Polk County, TN
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 35.11, -84.54.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 58th pct · 1,277th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 47th pct · 50th of 95 Tennessee counties · median $259,021
- counties in the Cleveland metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Cleveland metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 86th pct · 406th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 85th pct · 15th of 95 Tennessee counties · median +3.2%
- counties in the Cleveland metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Cleveland metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- US counties: not published this period
- Tennessee counties: not published this period
- counties in the Cleveland metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Cleveland metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 20th pct · 2,562nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 13th pct · 82nd of 95 Tennessee counties · median 8,576
- counties in the Cleveland metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Cleveland metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 19th pct · 2,592nd of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 14th pct · 81st of 95 Tennessee counties · median $1,030
- counties in the Cleveland metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Cleveland metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 72nd pct · 858th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 65th pct · 33rd of 95 Tennessee counties · median 5.0
- counties in the Cleveland metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Cleveland metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
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 $257,377 (Aug 2026), +7.1% over one year, +28.4% over five
- 58th pct · 1,277th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 47th pct · 50th of 95 Tennessee counties · median $259,021
- counties in the Cleveland metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Cleveland metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Polk County, TN | $257,377 · +7.1% 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
- counties in the Cleveland metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Cleveland metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
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 $1,409 a month on $257,377 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $3,909 a month: 36.0% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $257,377 × 80% = $205,902, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,409/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $902 × 52 / 12 = $3,909) = 36% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $257,377 / ($902 × 52) = 5.5
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 #
2,502 jobs at 326 employers (2026 Q1); -5.2% jobs and +8.3% average weekly wage over the year
- 20th pct · 2,562nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 13th pct · 82nd of 95 Tennessee counties · median 8,576
- counties in the Cleveland metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Cleveland metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Polk County, TN | 2,502 jobs · $902/wk · -5.2% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 439 | $635 | 1.80 | -2.4% |
| Accommodation and food services | 275 | $419 | 1.22 | -11.6% |
| Manufacturing | 248 | $825 | 1.23 | -5.0% |
| Construction | 117 | $1,051 | 0.89 | -14.6% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 70 | $296 | 1.70 | +32.1% |
| Finance and insurance | 63 | $1,409 | 0.62 | +0.0% |
| Administrative and waste services | 54 | $756 | 0.38 | -8.5% |
| Wholesale trade | 45 | $866 | 0.47 | -6.2% |
| Information | 38 | $3,004 | 0.82 | +111.1% |
| Other services | 35 | $552 | 0.47 | -2.8% |
| Real estate and rental | 22 | $702 | 0.57 | -12.0% |
| Unclassified | 0 | $0 | 0.00 | +0.0% |
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 #
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 |
|---|---|---|
| CARTERS LAKE NEAR CARTERS, GA | 1,072 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 56 km |
| CARTERS RE-REGULATION LAKE NEAR CARTERS, GA | 39.5 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 58 km |
| ALLATOONA LAKE NEAR CARTERSVILLE, GA | 835.9 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 107 km |
| LAKE SIDNEY LANIER NEAR BUFORD, GA | 1,064 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 114 km |
| CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER AT MORGAN FALLS DAM, GA | 865.2 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 128 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 #
50 gauges · 0 flooding · 3 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 14 stale
Sites found: 50, 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-03563000 | flow 1,540 ft³/s · STALE | 1 km |
| USGS-03556590 | temp 20.2 °C · quality 100 % (1) | 9 km |
| USGS-03564500 | flow 22.0 ft³/s · STALE | 10 km |
| USGS-03560500 | flow 7.30 ft³/s · STALE | 19 km |
| USGS-03559500 | flow 1,270 ft³/s | 20 km |
| USGS-03565500 | flow 22.1 ft³/s | 28 km |
| USGS-03566000 | flow 10,300 ft³/s · STALE | 29 km |
| MILL CREEK NEAR CRANDALL, GA | flow 3.31 ft³/s | 31 km |
| USGS-03565442 | flow 6.70 ft³/s · STALE | 36 km |
| TELLICO RIVER AT TELLICO PLAINS, TN | flow 61.5 ft³/s | 37 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 #
12 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 12, 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-351428085003600 | depth 22.7 ft · 2026-10-05 | 45 km |
| USGS-351115085025001 | depth 12.8 ft · 2026-10-05 | 47 km |
| USGS-350750085045802 | depth 9.53 ft · 2026-10-05 | 49 km |
| USGS-351117083545001 | depth 27.7 ft · 2009-10-04 | 58 km |
| USGS-351121083545002 | depth 6.78 ft · 2026-10-05 | 58 km |
| USGS-351249085110101 | depth 99.8 ft · 2011-06-01 | 60 km |
| USGS-351146085122701 | depth 69.8 ft · 2026-10-05 | 61 km |
| USGS-351248085131601 | depth 22.1 ft · 2026-10-05 | 63 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 #
$200.7 m in deposits at 4 offices of 3 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 4,273, highly concentrated. $160.8 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $118.7 m, contracts $34.5 m), $64,259 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Builtwell Bank | $115.2 m · 57.4% share · 2 offices | |
| Peoples Bank of East Tennessee | $54.5 m · 27.2% share · 1 office | |
| First Financial Bank, National Association | $30.9 m · 15.4% share · 1 office | |
| Polk, TN | $160.8 m FY2026 · $64,259/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $117.8 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Builtwell Bank | $115,228,000 | 57.4% | 2 |
| Peoples Bank of East Tennessee | $54,545,000 | 27.2% | 1 |
| First Financial Bank, National Association | $30,887,000 | 15.4% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 4,273 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 = 57.4² + 27.2² + 15.4² = 4,273
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 | $99,749,881 |
| Department of Transportation | $39,189,668 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $15,836,823 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $2,214,505 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $1,809,912 |
| Department of Agriculture | $1,695,008 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $279,806 |
That is $64,259 per covered job, against 2,502 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $160.8 m / 2,502 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $64,259
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 #
Polk County, TN: 7 findings, 1 at an alert level, 1 at a watch level and 5 noted
alertPolk County, TN's covered employment is -5.2% 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 = -5.2 <= -3
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchPolk County, TN's covered employment is -5.2% 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 = -5.2 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
notePolk County, TN's average weekly wage was 8.3% 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
- +8.3 % = 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
notePolk County, TN's covered employment was 5.2% 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
- -5.2 % = 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
notePolk County, TN's covered employment of -5.2% ranks 92nd of 95 Tennessee counties, against a median of -0.6%.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 3 on the 0-to-100 scale across 95 Tennessee counties that published jobs.yoy.emp
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.