Madison County, VA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 38.41, -78.28.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 88th pct · 345th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 78th pct · 29th of 133 Virginia counties · median $307,999
- 62nd pct · 1,163rd of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 68th pct · 43rd of 133 Virginia counties · median +2.9%
- US counties: not published this period
- Virginia counties: not published this period
- 24th pct · 2,437th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 13th pct · 115th of 133 Virginia counties · median 9,944
- 45th pct · 1,734th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 45th pct · 72nd of 133 Virginia counties · median $1,048
- 92nd pct · 218th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 87th pct · 17th of 133 Virginia counties · median 5.4
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 $426,554 (Aug 2026), +4.0% over one year, +23.4% over five
- 88th pct · 345th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 78th pct · 29th of 133 Virginia counties · median $307,999
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Madison County, VA | $426,554 · +4.0% 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
- Virginia 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 $2,335 a month on $426,554 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,429 a month: 52.7% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $426,554 × 80% = $341,243, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $2,335/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,022 × 52 / 12 = $4,429) = 53% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $426,554 / ($1,022 × 52) = 8.0
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 #
2,993 jobs at 452 employers (2026 Q1); -1.8% jobs and +4.8% average weekly wage over the year
- 24th pct · 2,437th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 13th pct · 115th of 133 Virginia counties · median 9,944
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Madison County, VA | 2,993 jobs · $1,022/wk · -1.8% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 428 | $859 | 1.47 | +1.2% |
| Manufacturing | 303 | $1,073 | 1.26 | -4.4% |
| Construction | 266 | $1,073 | 1.70 | -1.8% |
| Accommodation and food services | 189 | $441 | 0.70 | -10.4% |
| Other services | 156 | $800 | 1.74 | +13.9% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 91 | $921 | 4.21 | +4.6% |
| Professional and technical services | 84 | $1,848 | 0.41 | -2.3% |
| Finance and insurance | 70 | $1,585 | 0.57 | +4.5% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 68 | $853 | 0.54 | -5.6% |
| Wholesale trade | 66 | $2,435 | 0.58 | -13.2% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 8 | $510 | 0.16 | -20.0% |
| Information | withheld |
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 #
No drought class at this point (USDM covers the United States only)
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 #
2 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 2, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| JENNINGS RANDOLPH LAKE NEAR ELK GARDEN, WV | 1,446 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 135 km |
| SAVAGE RIVER RESERVOIR NEAR BLOOMINGTON, MD | 1,442 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 143 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 #
107 gauges · 0 flooding · 25 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 34 stale
Sites found: 107, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Robinson River at US 29 | no flooding | 5 km |
| Robinson River at Quaker Run Road | no flooding | 8 km |
| Rapidan River at Wolftown-Hood Road | no readings | 11 km |
| Conway River At Kinderhook Road | no flooding | 14 km |
| Hughes River at F.T. Valley Road | no flooding | 15 km |
| RAPIDAN RIVER NEAR RUCKERSVILLE, VA | flow 22.8 ft³/s · no flooding | 16 km |
| South River AT McMullen Mill | no flooding | 17 km |
| ROBINSON RIVER NEAR LOCUST DALE, VA | flow 57.3 ft³/s · no flooding | 19 km |
| Rapidan River At U.S. 15 | no readings | 19 km |
| Hazel River at Sperryville Pike | no readings | 19 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 #
27 wells in 0 named aquifers:
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 |
|---|---|---|
| USGS-381002078094201 | depth 35.5 ft · 2026-10-05 | 29 km |
| USGS-384011078282201 | depth 151.9 ft · 2026-10-05 | 33 km |
| USGS-384239078092901 | depth 25.9 ft · 2026-10-05 | 35 km |
| USGS-382150078424001 | depth 80.2 ft · 2026-10-06 | 38 km |
| USGS-382859077474201 | depth 19.1 ft · 2026-10-05 | 43 km |
| USGS-383455077463101 | depth 13.3 ft · 2021-09-28 | 48 km |
| USGS-385140078163401 | depth 40.4 ft · 2026-10-05 | 50 km |
| USGS-382753078513301 | depth 20.6 ft · 2026-10-05 | 51 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 #
$261.6 m in deposits at 2 offices of 2 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 5,389, highly concentrated. $100.3 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $90.9 m, contracts $5.4 m), $33,522 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Union Bank | $167.3 m · 63.9% share · 1 office | |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $94.3 m · 36.1% share · 1 office | |
| Madison, VA | $100.3 m FY2026 · $33,522/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $89.9 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Union Bank | $167,259,000 | 63.9% | 1 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $94,334,000 | 36.1% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 5,389 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 = 63.9² + 36.1² = 5,389
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 | $80,566,731 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $9,318,542 |
| Department of Defense | $5,086,771 |
| Department of Transportation | $2,229,356 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $1,767,064 |
| Department of Agriculture | $713,830 |
| Department of Homeland Security | $289,698 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $285,667 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $87,660 |
| Department of the Interior | -$15,157 |
That is $33,522 per covered job, against 2,993 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $100.3 m / 2,993 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $33,522
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 #
Madison County, VA: 6 findings, 2 at a watch level and 4 noted
watchMadison County, VA's years of wages of 8.0 ranks 218th of 3,063 US counties, a watch level here: years of wages in the top tenth of US counties (position among the counties that published both a ZHVI value and a QCEW average weekly wage; not an official level). The previous published period is not in this table, so this is a standing level rather than a change.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- test: yearsOfWages percentile = 92.91312867406923 >= 90
- typical home value / (average weekly wage × 52); one average covered job, not a household
position among the counties that published both a ZHVI value and a QCEW average weekly wage; not an official level
watchMadison County, VA's covered employment is -1.8% 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 = -1.8 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteMadison County, VA's average weekly wage was 4.8% 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
- +4.8 % = 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
noteMadison County, VA's covered employment was 1.8% 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
- -1.8 % = 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
noteMadison County, VA's typical home value rose 0.8% from $423,175 in July 2026 to $426,554 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.8% = (426554.0464337513 - 423175.0382435953) / 423175.0382435953 × 100
- 426554.0464337513 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 423175.0382435953 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
Read all 6 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.