Montgomery County, NC
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 35.33, -79.91.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 36th pct · 1,955th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 21st pct · 79th of 100 North Carolina counties · median $273,108
- 67th pct · 1,000th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 82nd pct · 18th of 100 North Carolina counties · median +1.1%
- US counties: not published this period
- North Carolina counties: not published this period
- 51st pct · 1,567th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 30th pct · 70th of 100 North Carolina counties · median 16,739
- 28th pct · 2,307th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 31st pct · 69th of 100 North Carolina counties · median $984
- 44th pct · 1,690th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 29th pct · 71st of 100 North Carolina counties · median 5.0
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 $197,766 (Aug 2026), +4.5% over one year, +28.6% over five
- 36th pct · 1,955th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 21st pct · 79th of 100 North Carolina counties · median $273,108
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County, NC | $197,766 · +4.5% 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
- North Carolina 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 $1,083 a month on $197,766 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,095 a month: 26.4% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $197,766 × 80% = $158,213, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,083/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $945 × 52 / 12 = $4,095) = 26% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $197,766 / ($945 × 52) = 4.0
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 #
8,590 jobs at 595 employers (2026 Q1); -3.2% jobs and +1.6% average weekly wage over the year
- 51st pct · 1,567th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 30th pct · 70th of 100 North Carolina counties · median 16,739
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County, NC | 8,590 jobs · $945/wk · -3.2% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 2,482 | $1,084 | 3.59 | -4.3% |
| Health care and social assistance | 1,041 | $848 | 0.81 | -2.5% |
| Retail trade | 784 | $590 | 0.94 | +0.4% |
| Construction | 638 | $1,063 | 1.42 | +7.2% |
| Accommodation and food services | 522 | $326 | 0.68 | +2.4% |
| Administrative and waste services | 477 | $1,025 | 0.98 | -16.8% |
| Wholesale trade | 195 | $1,218 | 0.59 | +0.5% |
| Other services | 175 | $663 | 0.68 | -10.7% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 150 | $567 | 1.06 | -15.7% |
| Finance and insurance | 121 | $1,500 | 0.35 | +5.2% |
| Professional and technical services | 114 | $1,333 | 0.19 | -12.3% |
| Educational services | 64 | $871 | 0.35 | +4.9% |
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 #
5 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 5, 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.
| Site | Reading | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| B. EVERETT JORDAN LAKE AT DAM NR MONCURE, NC | 213.9 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 85 km |
| BEAVERDAM CREEK AT DAM NEAR CREEDMOOR, NC | 248.5 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 135 km |
| FALLS LAKE ABOVE DAM NR FALLS, NC | 246.6 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 138 km |
| NINETYNINE ISLAND RES. BELOW CHEROKEE FALLS, SC | 99.4 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 148 km |
| W. KERR SCOTT RESERVOIR AT DAM NR WILKESBORO, NC | 30.0 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 149 km |
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 #
48 gauges · 0 flooding · 4 with quality panels averaging 97 % · 18 stale
Sites found: 48, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| LITTLE RIVER NEAR STAR, NC | flow 5.97 ft³/s | 10 km |
| DUTCHMANS CREEK NR UWHARRIE, NC | flow 1.50 ft³/s · STALE | 12 km |
| UWHARRIE RIVER NEAR ELDORADO, NC | flow 8.17 ft³/s | 15 km |
| PEE DEE R AT HWY731 BL LK TILLERY NR NORWOOD, NC | flow 614.0 ft³/s · quality 100 % (2) | 20 km |
| LITTLE MOUNTAIN CREEK AT NC HWY 740 AT BADIN, NC | flow 0.25 ft³/s | 21 km |
| PEE DEE R AT PEE DEE REFUGE NR ANSONVILLE, NC | stage 4.58 ft | 28 km |
| PEE DEE R NR ANSONVILLE, NC | stage 13.9 ft · STALE | 28 km |
| ROCKY RIVER NEAR NORWOOD, NC | flow 243.0 ft³/s | 30 km |
| BROWN CREEK NR PINKSTON, NC | stage 7.98 ft · STALE | 34 km |
| PEE DEE RIVER BELOW POWERHOUSE DAM NR PEE DEE, NC | stage 5.28 ft · quality 100 % (2) | 38 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 #
8 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 8, 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-351609079343701 | depth 36.5 ft · 2014-12-15 | 31 km |
| USGS-351126079301401 | depth 95.5 ft · 2026-10-05 | 40 km |
| USGS-351134079284901 | depth 68.8 ft · 2015-03-10 | 42 km |
| USGS-351218079274401 | depth 62.5 ft · 2015-03-10 | 43 km |
| USGS-351132079275301 | depth 57.0 ft · 2026-10-05 | 43 km |
| USGS-351020079282801 | depth 66.7 ft · 2015-03-10 | 43 km |
| USGS-345812079313401 | depth 32.6 ft · 2026-10-05 | 53 km |
| USGS-354057080362601 | depth 7.41 ft · 2026-10-05 | 74 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 (0.17)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.25 + 0.2×0.03 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$389.8 m in deposits at 6 offices of 3 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 4,447, highly concentrated. $177.4 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $168.5 m, grants $6.9 m), $20,647 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| The Fidelity Bank | $218.7 m · 56.1% share · 3 offices | |
| First Bank | $136.0 m · 34.9% share · 2 offices | |
| Truist Bank | $35.1 m · 9.0% share · 1 office | |
| Montgomery, NC | $177.4 m FY2026 · $20,647/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $164.6 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Fidelity Bank | $218,695,000 | 56.1% | 3 |
| First Bank | $135,987,000 | 34.9% | 2 |
| Truist Bank | $35,068,000 | 9.0% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 4,447 across 3 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 3 banks with deposits in the county = 56.1² + 34.9² + 9.0² = 4,447
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 | $143,528,443 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $20,133,573 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $5,093,112 |
| Department of Agriculture | $2,839,800 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $1,849,394 |
| Department of Education | $1,649,869 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $816,830 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $576,151 |
| Department of Transportation | $481,845 |
| Department of Defense | $390,774 |
That is $20,647 per covered job, against 8,590 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $177.4 m / 8,590 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $20,647
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 | -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 #
Montgomery County, NC: 7 findings, 1 at an alert level, 1 at a watch level and 5 noted
alertMontgomery County, NC's covered employment is -3.2% against a year earlier, an alert level here: covered employment at least 3 percent below the same quarter a year earlier (BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; 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.emp = -3.2 <= -3
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchMontgomery County, NC's covered employment is -3.2% 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 = -3.2 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteMontgomery County, NC's covered employment was 3.2% 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
- -3.2 % = 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
noteMontgomery County, NC's average weekly wage was 1.6% 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
- +1.6 % = 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
noteMontgomery County, NC's typical home value fell 0.4% from $198,591 in July 2026 to $197,766 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- -0.4% = (197765.92314257214 - 198591.30553020653) / 198591.30553020653 × 100
- 197765.92314257214 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 198591.30553020653 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
Read all 7 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.