Montgomery County, VA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 37.18, -80.39.
Assembled 2026-10-07. Read the brief.
- 77th pct · 679th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 56th pct · 58th of 133 Virginia counties · median $307,999
- 100th pct · 1st of 5 counties in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford metro · median $263,403
- 48th pct · 1,593rd of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 46th pct · 71st of 133 Virginia counties · median +2.9%
- 0th pct · 5th of 5 counties in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford metro · median +5.1%
- 65th pct · 483rd of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 42nd pct · 46th of 79 Virginia counties · median $1,757
- counties in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford metro: only 3 of counties in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford metro published this metric; fewer than 5 is too few to rank
- 82nd pct · 561st of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 85th pct · 20th of 133 Virginia counties · median 9,944
- 100th pct · 1st of 5 counties in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford metro · median 6,604
- 77th pct · 717th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 70th pct · 40th of 133 Virginia counties · median $1,048
- 100th pct · 1st of 5 counties in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford metro · median $998
- 70th pct · 898th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 52nd pct · 64th of 133 Virginia counties · median 5.4
- 75th pct · 2nd of 5 counties in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford metro · median 5.1
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 $340,750 (Aug 2026), +2.8% over one year, +21.7% over five
- 77th pct · 679th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 56th pct · 58th of 133 Virginia counties · median $307,999
- 100th pct · 1st of 5 counties in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford metro · median $263,403
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County, VA | $340,750 · +2.8% 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 #
Typical rent $1,689/mo (Aug 2026), +5.4% over one year; price-to-rent 16.8
- 65th pct · 483rd of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 42nd pct · 46th of 79 Virginia counties · median $1,757
- counties in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford metro: only 3 of counties in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford metro published this metric; fewer than 5 is too few to rank
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County, VA | $1,689/mo · +5.4% 1-yr |
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 $1,865 a month on $340,750 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $5,261 a month: 35.5% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $340,750 × 80% = $272,600, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,865/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,214 × 52 / 12 = $5,261) = 35% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $340,750 / ($1,214 × 52) = 5.4
- price-to-rent = $340,750 / ($1,689 × 12) = 16.8
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 #
44,767 jobs at 2,622 employers (2026 Q1); +2.0% jobs and +3.5% average weekly wage over the year
- 82nd pct · 561st of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 85th pct · 20th of 133 Virginia counties · median 9,944
- 100th pct · 1st of 5 counties in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford metro · median 6,604
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County, VA | 44,767 jobs · $1,214/wk · +2.0% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 5,203 | $1,448 | 1.44 | -1.0% |
| Health care and social assistance | 4,962 | $1,123 | 0.74 | +4.9% |
| Retail trade | 4,588 | $667 | 1.05 | +5.2% |
| Accommodation and food services | 4,298 | $429 | 1.07 | -0.4% |
| Professional and technical services | 2,203 | $1,983 | 0.71 | -9.2% |
| Administrative and waste services | 2,170 | $966 | 0.85 | +22.3% |
| Construction | 1,344 | $1,341 | 0.57 | +7.6% |
| Other services | 1,030 | $841 | 0.77 | +3.7% |
| Real estate and rental | 653 | $1,046 | 0.95 | -2.5% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 630 | $359 | 0.85 | +12.7% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 596 | $869 | 0.32 | -5.4% |
| Finance and insurance | 556 | $1,956 | 0.30 | +7.5% |
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 #
Surface water layer not loaded
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 #
Surface water layer not loaded
Sites found: 0, 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.
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 #
No USGS monitoring wells within 75 km (or above 1,500 km)
Sites found: 0, 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.
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 / 0.35
Banks & federal dollars #
$3.1 bn in deposits at 28 offices of 12 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,746, moderately concentrated. $650.7 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $448.5 m, grants $147.8 m), $14,535 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Union Bank | $725.5 m · 23.5% share · 4 offices | |
| The National Bank of Blacksburg | $698.5 m · 22.7% share · 7 offices | |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $672.2 m · 21.8% share · 2 offices | |
| Montgomery, VA | $650.7 m FY2026 · $14,535/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $398.6 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Union Bank | $725,500,000 | 23.5% | 4 |
| The National Bank of Blacksburg | $698,454,000 | 22.7% | 7 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $672,178,000 | 21.8% | 2 |
| The First Bank and Trust Company | $301,151,000 | 9.8% | 2 |
| Truist Bank | $216,944,000 | 7.0% | 2 |
| Locus Bank, Inc. | $164,599,000 | 5.3% | 1 |
| Carter Bank & Trust | $137,042,000 | 4.4% | 3 |
| SKYLINE NATIONAL BANK | $56,316,000 | 1.8% | 2 |
| First Community Bank | $54,697,000 | 1.8% | 2 |
| First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company | $25,705,000 | 0.8% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,746 across 12 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 12 banks with deposits in the county = 23.5² + 22.7² + 21.8² + … (9 more) = 1,746
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 | $357,011,710 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $43,165,541 |
| Department of Defense | $40,802,432 |
| National Science Foundation | $39,888,862 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $38,966,126 |
| Department of Agriculture | $35,212,115 |
| Department of Education | $35,038,955 |
| Department of Energy | $22,398,091 |
| Department of Transportation | $12,819,738 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $10,506,753 |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | $3,967,152 |
| Department of Homeland Security | $3,507,316 |
That is $14,535 per covered job, against 44,767 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $650.7 m / 44,767 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $14,535
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 | 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 #
Montgomery County, VA: 10 findings, 10 noted
noteMontgomery County, VA's average weekly wage was 3.5% 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
- +3.5 % = 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, VA's typical asking rent rose 2.3% from $1,652 in July 2026 to $1,689 in August 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +2.3% = (1689.08672090416 - 1651.8434727744188) / 1651.8434727744188 × 100
- 1689.08672090416 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
- 1651.8434727744188 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-07
noteMontgomery County, VA's covered employment was 2.0% 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
- +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, VA's typical home value of $340,750 ranks 1st of 5 counties in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford metro, against a median of $263,403.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 100 on the 0-to-100 scale across 5 counties in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford metro that published home.latest
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteMontgomery County, VA's typical home value of +2.8% ranks 5th of 5 counties in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford metro, against a median of +5.1%.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 0 on the 0-to-100 scale across 5 counties in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford metro that published home.yoyPct
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
Read all 10 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.