Lee County, AL
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 32.60, -85.35.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 79th pct · 620th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 96th pct · 3rd of 67 Alabama counties · median $177,293
- counties in the Auburn-Opelika metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Auburn-Opelika metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 65th pct · 1,058th of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 75th pct · 17th of 67 Alabama counties · median +2.4%
- counties in the Auburn-Opelika metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Auburn-Opelika metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 57th pct · 579th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 80th pct · 6th of 27 Alabama counties · median $1,378
- counties in the Auburn-Opelika metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Auburn-Opelika metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 87th pct · 405th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 89th pct · 8th of 67 Alabama counties · median 10,118
- counties in the Auburn-Opelika metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Auburn-Opelika metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 64th pct · 1,152nd of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 71st pct · 20th of 67 Alabama counties · median $1,024
- counties in the Auburn-Opelika metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Auburn-Opelika metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 80th pct · 602nd of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 98th pct · 2nd of 67 Alabama counties · median 3.3
- counties in the Auburn-Opelika metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Auburn-Opelika 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 $350,993 (Sep 2026), +4.1% over one year, +27.2% over five
- 79th pct · 620th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 96th pct · 3rd of 67 Alabama counties · median $177,293
- counties in the Auburn-Opelika metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Auburn-Opelika metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Lee County, AL | $350,993 · +4.1% 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 $1,595/mo (Sep 2026), +5.1% over one year; price-to-rent 18.3
- 57th pct · 579th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 80th pct · 6th of 27 Alabama counties · median $1,378
- counties in the Auburn-Opelika metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Auburn-Opelika metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Lee County, AL | $1,595/mo · +5.1% 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 $1,944 a month on $350,993 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,814 a month: 40.4% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $350,993 × 80% = $280,795, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $1,944/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,111 × 52 / 12 = $4,814) = 40% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $350,993 / ($1,111 × 52) = 6.1
- price-to-rent = $350,993 / ($1,595 × 12) = 18.3
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 #
68,218 jobs at 4,840 employers (2026 Q1); +0.9% jobs and +3.4% average weekly wage over the year
- 87th pct · 405th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 89th pct · 8th of 67 Alabama counties · median 10,118
- counties in the Auburn-Opelika metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Auburn-Opelika metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Lee County, AL | 68,218 jobs · $1,111/wk · +0.9% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and food services | 8,934 | $428 | 1.46 | +1.3% |
| Retail trade | 7,941 | $715 | 1.19 | -0.9% |
| Manufacturing | 6,915 | $1,314 | 1.26 | +0.4% |
| Health care and social assistance | 5,125 | $937 | 0.50 | +6.3% |
| Administrative and waste services | 4,721 | $672 | 1.22 | -8.2% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 2,911 | $1,091 | 1.01 | -5.5% |
| Professional and technical services | 2,477 | $1,399 | 0.53 | +2.4% |
| Wholesale trade | 1,376 | $1,891 | 0.53 | +5.6% |
| Finance and insurance | 1,334 | $1,938 | 0.48 | +1.5% |
| Other services | 1,295 | $871 | 0.64 | +1.0% |
| Real estate and rental | 1,166 | $1,148 | 1.11 | +14.0% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 892 | $399 | 0.79 | -2.8% |
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 #
$4.5 bn in deposits at 40 offices of 21 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 954, unconcentrated. $1.2 bn federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $988.9 m, grants $125.5 m), $17,683 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| AuburnBank | $912.7 m · 20.4% share · 5 offices | |
| SouthState Bank, National Association | $501.8 m · 11.2% share · 3 offices | |
| FirstBank | $386.8 m · 8.6% share · 2 offices | |
| Lee, AL | $1.2 bn FY2026 · $17,683/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $947.6 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| AuburnBank | $912,733,000 | 20.4% | 5 |
| SouthState Bank, National Association | $501,819,000 | 11.2% | 3 |
| FirstBank | $386,752,000 | 8.6% | 2 |
| River Bank & Trust | $379,256,000 | 8.5% | 3 |
| PNC Bank, National Association | $350,262,000 | 7.8% | 4 |
| Regions Bank | $333,423,000 | 7.4% | 2 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $315,203,000 | 7.0% | 3 |
| SmartBank | $288,396,000 | 6.4% | 1 |
| The Huntington National Bank | $217,942,000 | 4.9% | 2 |
| Truist Bank | $164,424,000 | 3.7% | 2 |
Deposit concentration is 954 across 21 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls unconcentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 21 banks with deposits in the county = 20.4² + 11.2² + 8.6² + … (18 more) = 954
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 | $700,749,887 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $246,875,059 |
| Department of Defense | $77,973,061 |
| Department of Transportation | $40,631,403 |
| Department of Agriculture | $34,680,832 |
| Department of Education | $31,536,470 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $17,685,478 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $15,762,199 |
| National Science Foundation | $15,498,594 |
| Department of Justice | $9,545,646 |
| Department of Commerce | $7,725,000 |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | $2,086,414 |
That is $17,683 per covered job, against 68,218 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $1.2 bn / 68,218 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $17,683
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 #
Lee County, AL: 10 findings, 1 at a watch level and 9 noted
watchLee County, AL's price-to-rent ratio of 18.3 scores 61 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 92 across Alabama counties, a gap of 31 points.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 31 = |61 across US counties - 92 across Alabama 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
noteLee County, AL'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
noteLee County, AL's typical asking rent rose 1.6% from $1,569 in August 2026 to $1,595 in September 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- +1.6% = (1594.5778092874868 - 1569.4607813527273) / 1569.4607813527273 × 100
- 1594.5778092874868 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-09
- 1569.4607813527273 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
noteLee County, AL's covered employment was 0.9% 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
- +0.9 % = 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
noteLee County, AL's years of wages of 6.1 ranks 2nd of 67 Alabama counties, against a median of 3.3.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 98 on the 0-to-100 scale across 67 Alabama counties that published yearsOfWages
- 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
Read all 10 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.