Russell County, KY
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 36.99, -85.06.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 17th pct · 2,521st of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 36th pct · 76th of 120 Kentucky counties · median $181,373
- 3rd pct · 2,947th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 35th pct · 78th of 120 Kentucky counties · median -2.1%
- US counties: not published this period
- Kentucky counties: not published this period
- 42nd pct · 1,854th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 57th pct · 52nd of 120 Kentucky counties · median 5,237
- 12th pct · 2,814th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 18th pct · 98th of 120 Kentucky counties · median $953
- 31st pct · 2,104th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 47th pct · 63rd 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 $155,083 (Aug 2026), -5.5% over one year, +32.0% over five
- 17th pct · 2,521st of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 36th pct · 76th of 120 Kentucky counties · median $181,373
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Russell County, KY | $155,083 · -5.5% 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 $849 a month on $155,083 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $3,714 a month: 22.9% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $155,083 × 80% = $124,067, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $849/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $857 × 52 / 12 = $3,714) = 23% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $155,083 / ($857 × 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 #
6,087 jobs at 569 employers (2026 Q1); +1.5% jobs and 0.0% average weekly wage over the year
- 42nd pct · 1,854th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 57th pct · 52nd of 120 Kentucky counties · median 5,237
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Russell County, KY | 6,087 jobs · $857/wk · +1.5% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 1,951 | $927 | 3.98 | +5.4% |
| Health care and social assistance | 923 | $917 | 1.01 | +2.0% |
| Retail trade | 736 | $655 | 1.24 | -0.5% |
| Accommodation and food services | 488 | $324 | 0.89 | +6.1% |
| Finance and insurance | 154 | $1,103 | 0.62 | +7.7% |
| Other services | 101 | $668 | 0.56 | +0.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 97 | $676 | 0.42 | -2.0% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 69 | $725 | 0.69 | +1.5% |
| Professional and technical services | 67 | $1,982 | 0.16 | -13.0% |
| Real estate and rental | 37 | $688 | 0.40 | +0.0% |
| Educational services | 17 | $812 | 0.13 | -5.6% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 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 #
24 gauges · 0 flooding · 7 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 6 stale
Sites found: 24, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| CUMBERLAND RIVER AT LONG BOTTOM NEAR ROWENA, KY | stage 5.60 ft · quality 100 % (2) | 14 km |
| CUMBERLAND RIVER NEAR ROWENA, KY | stage 9.77 ft · quality 100 % (2) · STALE | 14 km |
| BEAVER CREEK NEAR MONTICELLO, KY | flow 2.80 ft³/s | 26 km |
| CROCUS CREEK NEAR AMANDAVILLE, KY | flow 4.53 ft³/s | 27 km |
| RUSSELL CREEK NEAR COLUMBIA, KY | flow 9.08 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 34 km |
| CUMBERLAND RIVER AT BURKESVILLE, KY | flow 3,440 ft³/s | 36 km |
| GREEN RIVER NEAR CAMPBELLSVILLE, KY | flow 250.0 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 38 km |
| MARROWBONE CK AT MUD CAMP RD AT WATERVIEW, KY | stage 5.82 ft | 41 km |
| WOLF RIVER NEAR BYRDSTOWN, TN | flow 8.67 ft³/s | 48 km |
| GREEN RIVER AT GREENSBURG, KY | stage 1.05 ft · quality 100 % (1) | 49 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-370134085340601 | depth 84.1 ft · 1980-08-28 | 46 km |
| USGS-370211085364301 | depth 76.0 ft · 1983-04-05 | 50 km |
| USGS-363304084475600 | depth 100.7 ft · 2026-10-05 | 54 km |
| USGS-365138084264101 | depth 24.1 ft · 1984-08-26 | 56 km |
| USGS-365853085495801 | depth 24.7 ft · 1984-10-30 | 69 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 #
$716.6 m in deposits at 11 offices of 7 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 4,033, highly concentrated. $129.4 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $115.5 m, grants $7.6 m), $21,253 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| The First National Bank of Russell Springs | $409.0 m · 57.1% share · 3 offices | |
| Bank of Jamestown | $192.2 m · 26.8% share · 3 offices | |
| United Citizens Bank of Southern Kentucky | $30.8 m · 4.3% share · 1 office | |
| Russell, KY | $129.4 m FY2026 · $21,253/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $111.4 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| The First National Bank of Russell Springs | $409,018,000 | 57.1% | 3 |
| Bank of Jamestown | $192,218,000 | 26.8% | 3 |
| United Citizens Bank of Southern Kentucky | $30,825,000 | 4.3% | 1 |
| The Monticello Banking Company | $30,764,000 | 4.3% | 1 |
| First & Farmers National Bank, Inc. | $19,156,000 | 2.7% | 1 |
| The Citizens National Bank of Somerset | $18,910,000 | 2.6% | 1 |
| Community Trust Bank, Inc. | $15,716,000 | 2.2% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 4,033 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 = 57.1² + 26.8² + 4.3² + … (4 more) = 4,033
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 | $98,710,525 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $12,011,483 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $8,158,627 |
| Department of Defense | $6,113,088 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $2,793,132 |
| Department of Agriculture | $1,006,555 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $565,551 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $360,278 |
| Department of Education | $263,992 |
| Department of Justice | $166,960 |
| Department of the Interior | $56,078 |
| Department of Transportation | -$837,723 |
That is $21,253 per covered job, against 6,087 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $129.4 m / 6,087 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $21,253
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 | 12.28 | 2026-10-04 | -0.1% |
| 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 | 2026-10-05 | +0.1% |
| 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 #
Russell County, KY: 6 findings, 1 at an alert level, 2 at a watch level and 3 noted
alertRussell County, KY's typical home value is -5.5% 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 = -5.543429365010331 <= -5
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchRussell County, KY's typical home value is -5.5% 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 = -5.543429365010331 < 0
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; not an official level
watchRussell County, KY's typical home value of -5.5% scores 4 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 35 across Kentucky counties, a gap of 32 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 32 = |4 across US counties - 35 across Kentucky counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteRussell County, KY's covered employment was 1.5% 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
- +1.5 % = 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
noteRussell County, KY's typical home value of -5.5% ranks 2,947th of 3,063 US counties, against a median of +2.9%.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 4 on the 0-to-100 scale across 3063 US counties that published home.yoyPct
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
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.