Ascension Parish, LA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 30.21, -90.91.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 72nd pct · 854th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 98th pct · 2nd of 64 Louisiana counties · median $170,587
- 88th pct · 2nd of 10 counties in the Baton Rouge metro · median $227,130
- 50th pct · 1,508th of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 55th pct · 29th of 64 Louisiana counties · median +2.5%
- 66th pct · 4th of 10 counties in the Baton Rouge metro · median +2.3%
- 66th pct · 459th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 95th pct · 2nd of 25 Louisiana counties · median $1,356
- counties in the Baton Rouge metro: only 4 of counties in the Baton Rouge metro published this metric; fewer than 5 is too few to rank
- 84th pct · 492nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 85th pct · 10th of 64 Louisiana counties · median 10,187
- 88th pct · 2nd of 10 counties in the Baton Rouge metro · median 9,323
- 92nd pct · 240th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 90th pct · 7th of 64 Louisiana counties · median $1,033
- 77th pct · 3rd of 10 counties in the Baton Rouge metro · median $1,240
- 45th pct · 1,671st of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 90th pct · 7th of 64 Louisiana counties · median 3.0
- 77th pct · 3rd of 10 counties in the Baton Rouge metro · median 3.6
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 $310,419 (Sep 2026), +2.9% over one year, +26.1% over five
- 72nd pct · 854th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 98th pct · 2nd of 64 Louisiana counties · median $170,587
- 88th pct · 2nd of 10 counties in the Baton Rouge metro · median $227,130
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Ascension Parish, LA | $310,419 · +2.9% 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 $1,714/mo (Sep 2026), +1.0% over one year; price-to-rent 15.1
- 66th pct · 459th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 95th pct · 2nd of 25 Louisiana counties · median $1,356
- counties in the Baton Rouge metro: only 4 of counties in the Baton Rouge metro published this metric; fewer than 5 is too few to rank
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Ascension Parish, LA | $1,714/mo · +1.0% 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 $1,719 a month on $310,419 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $6,478 a month: 26.5% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $310,419 × 80% = $248,335, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $1,719/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,495 × 52 / 12 = $6,478) = 27% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $310,419 / ($1,495 × 52) = 4.0
- price-to-rent = $310,419 / ($1,714 × 12) = 15.1
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 #
51,839 jobs at 4,150 employers (2026 Q1); +2.3% jobs and +3.4% average weekly wage over the year
- 84th pct · 492nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 85th pct · 10th of 64 Louisiana counties · median 10,187
- 88th pct · 2nd of 10 counties in the Baton Rouge metro · median 9,323
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Ascension Parish, LA | 51,839 jobs · $1,495/wk · +2.3% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | 10,533 | $1,650 | 3.88 | +4.1% |
| Retail trade | 5,937 | $698 | 1.18 | -4.7% |
| Accommodation and food services | 4,700 | $416 | 1.01 | +0.3% |
| Health care and social assistance | 3,351 | $807 | 0.43 | +4.2% |
| Wholesale trade | 2,395 | $1,873 | 1.21 | -2.9% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 2,201 | $1,801 | 1.01 | +22.4% |
| Administrative and waste services | 1,930 | $1,092 | 0.66 | -9.1% |
| Professional and technical services | 1,887 | $1,684 | 0.53 | +10.2% |
| Other services | 1,864 | $1,425 | 1.20 | +9.1% |
| Real estate and rental | 996 | $1,493 | 1.25 | +2.2% |
| Finance and insurance | 856 | $1,537 | 0.41 | +0.1% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 602 | $489 | 0.71 | +11.5% |
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 #
137 gauges · 0 flooding · 11 with quality panels averaging 77 % · 24 stale
Sites found: 137, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| GIWW at Houma, LA | flow 4,280 ft³/s · quality 50 % (2) · observation not current · STALE | 70 km |
| Mississippi River at Baton Rouge, LA | flow 324,000 ft³/s · quality 80 % (5) | 38 km |
| USGS-300740090382500 | stage 1.67 ft · quality 50 % (3) | 28 km |
| Company Canal at Salt Barrier near Lockport, LA | stage 2.31 ft · quality 50 % (2) | 73 km |
| Bayou Francois at Hwy 61 Near Gonzales, LA | stage 1.74 ft | 3 km |
| Panama Canal at Hwy 44 near Gonzales, LA | stage 1.84 ft | 4 km |
| Amite River Basin at Black Bayou near Gonzales | no readings | 5 km |
| Black Bayou E of Gonzales, LA | stage 1.86 ft | 5 km |
| Bayou Conway near Sorrento, LA | stage -1.76 ft | 6 km |
| Black Bayou at Hwy 621 near Prairieville, LA | stage 1.98 ft | 7 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 #
8 wells in 1 named aquifer: Coastal lowlands aquifer system
Sites found: 8, 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-302614091083001 | depth 164.5 ft · 2026-05-21 | 34 km |
| USGS-302636091083802 | depth 104.5 ft · 2026-05-21 | 34 km |
| USGS-302642091083401 | depth 88.7 ft · 2026-05-21 | 35 km |
| USGS-302702091103902 | depth 210.1 ft · 2017-01-08 | 37 km |
| USGS-302932091101901 | depth 58.2 ft · 2019-10-06 | 40 km |
| USGS-303026091113001 | depth 243.2 ft · 2017-01-08 | 43 km |
| USGS-303251091115001 | depth 71.9 ft · 2017-01-08 | 47 km |
| Coastal lowlands aquifer system | depth 8.06 ft · 2024-10-27 | 69 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 (0.24)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.25 + 0.2×0.23 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$1.9 bn in deposits at 19 offices of 11 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,914, highly concentrated. $648.1 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $620.3 m, grants $28.6 m), $12,502 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Hancock Whitney Bank | $665.7 m · 34.2% share · 3 offices | |
| Regions Bank | $361.0 m · 18.5% share · 3 offices | |
| Capital One, National Association | $249.6 m · 12.8% share · 1 office | |
| Ascension, LA | $648.1 m FY2026 · $12,502/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $608.9 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hancock Whitney Bank | $665,652,000 | 34.2% | 3 |
| Regions Bank | $361,038,000 | 18.5% | 3 |
| Capital One, National Association | $249,625,000 | 12.8% | 1 |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $201,250,000 | 10.3% | 1 |
| United Community Bank | $175,075,000 | 9.0% | 3 |
| First American Bank and Trust | $99,099,000 | 5.1% | 3 |
| b1BANK | $63,288,000 | 3.2% | 1 |
| Investar Bank, National Association | $62,339,000 | 3.2% | 1 |
| Red River Bank | $37,327,000 | 1.9% | 1 |
| The Huntington National Bank | $25,665,000 | 1.3% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,914 across 11 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 11 banks with deposits in the county = 34.2² + 18.5² + 12.8² + … (8 more) = 1,914
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 | $523,264,266 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $83,040,593 |
| Department of Transportation | $22,819,965 |
| Department of Education | $6,899,249 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $3,508,718 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $2,541,178 |
| Department of Energy | $2,250,000 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $2,060,761 |
| Department of Agriculture | $1,686,350 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $1,259,493 |
| Department of Defense | $897,502 |
| Department of Justice | $0 |
That is $12,502 per covered job, against 51,839 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $648.1 m / 51,839 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $12,502
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 #
Ascension Parish, LA: 15 findings, 2 at a watch level and 13 noted
watchAscension Parish, LA's price-to-rent ratio of 15.1 scores 30 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 92 across Louisiana counties, a gap of 62 points.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 62 = |30 across US counties - 92 across Louisiana counties|
- typical home value / (typical rent × 12); Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchAscension Parish, LA's years of wages of 4.0 scores 45 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 90 across Louisiana counties, a gap of 45 points.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 45 = |45 across US counties - 90 across Louisiana counties|
- typical home value / (average weekly wage × 52); one average covered job, not a household
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteAscension Parish, LA's average weekly wage was 3.4% 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
- +3.4 % = 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
noteAscension Parish, LA's covered employment was 2.3% 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
- +2.3 % = 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
noteAscension Parish, LA's typical asking rent rose 0.5% from $1,706 in August 2026 to $1,714 in September 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- +0.5% = (1714.0375243664719 - 1705.7613791267333) / 1705.7613791267333 × 100
- 1714.0375243664719 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-09
- 1705.7613791267333 = Zillow ZORI, 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.