993/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $960 × 52 / 12 = $4,160) = 24% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $181,431 / ($960 × 52) = 3.6
- price-to-rent = $181,431 / ($900 × 12) = 16.8
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 #
26,158 jobs at 1,818 employers (2026 Q1); +0.9% jobs and +1.9% average weekly wage over the year
- 75th pct · 783rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 86th pct · 17th of 120 Kentucky counties · median 5,237
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Laurel County, KY | 26,158 jobs · $960/wk · +0.9% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 3,706 | $1,064 | 1.76 | +5.9% |
| Retail trade | 3,565 | $711 | 1.40 | -0.5% |
| Health care and social assistance | 3,517 | $1,035 | 0.89 | +0.0% |
| Administrative and waste services | 2,995 | $891 | 2.01 | -3.3% |
| Accommodation and food services | 2,484 | $379 | 1.06 | +9.9% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 2,428 | $1,102 | 2.20 | -3.9% |
| Construction | 1,046 | $1,511 | 0.76 | +26.5% |
| Wholesale trade | 579 | $1,527 | 0.58 | -24.9% |
| Finance and insurance | 498 | $1,340 | 0.47 | +3.3% |
| Information | 425 | $1,396 | 0.88 | -6.2% |
| Other services | 397 | $852 | 0.51 | -5.0% |
| Real estate and rental | 331 | $1,120 | 0.83 | -0.3% |
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 #
33 gauges · 0 flooding · 2 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 7 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 |
|---|---|---|
| LAUREL RIVER AT MUNICIPAL DAM NEAR CORBIN, KY | stage 19.0 ft | 16 km |
| ROCKCASTLE RIVER AT BILLOWS, KY | flow 20.1 ft³/s | 17 km |
| LYNN CAMP CREEK AT CORBIN, KY | flow 2.72 ft³/s | 18 km |
| GOOSE CREEK AT MANCHESTER, KY | flow 7.99 ft³/s | 32 km |
| BUCK CREEK NEAR SHOPVILLE, KY | flow 2.84 ft³/s | 32 km |
| CUMBERLAND RIVER AT BARBOURVILLE, KY | flow 131.0 ft³/s | 35 km |
| CUMBERLAND RIVER AT CUMBERLAND FALLS, KY | flow 493.0 ft³/s | 37 km |
| CUMBERLAND RIVER AT WILLIAMSBURG, KY | flow 427.0 ft³/s | 41 km |
| STURGEON CREEK AT CRESSMONT, KY | flow 1.19 ft³/s | 51 km |
| CLEAR FORK AT SAXTON, KY | flow 43.8 ft³/s | 53 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 #
4 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 4, 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 | 4 km |
| USGS-365138084264101 | depth 24.1 ft · 1984-08-26 | 40 km |
| USGS-364326083383101 | depth 31.8 ft · 1984-08-19 | 61 km |
| USGS-363749083430701 | depth 7.12 ft · 2026-10-06 | 64 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 (0.00)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.00 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$1.3 bn in deposits at 25 offices of 12 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,622, moderately concentrated. $461.1 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $369.5 m, contracts $83.9 m), $17,627 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Cumberland Valley National Bank & Trust Company | $339.9 m · 26.2% share · 5 offices | |
| Commercial Bank | $236.9 m · 18.3% share · 5 offices | |
| PNC Bank, National Association | $211.0 m · 16.3% share · 2 offices | |
| Laurel, KY | $461.1 m FY2026 · $17,627/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $365.5 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cumberland Valley National Bank & Trust Company | $339,947,000 | 26.2% | 5 |
| Commercial Bank | $236,947,000 | 18.3% | 5 |
| PNC Bank, National Association | $211,035,000 | 16.3% | 2 |
| Community Trust Bank, Inc. | $184,533,000 | 14.2% | 3 |
| Forcht Bank, National Association | $108,985,000 | 8.4% | 2 |
| Truist Bank | $61,173,000 | 4.7% | 1 |
| Hometown Bank of Corbin, Inc. | $59,037,000 | 4.6% | 2 |
| The First National Bank of Manchester | $40,764,000 | 3.1% | 1 |
| 1st Trust Bank, Inc. | $40,002,000 | 3.1% | 1 |
| The Monticello Banking Company | $6,274,000 | 0.5% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,622 across 12 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 12 banks with deposits in the county = 26.2² + 18.3² + 16.3² + … (9 more) = 1,622
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 | $321,405,807 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $38,163,754 |
| Department of Defense | $34,570,235 |
| Department of Transportation | $29,051,252 |
| Consumer Financial Protection Bureau | $7,865,682 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $7,502,159 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $6,062,780 |
| Department of Homeland Security | $5,754,020 |
| Department of Agriculture | $4,315,701 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $3,318,962 |
| Department of Education | $3,012,542 |
| General Services Administration | $120,860 |
That is $17,627 per covered job, against 26,158 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $461.1 m / 26,158 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $17,627
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 | -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 #
Laurel County, KY: 11 findings, 2 at a watch level and 9 noted
watchLaurel County, KY's typical home value is -2.3% 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 = -2.289892408972586 < 0
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; not an official level
watchLaurel County, KY's typical home value of -2.3% scores 9 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 49 across Kentucky counties, a gap of 39 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 39 = |9 across US counties - 49 across Kentucky counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteLaurel County, KY's average weekly wage was 1.9% 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
- +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
noteLaurel County, KY's covered employment was 0.9% 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
- +0.9 % = 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
noteLaurel County, KY's typical home value rose 0.6% from $180,265 in July 2026 to $181,431 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.6% = (181430.74185565705 - 180265.0932231387) / 180265.0932231387 × 100
- 181430.74185565705 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 180265.0932231387 = 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.