Forrest County, MS
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 31.19, -89.26.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 30th pct · 2,118th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 74th pct · 21st of 80 Mississippi counties · median $149,228
- counties in the Hattiesburg metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Hattiesburg metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 27th pct · 2,225th of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 39th pct · 49th of 80 Mississippi counties · median +1.5%
- counties in the Hattiesburg metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Hattiesburg metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 26th pct · 1,005th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 13th pct · 14th of 16 Mississippi counties · median $1,388
- counties in the Hattiesburg metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Hattiesburg metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 80th pct · 619th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 91st pct · 8th of 82 Mississippi counties · median 6,322
- counties in the Hattiesburg metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Hattiesburg metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 49th pct · 1,619th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 82nd pct · 15th of 82 Mississippi counties · median $903
- counties in the Hattiesburg metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Hattiesburg metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 30th pct · 2,140th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 58th pct · 34th of 80 Mississippi counties · median 3.1
- counties in the Hattiesburg metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Hattiesburg 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 $181,503 (Sep 2026), +0.7% over one year, +10.1% over five
- 30th pct · 2,118th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 74th pct · 21st of 80 Mississippi counties · median $149,228
- counties in the Hattiesburg metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Hattiesburg metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Forrest County, MS | $181,503 · +0.7% 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 #
Typical rent $1,258/mo (Sep 2026), +4.6% over one year; price-to-rent 12.0
- 26th pct · 1,005th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 13th pct · 14th of 16 Mississippi counties · median $1,388
- counties in the Hattiesburg metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Hattiesburg metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Forrest County, MS | $1,258/mo · +4.6% 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 $1,005 a month on $181,503 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,498 a month: 22.4% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $181,503 × 80% = $145,202, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $1,005/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,038 × 52 / 12 = $4,498) = 22% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $181,503 / ($1,038 × 52) = 3.4
- price-to-rent = $181,503 / ($1,258 × 12) = 12.0
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 #
38,976 jobs at 2,093 employers (2026 Q1); +0.4% jobs and +3.4% average weekly wage over the year
- 80th pct · 619th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 91st pct · 8th of 82 Mississippi counties · median 6,322
- counties in the Hattiesburg metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Hattiesburg metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Forrest County, MS | 38,976 jobs · $1,038/wk · +0.4% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 5,789 | $1,283 | 0.99 | +2.7% |
| Accommodation and food services | 4,330 | $380 | 1.24 | -3.0% |
| Retail trade | 3,944 | $750 | 1.04 | +3.6% |
| Manufacturing | 3,328 | $1,207 | 1.06 | -3.7% |
| Administrative and waste services | 1,777 | $637 | 0.80 | +5.4% |
| Construction | 1,524 | $1,311 | 0.75 | +0.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 1,302 | $1,309 | 0.87 | -0.5% |
| Management of companies | 902 | $1,589 | 1.38 | +0.0% |
| Finance and insurance | 809 | $1,712 | 0.51 | +4.7% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 797 | $1,379 | 0.49 | +5.8% |
| Professional and technical services | 706 | $1,162 | 0.26 | +3.2% |
| Educational services | 635 | $843 | 0.76 | +1.9% |
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 #
D2 severe 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 #
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 #
high (0.50)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.50 / 0.35
Banks & federal dollars #
$2.1 bn in deposits at 28 offices of 14 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,584, moderately concentrated. $588.7 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $500.8 m, grants $57.1 m), $15,103 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Renasant Bank | $480.9 m · 23.4% share · 3 offices | |
| The Huntington National Bank | $432.2 m · 21.0% share · 4 offices | |
| Regions Bank | $335.4 m · 16.3% share · 4 offices | |
| Forrest, MS | $588.7 m FY2026 · $15,103/job |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renasant Bank | $480,946,000 | 23.4% | 3 |
| The Huntington National Bank | $432,245,000 | 21.0% | 4 |
| Regions Bank | $335,367,000 | 16.3% | 4 |
| Trustmark Bank | $308,070,000 | 15.0% | 5 |
| Hancock Whitney Bank | $127,566,000 | 6.2% | 2 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $119,447,000 | 5.8% | 1 |
| BankFirst Financial Services | $95,914,000 | 4.7% | 2 |
| Community Bank of Mississippi | $46,427,000 | 2.3% | 1 |
| First Southern Bank | $26,755,000 | 1.3% | 1 |
| The Citizens National Bank of Meridian | $24,597,000 | 1.2% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,584 across 14 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 14 banks with deposits in the county = 23.4² + 21.0² + 16.3² + … (11 more) = 1,584
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 $15,103 per covered job, against 38,976 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $588.7 m / 38,976 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $15,103
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 #
Forrest County, MS: 11 findings, 2 at a watch level and 9 noted
watchForrest County, MS' typical home value of $181,503 scores 31 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 75 across Mississippi counties, a gap of 44 points.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 44 = |31 across US counties - 75 across Mississippi counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchForrest County, MS' average weekly wage of $1,038 scores 50 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 83 across Mississippi counties, a gap of 33 points.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 33 = |50 across US counties - 83 across Mississippi counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteForrest County, MS' 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
noteForrest County, MS' typical asking rent rose 0.7% from $1,250 in August 2026 to $1,258 in September 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- +0.7% = (1258.4460784313726 - 1250.170248695747) / 1250.170248695747 × 100
- 1258.4460784313726 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-09
- 1250.170248695747 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
noteForrest County, MS' typical home value fell 0.4% from $182,239 in August 2026 to $181,503 in September 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- -0.4% = (181502.99088372392 - 182238.95682512698) / 182238.95682512698 × 100
- 181502.99088372392 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-09
- 182238.95682512698 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
Read all 11 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.