Benton County, TN
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 36.07, -88.07.
Assembled 2026-10-07. Read the brief.
- 33rd pct · 2,052nd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 14th pct · 81st of 95 Tennessee counties · median $259,021
- 90th pct · 281st of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 93rd pct · 7th of 95 Tennessee counties · median +3.2%
- US counties: not published this period
- Tennessee counties: not published this period
- 33rd pct · 2,146th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 28th pct · 68th of 95 Tennessee counties · median 8,576
- 21st pct · 2,519th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 18th pct · 78th of 95 Tennessee counties · median $1,030
- 44th pct · 1,701st of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 23rd pct · 73rd of 95 Tennessee 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 $190,847 (Aug 2026), +8.0% over one year, +32.2% over five
- 33rd pct · 2,052nd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 14th pct · 81st of 95 Tennessee counties · median $259,021
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Benton County, TN | $190,847 · +8.0% 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
- Tennessee 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 $1,045 a month on $190,847 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $3,956 a month: 26.4% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $190,847 × 80% = $152,677, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,045/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $913 × 52 / 12 = $3,956) = 26% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $190,847 / ($913 × 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 #
4,315 jobs at 350 employers (2026 Q1); -2.6% jobs and +4.1% average weekly wage over the year
- 33rd pct · 2,146th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 28th pct · 68th of 95 Tennessee counties · median 8,576
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Benton County, TN | 4,315 jobs · $913/wk · -2.6% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 805 | $1,000 | 2.32 | -2.1% |
| Retail trade | 646 | $648 | 1.54 | -4.7% |
| Accommodation and food services | 450 | $307 | 1.16 | +11.4% |
| Finance and insurance | 320 | $1,284 | 1.82 | +6.7% |
| Construction | 216 | $1,064 | 0.95 | +0.9% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 122 | $1,159 | 0.67 | -10.9% |
| Other services | 103 | $781 | 0.80 | +6.2% |
| Administrative and waste services | 101 | $1,335 | 0.41 | -13.7% |
| Wholesale trade | 85 | $1,671 | 0.51 | -8.6% |
| Information | 16 | $1,749 | 0.20 | -70.9% |
| Real estate and rental | 11 | $772 | 0.17 | +0.0% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 11 | $471 | 0.15 | -26.7% |
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 #
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 #
19 gauges · 0 flooding · 2 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 9 stale
Sites found: 19, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| CYPRESS CREEK AT CAMDEN, TN | flow 0.55 ft³/s | 3 km |
| TENNESSEE RIVER NEAR NEW JOHNSONVILLE, TN | stage 55.3 ft · STALE | 9 km |
| BIG SANDY RIVER AT BRUCETON, TN | flow 54.6 ft³/s | 15 km |
| TRACE CREEK AT U S HIGHWAY 70, AT WAVERLY, TN | stage 2.83 ft · STALE | 27 km |
| DUCK RIVER ABOVE HURRICANE MILLS, TN | flow 513.0 ft³/s | 33 km |
| BEAVER CREEK AT HUNTINGDON, TN | flow 363.0 ft³/s · STALE | 34 km |
| BUFFALO RIVER BELOW LOBELVILLE, TN | flow 308.0 ft³/s | 39 km |
| USGS-360553087352201 | temp 17.1 °C · quality 100 % (1) · STALE | 43 km |
| TENNESSEE RIVER AT PERRYVILLE, TN | stage 55.5 ft · STALE | 49 km |
| YELLOW CREEK AT ELLIS MILLS, TN | flow 16.4 ft³/s | 54 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 #
4 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 4, 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-360020087573300 | depth 85.7 ft · 1998-02-24 | 12 km |
| USGS-360553087352201 | depth 15.4 ft · 2024-08-01 | 43 km |
| USGS-360429087233602 | depth 28.4 ft · 1986-12-19 | 61 km |
| USGS-354223088380201 | depth 128.7 ft · 2026-10-06 | 65 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 #
$824.6 m in deposits at 6 offices of 3 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 5,435, highly concentrated. $131.0 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $131.9 m, loans $1.2 m), $30,351 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Apex Bank | $582.8 m · 70.7% share · 4 offices | |
| FirstBank | $139.3 m · 16.9% share · 1 office | |
| Carroll Bank and Trust | $102.5 m · 12.4% share · 1 office | |
| Benton, TN | $131.0 m FY2026 · $30,351/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $128.5 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apex Bank | $582,773,000 | 70.7% | 4 |
| FirstBank | $139,306,000 | 16.9% | 1 |
| Carroll Bank and Trust | $102,532,000 | 12.4% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 5,435 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 = 70.7² + 16.9² + 12.4² = 5,435
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 | $109,175,268 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $18,185,928 |
| Department of Agriculture | $2,599,725 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $1,119,773 |
| Department of Transportation | $1,098,952 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $560,619 |
| Delta Regional Authority | $83,000 |
| Department of the Interior | $5,441 |
| Department of Defense | -$23,003 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | -$1,840,521 |
That is $30,351 per covered job, against 4,315 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $131.0 m / 4,315 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $30,351
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 | 11.67 | 2026-10-06 | -8.0% |
| 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 | 2026-10-07 | +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 #
Benton County, TN: 7 findings, 1 at a watch level and 6 noted
watchBenton County, TN's covered employment is -2.6% 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 = -2.6 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteBenton County, TN's average weekly wage was 4.1% 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
- +4.1 % = 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
noteBenton County, TN's covered employment was 2.6% 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
- -2.6 % = 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
noteBenton County, TN's typical home value of +8.0% ranks 7th of 95 Tennessee counties, against a median of +3.2%.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 94 on the 0-to-100 scale across 95 Tennessee counties that published home.yoyPct
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteBenton County, TN's typical home value of +8.0% ranks 281st of 3,063 US counties, against a median of +2.9%.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 91 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 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.