Covington County, MS
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 31.63, -89.55.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 28th pct · 2,195th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 70th pct · 24th of 80 Mississippi counties · median $151,974
- 98th pct · 40th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 94th pct · 5th of 80 Mississippi counties · median +1.3%
- US counties: not published this period
- Mississippi counties: not published this period
- 40th pct · 1,933rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 44th pct · 46th of 82 Mississippi counties · median 6,322
- 22nd pct · 2,502nd of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 54th pct · 37th of 82 Mississippi counties · median $903
- 38th pct · 1,871st of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 69th pct · 25th of 80 Mississippi counties · median 3.3
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 $180,197 (Aug 2026), +13.0% over one year, +19.8% over five
- 28th pct · 2,195th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 70th pct · 24th of 80 Mississippi counties · median $151,974
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Covington County, MS | $180,197 · +13.0% 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
- Mississippi 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 $986 a month on $180,197 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $3,969 a month: 24.8% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $180,197 × 80% = $144,157, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $986/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $916 × 52 / 12 = $3,969) = 25% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $180,197 / ($916 × 52) = 3.8
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 #
5,540 jobs at 403 employers (2026 Q1); -0.7% jobs and +6.0% average weekly wage over the year
- 40th pct · 1,933rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 44th pct · 46th of 82 Mississippi counties · median 6,322
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Covington County, MS | 5,540 jobs · $916/wk · -0.7% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 1,606 | $989 | 3.60 | +2.4% |
| Retail trade | 608 | $620 | 1.13 | -4.9% |
| Construction | 395 | $1,082 | 1.36 | +3.7% |
| Health care and social assistance | 369 | $776 | 0.44 | +0.8% |
| Accommodation and food services | 341 | $341 | 0.69 | +0.6% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 270 | $2,168 | 1.16 | +12.5% |
| Finance and insurance | 114 | $972 | 0.51 | +3.6% |
| Wholesale trade | 73 | $1,073 | 0.34 | -13.1% |
| Administrative and waste services | 47 | $712 | 0.15 | +0.0% |
| Real estate and rental | 23 | $1,027 | 0.27 | -8.0% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 16 | $544 | 0.18 | -33.3% |
| Utilities | 14 | $784 | 0.64 | +16.7% |
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 #
D1 moderate drought
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 #
27 gauges · 0 flooding · 4 with quality panels averaging 95 % · 8 stale
Sites found: 27, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| LEAF RIVER NR COLLINS, MS | flow 142.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 16 km |
| OKATOMA CREEK AT SANFORD, MS | flow 129.0 ft³/s | 19 km |
| BOUIE CREEK NR HATTIESBURG, MS | flow 203.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 26 km |
| TALLAHOMA CREEK AT FLYNT ROAD | observation not current | 37 km |
| BOUIE RIVER AT GLENDALE AVENUE AT HATTIESBURG, MS | flow 505.0 ft³/s | 39 km |
| LEAF RIVER AT HATTIESBURG, MS | flow 719.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 41 km |
| TALLAHALA CREEK AT LAUREL, MS | flow 23.1 ft³/s · observation not current · STALE | 41 km |
| Tallahala Creek at Morriston Road | observation not current | 44 km |
| WHITESAND CREEK NR OAKVALE, MS | flow 96.0 ft³/s · STALE | 44 km |
| Tallahala Creek at Sharon/Sandersville | observation not current | 48 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-313928089103001 | depth 153.4 ft · 1994-09-29 | 35 km |
| USGS-312115089193601 | depth 35.4 ft · 1993-08-16 | 37 km |
| USGS-314210089084401 | depth 193.0 ft · 1993-09-29 | 39 km |
| USGS-310935089252001 | depth 268.8 ft · 1993-09-29 | 54 km |
| USGS-311137089110501 | depth 132.1 ft · 1968-05-31 | 60 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 (0.18)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.25 + 0.2×0.05 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$401.3 m in deposits at 9 offices of 5 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,818, highly concentrated. $147.1 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $117.4 m, grants $29.4 m), $26,551 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| PriorityOne Bank | $165.5 m · 41.2% share · 3 offices | |
| Covington County Bank | $93.9 m · 23.4% share · 2 offices | |
| Peoples Bank | $81.8 m · 20.4% share · 1 office | |
| Covington, MS | $147.1 m FY2026 · $26,551/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $114.8 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| PriorityOne Bank | $165,513,000 | 41.2% | 3 |
| Covington County Bank | $93,866,000 | 23.4% | 2 |
| Peoples Bank | $81,849,000 | 20.4% | 1 |
| Regions Bank | $48,441,000 | 12.1% | 2 |
| Citizens Bank | $11,649,000 | 2.9% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,818 across 5 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 5 banks with deposits in the county = 41.2² + 23.4² + 20.4² + … (2 more) = 2,818
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 | $100,244,490 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $39,490,859 |
| Department of Transportation | $4,315,664 |
| Department of Agriculture | $2,226,365 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $426,051 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $298,882 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $61,976 |
| Small Business Administration | $20,539 |
| Consumer Product Safety Commission | $10,000 |
That is $26,551 per covered job, against 5,540 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $147.1 m / 5,540 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $26,551
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 #
Covington County, MS: 9 findings, 4 at a watch level and 5 noted
watchCovington County, MS' covered employment is -0.7% 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 = -0.7 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchCovington County, MS' typical home value of $180,197 scores 28 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 71 across Mississippi counties, a gap of 43 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 43 = |28 across US counties - 71 across Mississippi counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchCovington County, MS' average weekly wage of $916 scores 22 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 55 across Mississippi counties, a gap of 33 points.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 33 = |22 across US counties - 55 across Mississippi counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchCovington County, MS' years of wages of 3.8 scores 39 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 70 across Mississippi counties, a gap of 31 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 31 = |39 across US counties - 70 across Mississippi counties|
- typical home value / (average weekly wage × 52); one average covered job, not a household
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteCovington County, MS' average weekly wage was 6.0% 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 % = 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 9 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.