Bristol city, VA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 36.62, -82.16.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 27th pct · 2,218th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 14th pct · 114th of 133 Virginia counties · median $307,999
- 25th pct · 4th of 5 counties in the Kingsport-Bristol metro · median $251,240
- 7th pct · 2,827th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 3rd pct · 129th of 133 Virginia counties · median +2.9%
- 0th pct · 5th of 5 counties in the Kingsport-Bristol metro · median +2.5%
- 43rd pct · 786th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 21st pct · 62nd of 79 Virginia counties · median $1,757
- counties in the Kingsport-Bristol metro: only 4 of counties in the Kingsport-Bristol metro published this metric; fewer than 5 is too few to rank
- 57th pct · 1,384th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 54th pct · 61st of 133 Virginia counties · median 9,944
- 25th pct · 4th of 5 counties in the Kingsport-Bristol metro · median 13,196
- 19th pct · 2,599th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 15th pct · 113th of 133 Virginia counties · median $1,048
- 0th pct · 5th of 5 counties in the Kingsport-Bristol metro · median $1,002
- 39th pct · 1,849th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 25th pct · 100th of 133 Virginia counties · median 5.4
- 50th pct · 3rd of 5 counties in the Kingsport-Bristol metro · median 3.8
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 $178,521 (Aug 2026), -2.8% over one year, +34.9% over five
- 27th pct · 2,218th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 14th pct · 114th of 133 Virginia counties · median $307,999
- 25th pct · 4th of 5 counties in the Kingsport-Bristol metro · median $251,240
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Bristol city, VA | $178,521 · -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 $1,428/mo (Aug 2026), n/a over one year; price-to-rent 10.4
- 43rd pct · 786th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 21st pct · 62nd of 79 Virginia counties · median $1,757
- counties in the Kingsport-Bristol metro: only 4 of counties in the Kingsport-Bristol metro published this metric; fewer than 5 is too few to rank
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Bristol city, VA | $1,428/mo · n/a 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 $977 a month on $178,521 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $3,904 a month: 25.0% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $178,521 × 80% = $142,817, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $977/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $901 × 52 / 12 = $3,904) = 25% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $178,521 / ($901 × 52) = 3.8
- price-to-rent = $178,521 / ($1,428 × 12) = 10.4
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 #
11,048 jobs at 627 employers (2026 Q1); +3.0% jobs and +1.5% average weekly wage over the year
- 57th pct · 1,384th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 54th pct · 61st of 133 Virginia counties · median 9,944
- 25th pct · 4th of 5 counties in the Kingsport-Bristol metro · median 13,196
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Bristol city, VA | 11,048 jobs · $901/wk · +3.0% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 1,487 | $1,143 | 1.67 | -2.7% |
| Retail trade | 1,348 | $598 | 1.25 | +9.6% |
| Health care and social assistance | 1,098 | $943 | 0.66 | -3.1% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 903 | $447 | 1.94 | +16.4% |
| Administrative and waste services | 297 | $619 | 0.47 | +2.4% |
| Professional and technical services | 270 | $936 | 0.35 | +44.4% |
| Other services | 262 | $830 | 0.79 | +14.9% |
| Finance and insurance | 234 | $2,005 | 0.52 | -18.2% |
| Educational services | 104 | $948 | 0.44 | +6.1% |
| Management of companies | 69 | $2,714 | 0.37 | +6.2% |
| Real estate and rental | 37 | $758 | 0.22 | +2.8% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| W. KERR SCOTT RESERVOIR AT DAM NR WILKESBORO, NC | 30.0 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 99 km |
| LAKE LOGAN AT DAM NEAR HAZELWOOD, NC | 52.9 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 150 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 #
90 gauges · 0 flooding · 8 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 11 stale
Sites found: 90, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| BEAVER CREEK AT BRISTOL, VA | flow 13.8 ft³/s · no flooding | 3 km |
| Beaver Creek (VA) above Beaver Creek Dam (HW) near Bristol 3ENE | no readings | 5 km |
| Clear Creek (VA) above Clear Creek Lake near Bristol VA | no readings | 6 km |
| South Fork Holston River above South Holston Dam | no readings | 12 km |
| N Fork Holston River at White Mills 2N | no flooding | 25 km |
| South Fork Holston River near Damascus | no flooding | 28 km |
| S F HOLSTON RIVER NEAR DAMASCUS, VA | flow 141.0 ft³/s | 28 km |
| WATAUGA RIVER AT ELIZABETHTON, TN | flow 354.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 30 km |
| DOE RIVER AT ELIZABETHTON, TN | stage 1.30 ft · no flooding | 31 km |
| South Fork Holston River above Boone Dam | no readings | 32 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 #
7 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 7, 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 | 36 km |
| USGS-370443082022301 | depth 3.68 ft · 2002-04-11 | 52 km |
| USGS-364022082450201 | depth 75.5 ft · 2026-10-05 | 53 km |
| USGS-361646081430401 | depth 29.8 ft · 2026-10-05 | 54 km |
| USGS-360455081530101 | depth 2.21 ft · 2011-11-27 | 64 km |
| USGS-370604082403901 | depth 34.8 ft · 2026-10-05 | 71 km |
| USGS-371033082374301 | depth 22.9 ft · 1984-11-08 | 75 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 #
$599.9 m in deposits at 8 offices of 7 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,373, highly concentrated. $122.2 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $113.4 m, grants $9.4 m), $11,059 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $191.5 m · 31.9% share · 1 office | |
| The First Bank and Trust Company | $178.5 m · 29.8% share · 1 office | |
| First Community Bank | $111.8 m · 18.6% share · 2 offices | |
| Bristol (City), VA | $122.2 m FY2026 · $11,059/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $110.9 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $191,533,000 | 31.9% | 1 |
| The First Bank and Trust Company | $178,498,000 | 29.8% | 1 |
| First Community Bank | $111,782,000 | 18.6% | 2 |
| New Peoples Bank, Inc. | $49,771,000 | 8.3% | 1 |
| Lee Bank and Trust Company | $36,366,000 | 6.1% | 1 |
| TruPoint Bank | $21,720,000 | 3.6% | 1 |
| The Bank of Marion | $10,262,000 | 1.7% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,373 across 7 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 7 banks with deposits in the county = 31.9² + 29.8² + 18.6² + … (4 more) = 2,373
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 | $99,389,393 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $10,672,782 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $6,577,516 |
| Department of Transportation | $5,075,759 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $849,939 |
| Department of Justice | $305,603 |
| Department of Agriculture | $11,328 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $0 |
| Department of Homeland Security | -$700,512 |
That is $11,059 per covered job, against 11,048 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $122.2 m / 11,048 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $11,059
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 #
Bristol city, VA: 17 findings, 2 at a watch level and 15 noted
watchBristol city, VA's typical home value is -2.8% against a year earlier, a watch level here: typical home value below a year ago (arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; 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: home.yoyPct = -2.7998556142104514 < 0
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; not an official level
watchBristol city, VA's typical asking rent is -1.6% against the previous month, a watch level here: typical asking rent at least 1 percent below the previous month (arithmetic on the Zillow ZORI month columns; 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 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- test: rent.momPct = -1.5811546158966245 <= -1
- month-over-month percent change = (newest month − previous month) / |previous month| × 100, from Zillow's own published month columns
arithmetic on the Zillow ZORI month columns; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
noteBristol city, VA's covered employment was 3.0% 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
- +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
noteBristol city, VA's typical asking rent fell 1.6% from $1,451 in July 2026 to $1,428 in August 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- -1.6% = (1427.6666666666667 - 1450.6029420431137) / 1450.6029420431137 × 100
- 1427.6666666666667 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
- 1450.6029420431137 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-07
noteBristol city, VA's average weekly wage was 1.5% 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
- +1.5 % = 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
Read all 12 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.