Madison County, AL
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 34.76, -86.55.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 72nd pct · 846th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 93rd pct · 5th of 67 Alabama counties · median $177,293
- counties in the Huntsville metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Huntsville metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 32nd pct · 2,081st of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 34th pct · 44th of 67 Alabama counties · median +2.4%
- counties in the Huntsville metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Huntsville metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 37th pct · 843rd of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 50th pct · 14th of 27 Alabama counties · median $1,378
- counties in the Huntsville metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Huntsville metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 95th pct · 142nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 98th pct · 2nd of 67 Alabama counties · median 10,118
- counties in the Huntsville metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Huntsville metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 94th pct · 173rd of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 98th pct · 2nd of 67 Alabama counties · median $1,024
- counties in the Huntsville metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Huntsville metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 39th pct · 1,848th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 62nd pct · 26th of 67 Alabama counties · median 3.3
- counties in the Huntsville metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Huntsville 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 $311,524 (Sep 2026), +1.2% over one year, +14.1% over five
- 72nd pct · 846th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 93rd pct · 5th of 67 Alabama counties · median $177,293
- counties in the Huntsville metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Huntsville metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Madison County, AL | $311,524 · +1.2% 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 $1,378/mo (Sep 2026), +2.5% over one year; price-to-rent 18.8
- 37th pct · 843rd of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 50th pct · 14th of 27 Alabama counties · median $1,378
- counties in the Huntsville metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Huntsville metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Madison County, AL | $1,378/mo · +2.5% 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 $1,726 a month on $311,524 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $6,916 a month: 25.0% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $311,524 × 80% = $249,219, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $1,726/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,596 × 52 / 12 = $6,916) = 25% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $311,524 / ($1,596 × 52) = 3.8
- price-to-rent = $311,524 / ($1,378 × 12) = 18.8
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 #
235,427 jobs at 15,313 employers (2026 Q1); +1.1% jobs and +4.5% average weekly wage over the year
- 95th pct · 142nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 98th pct · 2nd of 67 Alabama counties · median 10,118
- counties in the Huntsville metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Huntsville metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Madison County, AL | 235,427 jobs · $1,596/wk · +1.1% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professional and technical services | 45,740 | $2,533 | 2.82 | +3.3% |
| Manufacturing | 27,095 | $2,039 | 1.43 | -0.6% |
| Retail trade | 22,743 | $782 | 0.99 | +1.2% |
| Accommodation and food services | 20,792 | $467 | 0.98 | +7.6% |
| Health care and social assistance | 19,728 | $1,243 | 0.56 | +2.1% |
| Administrative and waste services | 12,701 | $848 | 0.95 | -1.9% |
| Construction | 8,212 | $1,491 | 0.67 | +4.8% |
| Wholesale trade | 5,598 | $2,153 | 0.62 | +5.5% |
| Finance and insurance | 4,420 | $2,304 | 0.46 | +5.0% |
| Other services | 4,221 | $838 | 0.60 | +2.8% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 4,025 | $1,091 | 0.41 | +15.6% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 3,316 | $444 | 0.86 | -0.4% |
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 #
44 gauges · 0 flooding · 1 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 18 stale
Sites found: 44, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| DALLAS BRANCH AT COLEMAN ST IN HUNTSVILLE, AL | flow 76.0 ft³/s | 3 km |
| PINHOOK C AT MASTIN LAKE RD AT HUNTSVILLE, ALA | flow 80.0 ft³/s | 4 km |
| EAST FORK PINHOOK CR AT WINCHESTER RD AT HUNTSVIL | flow 64.4 ft³/s | 5 km |
| WEST FORK PINHOOK CR AT BLUE SPRS RD AT HUNTSVILLE | flow 40.0 ft³/s | 5 km |
| FAGAN CREEK AT ADAMS STREET AT HUNTSVILLE, AL. | flow 150.0 ft³/s | 5 km |
| PINHOOK CREEK AT CLINTON AVE. AT HUNTSVILLE, AL. | flow 290.0 ft³/s · STALE | 6 km |
| BROGLAN BRANCH AT OAKWOOD AVENUE AT HUNTSVILLE, AL | flow 42.0 ft³/s | 7 km |
| ALDRIDGE CREEK AT TONEY DRIVE AT HUNTSVILLE, AL. | flow 84.7 ft³/s · STALE | 7 km |
| BIG COVE CREEK AT DUG HILL ROAD NR HUNTSVILLE, AL. | flow 100.0 ft³/s · STALE | 7 km |
| FLINT RIVER NEAR CHASE AL | flow 332.0 ft³/s · STALE | 9 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 #
4 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 4, 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-344457086363701 | depth 62.4 ft · 2013-09-29 | 6 km |
| USGS-350034086422800 | depth 12.8 ft · 2026-10-18 | 31 km |
| USGS-340618086344001 | depth 46.9 ft · 2017-11-15 | 73 km |
| USGS-352045086085401 | depth 19.0 ft · 2026-02-24 | 74 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 (0.16)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.25 + 0.2×0.00 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$11.0 bn in deposits at 103 offices of 35 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 980, unconcentrated. $14.9 bn federal obligations in FY2026 (contracts $12.0 bn, direct payments $2.7 bn), $63,137 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Regions Bank | $2.5 bn · 22.8% share · 15 offices | |
| ServisFirst Bank | $1.3 bn · 11.8% share · 2 offices | |
| Pinnacle Bank | $1.3 bn · 11.5% share · 5 offices | |
| Madison, AL | $14.9 bn FY2026 · $63,137/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $2.6 bn · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regions Bank | $2,499,378,000 | 22.8% | 15 |
| ServisFirst Bank | $1,291,230,000 | 11.8% | 2 |
| Pinnacle Bank | $1,263,037,000 | 11.5% | 5 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $727,300,000 | 6.6% | 4 |
| SouthState Bank, National Association | $597,746,000 | 5.5% | 2 |
| PNC Bank, National Association | $577,552,000 | 5.3% | 7 |
| Bank Independent | $486,316,000 | 4.4% | 5 |
| Merit Bank | $446,627,000 | 4.1% | 1 |
| The Huntington National Bank | $392,907,000 | 3.6% | 5 |
| Truist Bank | $316,367,000 | 2.9% | 5 |
Deposit concentration is 980 across 35 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls unconcentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 35 banks with deposits in the county = 22.8² + 11.8² + 11.5² + … (32 more) = 980
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 |
|---|---|
| Department of Defense | $8,415,204,401 |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | $2,861,182,159 |
| Social Security Administration | $1,867,724,832 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $836,039,588 |
| General Services Administration | $487,476,495 |
| Department of Justice | $93,630,867 |
| Department of Education | $69,551,468 |
| Department of Transportation | $65,993,078 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $40,373,172 |
| Department of Agriculture | $32,625,381 |
| Department of Homeland Security | $21,671,211 |
| National Science Foundation | $18,378,294 |
That is $63,137 per covered job, against 235,427 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $14.9 bn / 235,427 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $63,137
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 #
Madison County, AL: 13 findings, 1 at a watch level and 12 noted
watchMadison County, AL's price-to-rent ratio of 18.8 scores 66 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 100 across Alabama counties, a gap of 34 points.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 34 = |66 across US counties - 100 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
noteMadison County, AL's average weekly wage was 4.5% 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
- +4.5 % = 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
noteMadison County, AL's covered employment was 1.1% 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
- +1.1 % = 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
noteMadison County, AL's typical asking rent rose 0.4% from $1,373 in August 2026 to $1,378 in September 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- +0.4% = (1378.411369780348 - 1372.7899828513) / 1372.7899828513 × 100
- 1378.411369780348 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-09
- 1372.7899828513 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
noteMadison County, AL's price-to-rent ratio of 18.8 ranks 1st of 27 Alabama counties, against a median of 14.0.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 100 on the 0-to-100 scale across 27 Alabama counties that published priceToRent
- 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
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.