Shelby County, KY
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 38.24, -85.23.
Assembled 2026-10-07. Read the brief.
- 75th pct · 756th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 94th pct · 8th of 120 Kentucky counties · median $181,373
- 81st pct · 3rd of 12 counties in the Louisville/Jefferson County metro · median $276,709
- 17th pct · 2,533rd of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 60th pct · 48th of 120 Kentucky counties · median -2.1%
- 0th pct · 12th of 12 counties in the Louisville/Jefferson County metro · median +1.9%
- 53rd pct · 649th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 83rd pct · 6th of 32 Kentucky counties · median $1,250
- 66th pct · 3rd of 7 counties in the Louisville/Jefferson County metro · median $1,360
- 66th pct · 1,071st of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 80th pct · 24th of 120 Kentucky counties · median 5,237
- 45th pct · 7th of 12 counties in the Louisville/Jefferson County metro · median 16,814
- 57th pct · 1,377th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 71st pct · 35th of 120 Kentucky counties · median $953
- 54th pct · 6th of 12 counties in the Louisville/Jefferson County metro · median $1,073
- 77th pct · 694th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 97th pct · 4th of 120 Kentucky counties · median 3.6
- 81st pct · 3rd of 12 counties in the Louisville/Jefferson County metro · median 4.9
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 $326,569 (Aug 2026), -0.5% over one year, +15.3% over five
- 75th pct · 756th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 94th pct · 8th of 120 Kentucky counties · median $181,373
- 81st pct · 3rd of 12 counties in the Louisville/Jefferson County metro · median $276,709
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Shelby County, KY | $326,569 · -0.5% 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 #
Typical rent $1,532/mo (Aug 2026), n/a over one year; price-to-rent 17.8
- 53rd pct · 649th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 83rd pct · 6th of 32 Kentucky counties · median $1,250
- 66th pct · 3rd of 7 counties in the Louisville/Jefferson County metro · median $1,360
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Shelby County, KY | $1,532/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 $1,788 a month on $326,569 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,650 a month: 38.4% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $326,569 × 80% = $261,256, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,788/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,073 × 52 / 12 = $4,650) = 38% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $326,569 / ($1,073 × 52) = 5.9
- price-to-rent = $326,569 / ($1,532 × 12) = 17.8
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 #
16,311 jobs at 1,679 employers (2026 Q1); -1.8% jobs and -4.9% average weekly wage over the year
- 66th pct · 1,071st of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 80th pct · 24th of 120 Kentucky counties · median 5,237
- 45th pct · 7th of 12 counties in the Louisville/Jefferson County metro · median 16,814
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Shelby County, KY | 16,311 jobs · $1,073/wk · -1.8% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 3,367 | $1,300 | 2.57 | -8.4% |
| Retail trade | 2,447 | $652 | 1.54 | +1.8% |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,555 | $437 | 1.06 | +5.3% |
| Health care and social assistance | 1,296 | $1,201 | 0.53 | +0.8% |
| Administrative and waste services | 835 | $913 | 0.90 | -13.8% |
| Other services | 771 | $935 | 1.58 | +13.7% |
| Wholesale trade | 758 | $1,471 | 1.21 | -2.1% |
| Construction | 720 | $1,468 | 0.84 | -16.2% |
| Professional and technical services | 525 | $1,828 | 0.47 | +5.2% |
| Finance and insurance | 364 | $1,835 | 0.55 | +0.6% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 237 | $1,527 | 0.34 | +20.3% |
| Utilities | 177 | $2,923 | 2.75 | -0.6% |
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.
Water #
Banks & federal dollars #
$1.1 bn in deposits at 15 offices of 9 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,570, moderately concentrated. $346.9 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $269.6 m, grants $67.2 m), $21,266 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| German American Bank | $276.8 m · 24.7% share · 4 offices | |
| Stock Yards Bank & Trust Company | $239.6 m · 21.4% share · 4 offices | |
| Traditional Bank, Inc. | $157.8 m · 14.1% share · 1 office | |
| Shelby, KY | $346.9 m FY2026 · $21,266/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $264.5 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| German American Bank | $276,801,000 | 24.7% | 4 |
| Stock Yards Bank & Trust Company | $239,574,000 | 21.4% | 4 |
| Traditional Bank, Inc. | $157,795,000 | 14.1% | 1 |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $105,084,000 | 9.4% | 1 |
| Republic Bank & Trust Company | $96,494,000 | 8.6% | 1 |
| Independence Bank of Kentucky | $94,384,000 | 8.4% | 1 |
| Fifth Third Bank, National Association | $79,424,000 | 7.1% | 1 |
| First Financial Bank | $36,785,000 | 3.3% | 1 |
| U.S. Bank National Association | $33,968,000 | 3.0% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,570 across 9 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 9 banks with deposits in the county = 24.7² + 21.4² + 14.1² + … (6 more) = 1,570
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 | $237,521,639 |
| Department of Transportation | $73,830,448 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $25,695,609 |
| Department of Homeland Security | $7,461,126 |
| Department of Agriculture | $5,149,531 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $1,630,868 |
| Department of Labor | $1,260,616 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $964,928 |
| General Services Administration | $371,951 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $1,970 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
| Department of Energy | $0 |
That is $21,266 per covered job, against 16,311 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $346.9 m / 16,311 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $21,266
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 #
Shelby County, KY: 18 findings, 6 at a watch level and 12 noted
watchShelby County, KY's average weekly wage is -4.9% 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 = -4.9 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published, nominal dollars; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchShelby County, KY's covered employment is -1.8% 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 = -1.8 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchShelby County, KY's typical home value is -0.5% 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 = -0.5301315260034132 < 0
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; not an official level
watchShelby County, KY's momentum index is -0.47, 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 = -0.47067130876090485 <= -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
watchShelby County, KY's typical home value of -0.5% scores 17 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 61 across Kentucky counties, a gap of 43 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 43 = |17 across US counties - 61 across Kentucky counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
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.