Perry County, AR
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 34.95, -92.93.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 30th pct · 2,137th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 64th pct · 27th of 74 Arkansas counties · median $165,493
- 0th pct · 6th of 6 counties in the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metro · median $222,204
- 51st pct · 1,483rd of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 49th pct · 38th of 74 Arkansas counties · median +3.0%
- 40th pct · 4th of 6 counties in the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metro · median +3.5%
- US counties: not published this period
- Arkansas counties: not published this period
- counties in the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metro: not published this period
- 7th pct · 2,976th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 4th pct · 72nd of 75 Arkansas counties · median 5,609
- 0th pct · 6th of 6 counties in the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metro · median 22,110
- 12th pct · 2,807th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 36th pct · 48th of 75 Arkansas counties · median $912
- 20th pct · 5th of 6 counties in the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metro · median $964
- 46th pct · 1,635th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 68th pct · 24th of 74 Arkansas counties · median 3.5
- 40th pct · 4th of 6 counties in the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metro · median 4.5
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 $180,820 (Sep 2026), +3.0% over one year, +25.3% over five
- 30th pct · 2,137th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 64th pct · 27th of 74 Arkansas counties · median $165,493
- 0th pct · 6th of 6 counties in the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metro · median $222,204
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Perry County, AR | $180,820 · +3.0% 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
- Arkansas counties: not published this period
- counties in the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metro: 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 $1,002 a month on $180,820 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $3,722 a month: 26.9% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $180,820 × 80% = $144,656, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $1,002/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $859 × 52 / 12 = $3,722) = 27% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $180,820 / ($859 × 52) = 4.0
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 #
1,092 jobs at 167 employers (2026 Q1); -0.6% jobs and +5.0% average weekly wage over the year
- 7th pct · 2,976th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 4th pct · 72nd of 75 Arkansas counties · median 5,609
- 0th pct · 6th of 6 counties in the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metro · median 22,110
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Perry County, AR | 1,092 jobs · $859/wk · -0.6% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 156 | $399 | 1.47 | +9.1% |
| Construction | 82 | $925 | 1.43 | +3.8% |
| Accommodation and food services | 50 | $305 | 0.51 | -26.5% |
| Other services | 26 | $981 | 0.80 | +0.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 25 | $2,105 | 0.60 | -19.4% |
| Professional and technical services | 24 | $1,231 | 0.32 | +4.3% |
| Administrative and waste services | 24 | $639 | 0.39 | +20.0% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | withheld | |||
| Mining, oil and gas | withheld | |||
| Utilities | withheld | |||
| Manufacturing | withheld | |||
| Transportation and warehousing | 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 #
D3 extreme 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 #
82 gauges · 0 flooding · 17 with quality panels averaging 49 % · 31 stale
Sites found: 82, 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-343057093031301 | temp 53.8 °C · quality 0 % (1) | 49 km |
| USGS-343058093030901 | temp 62.6 °C · quality 0 % (1) | 49 km |
| USGS-343052093031301 | temp 63.2 °C · quality 0 % (1) | 49 km |
| USGS-343050093031201 | temp 64.6 °C · quality 0 % (1) | 49 km |
| USGS-343048093031301 | temp 61.2 °C · quality 0 % (1) | 50 km |
| USGS-343049093031301 | temp 57.2 °C · quality 0 % (1) | 49 km |
| USGS-343055093031301 | temp 63.2 °C · quality 0 % (1) | 49 km |
| USGS-343054093031201 | temp 61.6 °C · quality 0 % (1) | 49 km |
| USGS-07075250 | flow 28.2 ft³/s · quality 80 % (5) · STALE | 70 km |
| USGS-07263012 | flow 11.4 ft³/s | 5 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 #
9 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 9, 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-343518092591701 | depth 38.3 ft · 2013-11-12 | 40 km |
| USGS-343350093005901 | depth 67.6 ft · 2014-09-02 | 43 km |
| USGS-343330092591101 | depth 24.2 ft · 2013-07-01 | 43 km |
| USGS-343257092593601 | depth 36.0 ft · 2013-07-17 | 45 km |
| USGS-343312093013201 | depth 23.7 ft · 2014-09-02 | 45 km |
| USGS-343255092593601 | depth 55.4 ft · 2014-09-02 | 45 km |
| USGS-343204093005501 | depth 121.2 ft · 2013-07-15 | 47 km |
| USGS-343206093044101 | depth 13.2 ft · 2013-07-01 | 48 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 #
high (0.66)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.75 + 0.2×0.51 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$66.7 m in deposits at 1 offices of 1 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 10,000, highly concentrated. $92.4 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $74.4 m, grants $17.2 m), $84,588 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| The Farmers & Merchants Bank | $66.7 m · 100.0% share · 1 office | |
| Perry, AR | $92.4 m FY2026 · $84,588/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $73.0 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Farmers & Merchants Bank | $66,678,000 | 100.0% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 10,000 across 1 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 1 banks with deposits in the county = 100.0² = 10,000
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 | $61,632,226 |
| Department of Transportation | $16,935,958 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $10,160,178 |
| Department of Agriculture | $1,670,351 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $1,163,283 |
| Department of Justice | $280,796 |
| Department of Defense | $265,794 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $146,028 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $65,088 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $50,000 |
That is $84,588 per covered job, against 1,092 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $92.4 m / 1,092 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $84,588
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 #
Perry County, AR: 12 findings, 3 at a watch level and 9 noted
watchPerry County, AR's covered employment is -0.6% 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 = -0.6 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchPerry County, AR's typical home value is -1.1% against the previous month, a watch level here: typical home value at least 1 percent below the previous month (arithmetic on the Zillow ZHVI 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 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- test: home.momPct = -1.1319820721416844 <= -1
- month-over-month percent change = (newest month − previous month) / |previous month| × 100, from Zillow's own published month columns
arithmetic on the Zillow ZHVI month columns; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchPerry County, AR's typical home value of $180,820 scores 30 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 64 across Arkansas counties, a gap of 34 points.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 34 = |30 across US counties - 64 across Arkansas counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
notePerry County, AR's average weekly wage was 5.0% 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
- +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
notePerry County, AR's typical home value fell 1.1% from $182,890 in August 2026 to $180,820 in September 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- -1.1% = (180819.8678811431 - 182890.1516090705) / 182890.1516090705 × 100
- 180819.8678811431 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-09
- 182890.1516090705 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
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.