Galax city, VA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 36.67, -80.91.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 27th pct · 2,229th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 13th pct · 115th of 133 Virginia counties · median $307,999
- 89th pct · 308th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 91st pct · 12th of 133 Virginia counties · median +2.9%
- US counties: not published this period
- Virginia counties: not published this period
- 39th pct · 1,939th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 37th pct · 83rd of 133 Virginia counties · median 9,944
- 6th pct · 2,997th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 3rd pct · 129th of 133 Virginia counties · median $1,048
- 49th pct · 1,557th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 32nd pct · 90th 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 $177,990 (Aug 2026), +7.7% over one year, +40.1% over five
- 27th pct · 2,229th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 13th pct · 115th of 133 Virginia counties · median $307,999
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Galax city, VA | $177,990 · +7.7% 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 $974 a month on $177,990 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $3,488 a month: 27.9% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $177,990 × 80% = $142,392, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $974/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $805 × 52 / 12 = $3,488) = 28% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $177,990 / ($805 × 52) = 4.3
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 #
5,500 jobs at 406 employers (2026 Q1); -0.4% jobs and +1.4% average weekly wage over the year
- 39th pct · 1,939th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 37th pct · 83rd of 133 Virginia counties · median 9,944
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Galax city, VA | 5,500 jobs · $805/wk · -0.4% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 968 | $768 | 2.19 | -6.1% |
| Retail trade | 939 | $672 | 1.75 | -3.2% |
| Accommodation and food services | 474 | $383 | 0.96 | +7.7% |
| Administrative and waste services | 133 | $574 | 0.43 | -23.6% |
| Finance and insurance | 105 | $1,349 | 0.47 | +5.0% |
| Professional and technical services | 91 | $931 | 0.24 | +2.2% |
| Other services | 90 | $776 | 0.55 | -14.3% |
| Real estate and rental | 44 | $859 | 0.52 | -4.3% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 36 | $296 | 0.40 | +12.5% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | withheld | |||
| Construction | withheld | |||
| Wholesale trade | 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 #
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 #
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 |
|---|---|---|
| LITTLE RIVER RESERVOIR NEAR RADFORD, VA | 231.0 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 55 km |
| W. KERR SCOTT RESERVOIR AT DAM NR WILKESBORO, NC | 30.0 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 65 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 #
61 gauges · 0 flooding · 0 with quality panels · 8 stale
Sites found: 61, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| CHESTNUT CREEK AT GALAX, VA | flow 39.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 2 km |
| NEW RIVER NEAR GALAX, VA | flow 721.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 6 km |
| Little River near Peach Bottom, VA | no readings | 15 km |
| Little River at NC18 near Blevins Crossroads | no flooding | 17 km |
| NEW RIVER AT IVANHOE, VA | flow 915.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 19 km |
| Peach Bottom Creek at Independence | no readings | 22 km |
| Big Reed Island Creek at Silverleaf Road | no flooding | 28 km |
| GLADE CREEK AT GRAHAMS FORGE, VA | flow 0.16 ft³/s · STALE | 30 km |
| BIG REED ISLAND CREEK NEAR ALLISONIA, VA | flow 139.0 ft³/s · STALE | 30 km |
| Cripple Creek near Speedwell | no flooding | 30 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 #
4 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 4, 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-361307080293101 | depth 15.1 ft · 2014-02-17 | 62 km |
| USGS-370812080261901 | depth 5.59 ft · 2026-10-05 | 67 km |
| USGS-364732080070301 | depth 24.1 ft · 2026-10-05 | 72 km |
| USGS-371719080372901 | depth 102.1 ft · 2026-10-05 | 74 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 / 0.35
Banks & federal dollars #
$439.9 m in deposits at 7 offices of 7 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,958, highly concentrated. $55.2 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $50.2 m, grants $4.8 m), $10,040 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Carter Bank & Trust | $127.6 m · 29.0% share · 1 office | |
| Truist Bank | $95.2 m · 21.6% share · 1 office | |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $74.1 m · 16.8% share · 1 office | |
| Galax (City), VA | $55.2 m FY2026 · $10,040/job |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carter Bank & Trust | $127,552,000 | 29.0% | 1 |
| Truist Bank | $95,230,000 | 21.6% | 1 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $74,052,000 | 16.8% | 1 |
| SKYLINE NATIONAL BANK | $62,973,000 | 14.3% | 1 |
| First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company | $44,692,000 | 10.2% | 1 |
| The National Bank of Blacksburg | $33,302,000 | 7.6% | 1 |
| Woodforest National Bank | $2,147,000 | 0.5% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,958 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 = 29.0² + 21.6² + 16.8² + … (4 more) = 1,958
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 #
That is $10,040 per covered job, against 5,500 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $55.2 m / 5,500 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $10,040
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 #
Galax city, VA: 8 findings, 1 at a watch level and 7 noted
watchGalax city, VA's covered employment is -0.4% 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 = -0.4 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteGalax city, VA's average weekly wage was 1.4% 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
- +1.4 % = 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
noteGalax city, VA's typical home value rose 0.4% from $177,211 in July 2026 to $177,990 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.4% = (177989.720331718 - 177211.24804405216) / 177211.24804405216 × 100
- 177989.720331718 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 177211.24804405216 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
noteGalax city, VA's covered employment was 0.4% 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
- -0.4 % = 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
noteGalax city, VA's average weekly wage of $805 ranks 129th of 133 Virginia counties, against a median of $1,048.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 3 on the 0-to-100 scale across 133 Virginia counties that published jobs.avgWeeklyWage
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
Read all 8 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.