Lafayette County, MS
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 34.35, -89.49.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 86th pct · 405th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 100th pct · 1st of 80 Mississippi counties · median $149,228
- 48th pct · 1,575th of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 58th pct · 34th of 80 Mississippi counties · median +1.5%
- 92nd pct · 101st of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 100th pct · 1st of 16 Mississippi counties · median $1,388
- 75th pct · 784th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 86th pct · 12th of 82 Mississippi counties · median 6,322
- 40th pct · 1,898th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 77th pct · 19th of 82 Mississippi counties · median $903
- 92nd pct · 233rd of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 100th pct · 1st of 80 Mississippi counties · median 3.1
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 $403,564 (Sep 2026), +2.7% over one year, +46.3% over five
- 86th pct · 405th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 100th pct · 1st of 80 Mississippi counties · median $149,228
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Lafayette County, MS | $403,564 · +2.7% 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 $2,338/mo (Sep 2026), +3.5% over one year; price-to-rent 14.4
- 92nd pct · 101st of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 100th pct · 1st of 16 Mississippi counties · median $1,388
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Lafayette County, MS | $2,338/mo · +3.5% 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 $2,235 a month on $403,564 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,329 a month: 51.6% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $403,564 × 80% = $322,851, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $2,235/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $999 × 52 / 12 = $4,329) = 52% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $403,564 / ($999 × 52) = 7.8
- price-to-rent = $403,564 / ($2,338 × 12) = 14.4
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 #
26,108 jobs at 1,634 employers (2026 Q1); +0.7% jobs and +1.3% average weekly wage over the year
- 75th pct · 784th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 86th pct · 12th of 82 Mississippi counties · median 6,322
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Lafayette County, MS | 26,108 jobs · $999/wk · +0.7% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and food services | 5,213 | $400 | 2.22 | +4.4% |
| Health care and social assistance | 3,343 | $1,157 | 0.85 | +2.2% |
| Retail trade | 3,208 | $568 | 1.26 | +3.2% |
| Manufacturing | 1,489 | $1,092 | 0.71 | -6.8% |
| Professional and technical services | 1,134 | $1,322 | 0.63 | +1.1% |
| Construction | 700 | $1,168 | 0.51 | +2.2% |
| Administrative and waste services | 680 | $635 | 0.46 | -11.0% |
| Finance and insurance | 577 | $2,086 | 0.54 | -1.2% |
| Other services | 482 | $715 | 0.62 | +0.6% |
| Real estate and rental | 441 | $873 | 1.10 | +1.8% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 359 | $298 | 0.84 | +18.9% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 355 | $1,481 | 0.32 | -1.7% |
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 #
$2.2 bn in deposits at 32 offices of 17 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,553, moderately concentrated. $357.0 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $284.6 m, grants $50.4 m), $13,674 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| FNB Oxford Bank | $707.0 m · 32.3% share · 4 offices | |
| Regions Bank | $267.3 m · 12.2% share · 2 offices | |
| The Huntington National Bank | $242.1 m · 11.1% share · 2 offices | |
| Lafayette, MS | $357.0 m FY2026 · $13,674/job |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| FNB Oxford Bank | $706,963,000 | 32.3% | 4 |
| Regions Bank | $267,323,000 | 12.2% | 2 |
| The Huntington National Bank | $242,084,000 | 11.1% | 2 |
| Renasant Bank | $219,688,000 | 10.0% | 3 |
| Guaranty Bank and Trust Company | $166,053,000 | 7.6% | 4 |
| BankPlus | $97,688,000 | 4.5% | 1 |
| BankFirst Financial Services | $89,422,000 | 4.1% | 3 |
| Trustmark Bank | $70,964,000 | 3.2% | 2 |
| Bank of Holly Springs | $55,668,000 | 2.5% | 1 |
| First National Bank of Clarksdale | $55,031,000 | 2.5% | 2 |
Deposit concentration is 1,553 across 17 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 17 banks with deposits in the county = 32.3² + 12.2² + 11.1² + … (14 more) = 1,553
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 $13,674 per covered job, against 26,108 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $357.0 m / 26,108 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $13,674
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 #
Lafayette County, MS: 12 findings, 3 at a watch level and 9 noted
watchLafayette County, MS' years of wages of 7.8 ranks 233rd of 3,063 US counties, a watch level here: years of wages in the top tenth of US counties (position among the counties that published both a ZHVI value and a QCEW average weekly wage; 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: yearsOfWages percentile = 92.42325277596343 >= 90
- typical home value / (average weekly wage × 52); one average covered job, not a household
position among the counties that published both a ZHVI value and a QCEW average weekly wage; not an official level
watchLafayette County, MS' price-to-rent ratio of 14.4 scores 22 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 67 across Mississippi counties, a gap of 45 points.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 45 = |22 across US counties - 67 across Mississippi 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
watchLafayette County, MS' average weekly wage of $999 scores 41 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 78 across Mississippi counties, a gap of 37 points.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 37 = |41 across US counties - 78 across Mississippi counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteLafayette County, MS' average weekly wage was 1.3% 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
- +1.3 % = 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
noteLafayette County, MS' covered employment was 0.7% 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
- +0.7 % = 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.