Unicoi County, TN
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 36.10, -82.42.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 53rd pct · 1,429th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 34th pct · 63rd of 95 Tennessee counties · median $259,021
- counties in the Johnson City metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Johnson City metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 59th pct · 1,249th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 56th pct · 42nd of 95 Tennessee counties · median +3.2%
- counties in the Johnson City metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Johnson City metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- US counties: not published this period
- Tennessee counties: not published this period
- counties in the Johnson City metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Johnson City metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 36th pct · 2,052nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 29th pct · 67th of 95 Tennessee counties · median 8,576
- counties in the Johnson City metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Johnson City metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 81st pct · 604th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 87th pct · 13th of 95 Tennessee counties · median $1,030
- counties in the Johnson City metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Johnson City metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 37th pct · 1,902nd of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 18th pct · 78th of 95 Tennessee counties · median 5.0
- counties in the Johnson City metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Johnson City 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 $244,117 (Aug 2026), +3.8% over one year, +32.8% over five
- 53rd pct · 1,429th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 34th pct · 63rd of 95 Tennessee counties · median $259,021
- counties in the Johnson City metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Johnson City metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Unicoi County, TN | $244,117 · +3.8% 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 Johnson City metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Johnson City 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 $1,336 a month on $244,117 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $5,430 a month: 24.6% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $244,117 × 80% = $195,293, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,336/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,253 × 52 / 12 = $5,430) = 25% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $244,117 / ($1,253 × 52) = 3.7
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 #
4,835 jobs at 316 employers (2026 Q1); +0.1% jobs and +4.0% average weekly wage over the year
- 36th pct · 2,052nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 29th pct · 67th of 95 Tennessee counties · median 8,576
- counties in the Johnson City metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Johnson City metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Unicoi County, TN | 4,835 jobs · $1,253/wk · +0.1% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 1,619 | $1,976 | 4.16 | +0.4% |
| Retail trade | 558 | $551 | 1.18 | -8.1% |
| Construction | 174 | $975 | 0.69 | +0.0% |
| Administrative and waste services | 106 | $977 | 0.39 | +0.0% |
| Other services | 96 | $581 | 0.66 | -7.7% |
| Professional and technical services | 78 | $4,625 | 0.23 | +0.0% |
| Finance and insurance | 63 | $1,160 | 0.32 | -10.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 62 | $1,072 | 0.33 | +12.7% |
| Real estate and rental | 28 | $910 | 0.38 | +21.7% |
| Information | 18 | $1,682 | 0.20 | +0.0% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 17 | $909 | 0.49 | +0.0% |
| Unclassified | 1 | $501 | 0.10 | +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 #
6 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 6, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| LAKE LOGAN AT DAM NEAR HAZELWOOD, NC | 52.9 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 88 km |
| W. KERR SCOTT RESERVOIR AT DAM NR WILKESBORO, NC | 30.1 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 107 km |
| LAKE WILLIAM C. BOWEN NEAR FINGERVILLE, SC | 815.4 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 115 km |
| LAKE BLALOCK NEAR COWPENS, SC | 710.7 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 127 km |
| GASTON SHOALS RESERVOIR ABOVE BLACKSBURG, SC | 79.1 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 130 km |
| NINETYNINE ISLAND RES. BELOW CHEROKEE FALLS, SC | 99.4 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 145 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 · 10 with quality panels averaging 99 % · 16 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 |
|---|---|---|
| NOLICHUCKY RIVER AT EMBREEVILLE, TN | stage 1.16 ft | 9 km |
| BIG LIMESTONE CREEK NEAR LIMESTONE, TN | flow 30.2 ft³/s | 24 km |
| SINKING CR AT HWY 67 AT JOHNSON CITY, TN | flow 6.60 ft³/s · STALE | 25 km |
| SINKING CREEK AT AFTON, TN | flow 2.60 ft³/s · STALE | 31 km |
| DOE RIVER AT ELIZABETHTON, TN | stage 1.30 ft | 33 km |
| WATAUGA RIVER AT ELIZABETHTON, TN | flow 358.0 ft³/s | 33 km |
| SOUTH TOE RIVER NEAR CELO, NC | flow 38.6 ft³/s | 37 km |
| NOLICHUCKY RIVER BELOW NOLICHUCKY DAM, TN | flow 535.0 ft³/s | 40 km |
| IVY RIVER NEAR MARSHALL, NC | flow 26.9 ft³/s | 41 km |
| FRENCH BROAD RIVER AT MARSHALL, NC | flow 1,060 ft³/s | 41 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 #
6 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 6, 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-361738082132900 | depth 12.1 ft · 1989-09-30 | 28 km |
| USGS-360455081530101 | depth 2.21 ft · 2011-11-27 | 48 km |
| USGS-354133082042203 | depth 29.1 ft · 2026-10-05 | 55 km |
| USGS-354133082042201 | depth 28.8 ft · 2026-10-05 | 55 km |
| USGS-361646081430401 | depth 29.8 ft · 2026-10-05 | 66 km |
| USGS-364022082450201 | depth 75.5 ft · 2026-10-05 | 70 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 + 0.2×0.01 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$1.1 bn in deposits at 3 offices of 2 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 7,560, highly concentrated. $489.9 m federal obligations in FY2026 (contracts $330.0 m, direct payments $143.1 m), $101,319 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Centennial Bank | $908.5 m · 85.8% share · 2 offices | |
| Bank of Tennessee | $150.6 m · 14.2% share · 1 office | |
| Unicoi, TN | $489.9 m FY2026 · $101,319/job | |
| BWXT ENRICHMENT OPERATIONS, LLC | $199.7 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Centennial Bank | $908,507,000 | 85.8% | 2 |
| Bank of Tennessee | $150,643,000 | 14.2% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 7,560 across 2 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 2 banks with deposits in the county = 85.8² + 14.2² = 7,560
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 |
|---|---|
| Department of Energy | $325,995,570 |
| Social Security Administration | $110,207,523 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $20,822,872 |
| Department of Transportation | $18,380,705 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $10,977,190 |
| Department of Homeland Security | $1,391,491 |
| Department of Agriculture | $1,014,207 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $489,373 |
| Department of the Interior | $286,417 |
| Department of Education | $205,040 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $112,779 |
| Small Business Administration | -$4,977 |
That is $101,319 per covered job, against 4,835 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $489.9 m / 4,835 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $101,319
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 | 2026-10-06 | +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 #
Unicoi County, TN: 4 findings, 4 noted
noteUnicoi County, TN's average weekly wage was 4.0% 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
- +4 % = 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
noteUnicoi County, TN's typical home value fell 0.6% from $245,701 in July 2026 to $244,117 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- -0.6% = (244116.50190024162 - 245701.28411332227) / 245701.28411332227 × 100
- 244116.50190024162 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 245701.28411332227 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
noteUnicoi County, TN's covered employment was 0.1% 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
- +0.1 % = 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
noteThe next Zillow ZHVI typical home value (monthly) covering Unicoi County, TN is due between 2026-10-14 and 2026-10-21, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern.
Show the arithmetic
- window = 2026-10-14 to 2026-10-21, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern
estimated from the publisher's past release pattern; not an announced date
Every finding is produced by a fixed rule table and a fixed sentence for each rule. Nothing here is generated prose.