Lauderdale County, AL
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 34.90, -87.65.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 48th pct · 1,579th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 75th pct · 17th of 67 Alabama counties · median $177,293
- counties in the Florence-Muscle Shoals metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Florence-Muscle Shoals metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 54th pct · 1,403rd of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 59th pct · 28th of 67 Alabama counties · median +2.4%
- counties in the Florence-Muscle Shoals metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Florence-Muscle Shoals metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 20th pct · 1,083rd of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 23rd pct · 21st of 27 Alabama counties · median $1,378
- counties in the Florence-Muscle Shoals metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Florence-Muscle Shoals metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 77th pct · 712th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 75th pct · 17th of 67 Alabama counties · median 10,118
- counties in the Florence-Muscle Shoals metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Florence-Muscle Shoals metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 30th pct · 2,228th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 25th pct · 50th of 67 Alabama counties · median $1,024
- counties in the Florence-Muscle Shoals metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Florence-Muscle Shoals metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 57th pct · 1,301st of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 81st pct · 13th of 67 Alabama counties · median 3.3
- counties in the Florence-Muscle Shoals metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Florence-Muscle Shoals 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 $227,549 (Sep 2026), +3.2% over one year, +24.5% over five
- 48th pct · 1,579th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 75th pct · 17th of 67 Alabama counties · median $177,293
- counties in the Florence-Muscle Shoals metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Florence-Muscle Shoals metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Lauderdale County, AL | $227,549 · +3.2% 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 $1,182/mo (Sep 2026), +3.2% over one year; price-to-rent 16.0
- 20th pct · 1,083rd of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 23rd pct · 21st of 27 Alabama counties · median $1,378
- counties in the Florence-Muscle Shoals metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Florence-Muscle Shoals metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Lauderdale County, AL | $1,182/mo · +3.2% 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 $1,260 a month on $227,549 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,143 a month: 30.4% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $227,549 × 80% = $182,039, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $1,260/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $956 × 52 / 12 = $4,143) = 30% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $227,549 / ($956 × 52) = 4.6
- price-to-rent = $227,549 / ($1,182 × 12) = 16.0
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 #
30,854 jobs at 2,740 employers (2026 Q1); -0.5% jobs and +1.9% average weekly wage over the year
- 77th pct · 712th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 75th pct · 17th of 67 Alabama counties · median 10,118
- counties in the Florence-Muscle Shoals metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Florence-Muscle Shoals metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Lauderdale County, AL | 30,854 jobs · $956/wk · -0.5% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 4,950 | $1,104 | 1.07 | -1.1% |
| Retail trade | 4,902 | $644 | 1.63 | -0.1% |
| Accommodation and food services | 4,310 | $424 | 1.55 | -2.5% |
| Manufacturing | 2,235 | $1,127 | 0.90 | -2.8% |
| Construction | 2,031 | $1,477 | 1.26 | +0.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 1,270 | $1,602 | 1.07 | +0.8% |
| Professional and technical services | 1,020 | $1,172 | 0.48 | +7.7% |
| Administrative and waste services | 928 | $799 | 0.53 | +9.3% |
| Finance and insurance | 865 | $1,384 | 0.69 | -14.7% |
| Other services | 630 | $749 | 0.68 | -5.7% |
| Real estate and rental | 433 | $895 | 0.92 | -7.1% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 425 | $315 | 0.84 | +2.2% |
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 #
D1 moderate drought
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 #
No reservoir gauges within 150 km (or the camera is above the gauge altitude)
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 #
26 gauges · 0 flooding · 2 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 10 stale
Sites found: 26, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| CYPRESS CREEK NEAR FLORENCE AL | flow 34.2 ft³/s | 12 km |
| TENNESSEE RIVER AT FLORENCE AL | flow 0.00 ft³/s · no flooding · STALE | 13 km |
| SHOAL CREEK AT IRON CITY, TN | flow 91.2 ft³/s · no flooding | 15 km |
| BLUEWATER CREEK NR ANTIOCH, AL | flow 375.0 ft³/s · STALE | 19 km |
| SECOND CREEK AT MANBONE ROAD NR WATERLOO, AL | flow 119.0 ft³/s · STALE | 35 km |
| BIG NANCE CREEK AT COURTLAND AL | flow 2.67 ft³/s · no flooding | 40 km |
| SUGAR CREEK AT HWY 11 NEAR MINOR HILL, TN | flow 24.1 ft³/s · STALE | 43 km |
| SHOAL CREEK AT LAWRENCEBURG, TN | flow 29.0 ft³/s · STALE | 47 km |
| BEAR CREEK AT BISHOP,AL. | flow 164.0 ft³/s · STALE | 51 km |
| Tennessee River at Pickwick Dam Tailwater | no readings | 58 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-344834088111601 | depth 44.3 ft · 1965-10-25 | 50 km |
| USGS-342718087285601 | depth 5.28 ft · 2025-05-27 | 52 km |
| USGS-344634088173203 | depth 57.3 ft · 1985-09-29 | 60 km |
| USGS-344053088161202 | depth 102.1 ft · 1990-07-24 | 62 km |
| USGS-344053088161203 | depth 72.6 ft · 1990-07-24 | 62 km |
| USGS-344638088200104 | depth 56.9 ft · 1985-09-29 | 64 km |
| USGS-344017088180403 | depth 12.3 ft · 1985-09-29 | 65 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 (0.16)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.25 + 0.2×0.00 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$2.6 bn in deposits at 34 offices of 16 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,332, moderately concentrated. $663.0 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $656.1 m, grants $5.2 m), $21,488 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Bank Independent | $640.3 m · 24.5% share · 7 offices | |
| First Southern Bank | $513.3 m · 19.6% share · 3 offices | |
| First Metro Bank | $249.5 m · 9.5% share · 5 offices | |
| Lauderdale, AL | $663.0 m FY2026 · $21,488/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $627.5 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank Independent | $640,310,000 | 24.5% | 7 |
| First Southern Bank | $513,325,000 | 19.6% | 3 |
| First Metro Bank | $249,533,000 | 9.5% | 5 |
| Regions Bank | $220,977,000 | 8.4% | 3 |
| CB&S Bank, Inc. | $179,735,000 | 6.9% | 3 |
| Truist Bank | $164,780,000 | 6.3% | 1 |
| FirstBank | $154,744,000 | 5.9% | 1 |
| United Community Bank | $126,824,000 | 4.8% | 1 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $114,680,000 | 4.4% | 1 |
| The Farmers & Merchants Bank | $86,474,000 | 3.3% | 2 |
Deposit concentration is 1,332 across 16 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 16 banks with deposits in the county = 24.5² + 19.6² + 9.5² + … (13 more) = 1,332
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 | $543,650,441 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $78,082,099 |
| Department of Education | $13,274,809 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $8,387,619 |
| Department of Agriculture | $6,029,233 |
| Department of Transportation | $5,932,127 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $5,816,749 |
| Department of Defense | $1,434,079 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $516,316 |
| General Services Administration | $34,610 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $21,224 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
That is $21,488 per covered job, against 30,854 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $663.0 m / 30,854 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $21,488
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 | 17.95 | 2026-10-18 | -2.6% |
| 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 · % | 72.20 | 2026-10-19 | +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 | 7.00 | 2026-10-13 | +133.3% |
| 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 | 101.91 | 2026-10-14 | +1.0% |
| 30-year fixed mortgage rate · % | 7.40 | 2026-10-15 | +0.0% |
| 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 | 652,115.00 | 2026-09-01 | +0.7% |
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 #
Lauderdale County, AL: 7 findings, 1 at a watch level and 6 noted
watchLauderdale County, AL's covered employment is -0.5% 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 = -0.5 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteLauderdale County, AL's average weekly wage was 1.9% 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
- +1.9 % = 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
noteLauderdale County, AL's typical asking rent rose 0.7% from $1,174 in August 2026 to $1,182 in September 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- +0.7% = (1181.7924297924299 - 1173.8801027015454) / 1173.8801027015454 × 100
- 1181.7924297924299 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-09
- 1173.8801027015454 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
noteLauderdale County, AL's covered employment was 0.5% 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
- -0.5 % = 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
noteThe next Unemployment rate (BLS Employment Situation, monthly) covering Lauderdale County, AL is due between 2026-10-30 and 2026-11-13, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern.
Show the arithmetic
- window = 2026-10-30 to 2026-11-13, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern
estimated from the publisher's past release pattern; not an announced date
Read all 7 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.