Hardin County, KY
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 37.70, -85.96.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 54th pct · 1,402nd of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 77th pct · 28th of 120 Kentucky counties · median $179,218
- counties in the Elizabethtown metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Elizabethtown metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 6th pct · 2,856th of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 42nd pct · 69th of 120 Kentucky counties · median -1.4%
- counties in the Elizabethtown metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Elizabethtown metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 28th pct · 976th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 48th pct · 15th of 28 Kentucky counties · median $1,281
- counties in the Elizabethtown metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Elizabethtown metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 83rd pct · 540th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 94th pct · 7th of 120 Kentucky counties · median 5,237
- counties in the Elizabethtown metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Elizabethtown metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 64th pct · 1,147th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 77th pct · 28th of 120 Kentucky counties · median $953
- counties in the Elizabethtown metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Elizabethtown metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 49th pct · 1,540th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 73rd pct · 33rd of 120 Kentucky counties · median 3.5
- counties in the Elizabethtown metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Elizabethtown 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 $243,023 (Sep 2026), -3.1% over one year, +20.3% over five
- 54th pct · 1,402nd of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 77th pct · 28th of 120 Kentucky counties · median $179,218
- counties in the Elizabethtown metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Elizabethtown metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Hardin County, KY | $243,023 · -3.1% 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 $1,277/mo (Sep 2026), +0.6% over one year; price-to-rent 15.9
- 28th pct · 976th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 48th pct · 15th of 28 Kentucky counties · median $1,281
- counties in the Elizabethtown metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Elizabethtown metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Hardin County, KY | $1,277/mo · +0.6% 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 $1,346 a month on $243,023 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,819 a month: 27.9% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $243,023 × 80% = $194,418, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $1,346/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,112 × 52 / 12 = $4,819) = 28% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $243,023 / ($1,112 × 52) = 4.2
- price-to-rent = $243,023 / ($1,277 × 12) = 15.9
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 #
46,826 jobs at 3,861 employers (2026 Q1); -4.2% jobs and +4.9% average weekly wage over the year
- 83rd pct · 540th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 94th pct · 7th of 120 Kentucky counties · median 5,237
- counties in the Elizabethtown metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Elizabethtown metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Hardin County, KY | 46,826 jobs · $1,112/wk · -4.2% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 7,510 | $1,459 | 1.99 | -14.9% |
| Retail trade | 6,024 | $692 | 1.32 | +0.0% |
| Health care and social assistance | 5,657 | $1,333 | 0.80 | +1.3% |
| Accommodation and food services | 5,127 | $445 | 1.22 | -0.7% |
| Administrative and waste services | 2,516 | $792 | 0.95 | +4.7% |
| Professional and technical services | 1,668 | $1,513 | 0.52 | -12.9% |
| Construction | 1,620 | $1,289 | 0.66 | +0.0% |
| Finance and insurance | 1,210 | $1,369 | 0.63 | +5.7% |
| Other services | 1,009 | $871 | 0.72 | -6.3% |
| Wholesale trade | 919 | $1,304 | 0.51 | +4.1% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 917 | $999 | 0.46 | -11.8% |
| Management of companies | 796 | $779 | 1.02 | -4.2% |
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 #
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 #
$2.7 bn in deposits at 30 offices of 13 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,448, moderately concentrated. $1.2 bn federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $856.4 m, contracts $272.2 m), $24,647 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| The Cecilian Bank | $627.3 m · 23.5% share · 9 offices | |
| West Point Bank | $475.7 m · 17.8% share · 5 offices | |
| WesBanco Bank, Inc. | $442.5 m · 16.6% share · 4 offices | |
| Hardin, KY | $1.2 bn FY2026 · $24,647/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $832.7 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Cecilian Bank | $627,345,000 | 23.5% | 9 |
| West Point Bank | $475,651,000 | 17.8% | 5 |
| WesBanco Bank, Inc. | $442,549,000 | 16.6% | 4 |
| South Central Bank, Inc. | $273,553,000 | 10.2% | 2 |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $231,356,000 | 8.7% | 1 |
| Magnolia Bank, Incorporated | $222,320,000 | 8.3% | 1 |
| PNC Bank, National Association | $157,156,000 | 5.9% | 1 |
| Armed Forces Bank, National Association | $89,934,000 | 3.4% | 1 |
| Wilson & Muir Bank & Trust Company | $69,178,000 | 2.6% | 2 |
| Peoples Bank | $37,249,000 | 1.4% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,448 across 13 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 13 banks with deposits in the county = 23.5² + 17.8² + 16.6² + … (10 more) = 1,448
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 | $501,175,619 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $333,717,012 |
| Department of Defense | $273,820,852 |
| Department of Education | $16,607,797 |
| Department of Transportation | $10,039,850 |
| Department of Agriculture | $5,442,169 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $5,019,615 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $2,932,005 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $2,080,852 |
| General Services Administration | $1,501,784 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $1,216,338 |
| Department of Homeland Security | $519,473 |
That is $24,647 per covered job, against 46,826 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $1.2 bn / 46,826 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $24,647
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 #
Hardin County, KY: 16 findings, 1 at an alert level, 3 at a watch level and 12 noted
alertHardin County, KY's covered employment is -4.2% against a year earlier, an alert level here: covered employment at least 3 percent below the same quarter a year earlier (BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; 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 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- test: jobs.yoy.emp = -4.2 <= -3
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchHardin County, KY's covered employment is -4.2% 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 = -4.2 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchHardin County, KY's typical home value is -3.1% 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 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- test: home.yoyPct = -3.124380815984257 < 0
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; not an official level
watchHardin County, KY's typical home value of -3.1% scores 7 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 43 across Kentucky counties, a gap of 36 points.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 36 = |7 across US counties - 43 across Kentucky counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteHardin County, KY's average weekly wage was 4.9% 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
- +4.9 % = 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
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.