Rowan County, KY
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 38.20, -83.43.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 33rd pct · 2,039th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 56th pct · 53rd of 120 Kentucky counties · median $181,373
- 14th pct · 2,630th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 57th pct · 52nd of 120 Kentucky counties · median -2.1%
- 8th pct · 1,280th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 12th pct · 28th of 32 Kentucky counties · median $1,250
- 55th pct · 1,420th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 71st pct · 35th of 120 Kentucky counties · median 5,237
- 32nd pct · 2,158th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 52nd pct · 58th of 120 Kentucky counties · median $953
- 39th pct · 1,841st of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 62nd pct · 46th 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 $191,517 (Aug 2026), -1.1% over one year, +32.2% over five
- 33rd pct · 2,039th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 56th pct · 53rd of 120 Kentucky counties · median $181,373
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Rowan County, KY | $191,517 · -1.1% 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 $1,004/mo (Aug 2026), n/a over one year; price-to-rent 15.9
- 8th pct · 1,280th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 12th pct · 28th of 32 Kentucky counties · median $1,250
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Rowan County, KY | $1,004/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 $1,048 a month on $191,517 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,177 a month: 25.1% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $191,517 × 80% = $153,214, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,048/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $964 × 52 / 12 = $4,177) = 25% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $191,517 / ($964 × 52) = 3.8
- price-to-rent = $191,517 / ($1,004 × 12) = 15.9
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 #
10,473 jobs at 841 employers (2026 Q1); -1.7% jobs and +4.6% average weekly wage over the year
- 55th pct · 1,420th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 71st pct · 35th of 120 Kentucky counties · median 5,237
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Rowan County, KY | 10,473 jobs · $964/wk · -1.7% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 1,380 | $632 | 1.35 | -1.3% |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,292 | $354 | 1.37 | +0.9% |
| Manufacturing | 1,244 | $1,107 | 1.48 | -3.0% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 379 | $943 | 0.86 | -20.0% |
| Finance and insurance | 239 | $1,158 | 0.56 | -2.4% |
| Administrative and waste services | 193 | $879 | 0.32 | -0.5% |
| Other services | 140 | $499 | 0.45 | -20.9% |
| Real estate and rental | 107 | $631 | 0.67 | +0.9% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 28 | $440 | 0.16 | +33.3% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | withheld | |||
| Utilities | withheld | |||
| Construction | 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 #
No drought class at this point (USDM covers the United States only)
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 #
42 gauges · 0 flooding · 4 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 12 stale
Sites found: 42, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| TRIPLETT CREEK AT MOREHEAD, KY | flow 27.0 ft³/s · STALE | 2 km |
| NORTH FORK TRIPLETT CREEK NEAR MOREHEAD, KY | flow 2.91 ft³/s | 5 km |
| ROCK LICK CR AB UNNAMED TRIB NR SHARKEY, KY STAT A | flow 0.15 ft³/s · STALE | 13 km |
| LICKING RIVER AT HWY 60 AT FARMERS, KY | stage 2.48 ft | 13 km |
| LICKING RIVER AT FARMERS, KY | flow 800.0 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 14 km |
| ROCK LICK CR AT STATE HWY 158 NR SHARKEY, KY STA D | turb. 15.6 FNU · quality 100 % (2) | 15 km |
| USGS-380717083365701 | stage 3.20 ft · STALE | 19 km |
| TYGARTS CREEK AT LAWTON RD AT OLIVE HILL,KY | stage 0.88 ft | 23 km |
| LITTLE SANDY RIVER BELOW GRAYSON DAM NEAR LEON, KY | flow 41.2 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 39 km |
| SLATE CREEK AT HIGHWAY 713 NR MT. STERLING, KY | flow 13.9 ft³/s | 41 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-381524083341601 | depth 13.1 ft · 2009-07-06 | 14 km |
| USGS-381537083341001 | depth 20.8 ft · 1998-10-14 | 14 km |
| USGS-381543083341501 | depth 4.93 ft · 2009-07-06 | 14 km |
| USGS-381541083341701 | depth 10.3 ft · 2009-07-06 | 14 km |
| USGS-381540083341801 | depth 14.6 ft · 2009-07-06 | 14 km |
| USGS-381539083341902 | depth 10.7 ft · 2009-07-06 | 14 km |
| USGS-381539083341901 | depth 14.4 ft · 2009-07-06 | 14 km |
| USGS-381538083342005 | depth 14.1 ft · 2009-07-06 | 14 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 #
$557.2 m in deposits at 11 offices of 8 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,883, highly concentrated. $143.2 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $137.3 m, grants $5.5 m), $13,674 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Bank National Association | $140.6 m · 25.2% share · 1 office | |
| Stock Yards Bank & Trust Company | $123.9 m · 22.2% share · 2 offices | |
| The Citizens Bank | $117.7 m · 21.1% share · 2 offices | |
| Rowan, KY | $143.2 m FY2026 · $13,674/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $122.5 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Bank National Association | $140,590,000 | 25.2% | 1 |
| Stock Yards Bank & Trust Company | $123,945,000 | 22.2% | 2 |
| The Citizens Bank | $117,746,000 | 21.1% | 2 |
| Whitaker Bank | $81,684,000 | 14.7% | 2 |
| Peoples Bank of Kentucky, Inc. | $36,525,000 | 6.6% | 1 |
| First Federal Savings and Loan Association | $30,324,000 | 5.4% | 1 |
| The First National Bank of Grayson | $22,660,000 | 4.1% | 1 |
| Woodforest National Bank | $3,703,000 | 0.7% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,883 across 8 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 8 banks with deposits in the county = 25.2² + 22.2² + 21.1² + … (5 more) = 1,883
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 | $108,947,175 |
| Department of Education | $17,681,197 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $12,644,497 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $1,151,049 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $1,021,009 |
| Department of Agriculture | $728,311 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $712,426 |
| Department of Transportation | $188,853 |
| Department of Defense | $128,791 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $1,716 |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | $0 |
That is $13,674 per covered job, against 10,473 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $143.2 m / 10,473 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $13,674
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 #
Rowan County, KY: 10 findings, 3 at a watch level and 7 noted
watchRowan County, KY's covered employment is -1.7% 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 = -1.7 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchRowan County, KY's typical home value is -1.1% 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 = -1.1320683502682454 < 0
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; not an official level
watchRowan County, KY's typical home value of -1.1% scores 14 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 57 across Kentucky counties, a gap of 43 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 43 = |14 across US counties - 57 across Kentucky counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteRowan County, KY's average weekly wage was 4.6% 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
- +4.6 % = 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
noteRowan County, KY's covered employment was 1.7% 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
- -1.7 % = 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
Read all 10 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.