Lowndes County, MS
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 33.47, -88.44.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 33rd pct · 2,051st of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 78th pct · 18th of 80 Mississippi counties · median $149,228
- 56th pct · 1,341st of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 63rd pct · 30th of 80 Mississippi counties · median +1.5%
- 40th pct · 805th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 53rd pct · 8th of 16 Mississippi counties · median $1,388
- 75th pct · 781st of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 87th pct · 11th of 82 Mississippi counties · median 6,322
- 73rd pct · 853rd of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 92nd pct · 7th of 82 Mississippi counties · median $903
- 22nd pct · 2,361st of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 48th pct · 42nd 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 $187,535 (Sep 2026), +3.4% over one year, +15.2% over five
- 33rd pct · 2,051st of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 78th pct · 18th of 80 Mississippi counties · median $149,228
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Lowndes County, MS | $187,535 · +3.4% 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 $1,403/mo (Sep 2026), +3.6% over one year; price-to-rent 11.1
- 40th pct · 805th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 53rd pct · 8th of 16 Mississippi counties · median $1,388
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Lowndes County, MS | $1,403/mo · +3.6% 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 $1,039 a month on $187,535 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $5,096 a month: 20.4% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $187,535 × 80% = $150,028, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $1,039/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,176 × 52 / 12 = $5,096) = 20% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $187,535 / ($1,176 × 52) = 3.1
- price-to-rent = $187,535 / ($1,403 × 12) = 11.1
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 #
26,199 jobs at 1,572 employers (2026 Q1); -0.4% jobs and +3.5% average weekly wage over the year
- 75th pct · 781st of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 87th pct · 11th of 82 Mississippi counties · median 6,322
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Lowndes County, MS | 26,199 jobs · $1,176/wk · -0.4% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 4,193 | $1,979 | 1.99 | -2.5% |
| Health care and social assistance | 3,991 | $1,192 | 1.01 | +1.7% |
| Retail trade | 2,940 | $594 | 1.15 | -1.3% |
| Construction | 2,600 | $1,532 | 1.89 | -4.8% |
| Accommodation and food services | 2,549 | $389 | 1.08 | -0.5% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 1,179 | $1,281 | 1.07 | -2.5% |
| Administrative and waste services | 1,081 | $895 | 0.73 | -1.8% |
| Wholesale trade | 814 | $1,359 | 0.81 | +3.6% |
| Other services | 526 | $994 | 0.67 | -4.0% |
| Finance and insurance | 433 | $1,677 | 0.41 | +6.1% |
| Utilities | 235 | $2,176 | 2.27 | -8.6% |
| Real estate and rental | 233 | $1,008 | 0.58 | -1.3% |
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 #
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 #
20 gauges · 0 flooding · 0 with quality panels · 3 stale
Sites found: 20, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| LUXAPALLILA CREEK NR COLUMBUS, MS | flow 86.9 ft³/s | 6 km |
| TOMBIGBEE RIVER AT STENNIS LOCK AND DAM, MS | flow 20.0 ft³/s | 7 km |
| CATALPA CREEK AT MAYHEW, MS | flow 7,130 ft³/s · STALE | 18 km |
| CHUQUATONCHEE CREEK NR WEST POINT, MS | flow 55.0 ft³/s · STALE | 29 km |
| TOMBIGBEE RIVER AT BEVILL L&D NR PICKENSVILLE, AL | flow 462.0 ft³/s | 32 km |
| TOMBIGBEE RIVER BEL BEVIL L&D NR PICKENSVILLE, AL. | stage 109.1 ft | 32 km |
| LUXAPALLILA CREEK AT MILLPORT, AL | flow 102.0 ft³/s | 35 km |
| BUTTAHATCHEE RIVER NR ABERDEEN, MS | flow 124.0 ft³/s | 37 km |
| TOMBIGBEE RIVER AT ABERDEEN LOCK AND DAM, MS | flow 2,140 ft³/s | 41 km |
| NOXUBEE RIVER AT MACON, MS | flow 51.0 ft³/s | 46 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 #
18 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 18, 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-332806088230501 | depth 5.72 ft · 1993-04-19 | 5 km |
| USGS-333355088282502 | depth 5.68 ft · 1982-12-04 | 11 km |
| USGS-333402088301001 | depth 11.3 ft · 1985-09-29 | 12 km |
| USGS-333805088291002 | depth 10.0 ft · 1990-12-11 | 19 km |
| USGS-333509088402801 | depth 141.2 ft · 1993-09-30 | 25 km |
| USGS-333712088384601 | depth 82.4 ft · 1993-08-22 | 25 km |
| USGS-331426088192202 | depth 8.93 ft · 1985-09-29 | 28 km |
| USGS-332740088464301 | depth 270.3 ft · 1991-08-19 | 32 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 #
high (0.50)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.50 / 0.35
Banks & federal dollars #
$1.6 bn in deposits at 19 offices of 9 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,659, moderately concentrated. $572.5 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $376.3 m, contracts $167.9 m), $21,852 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| BankFirst Financial Services | $381.6 m · 24.2% share · 3 offices | |
| The Huntington National Bank | $363.5 m · 23.0% share · 2 offices | |
| Regions Bank | $211.0 m · 13.4% share · 2 offices | |
| Lowndes, MS | $572.5 m FY2026 · $21,852/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $353.5 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| BankFirst Financial Services | $381,616,000 | 24.2% | 3 |
| The Huntington National Bank | $363,469,000 | 23.0% | 2 |
| Regions Bank | $211,041,000 | 13.4% | 2 |
| Renasant Bank | $170,109,000 | 10.8% | 1 |
| Trustmark Bank | $164,421,000 | 10.4% | 3 |
| The Bank of Vernon | $155,417,000 | 9.9% | 3 |
| The Citizens National Bank of Meridian | $96,855,000 | 6.1% | 2 |
| Bank of Commerce | $26,459,000 | 1.7% | 2 |
| Woodforest National Bank | $7,649,000 | 0.5% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,659 across 9 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 9 banks with deposits in the county = 24.2² + 23.0² + 13.4² + … (6 more) = 1,659
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 | $283,791,200 |
| Department of Defense | $126,910,407 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $75,958,818 |
| Department of Homeland Security | $32,020,483 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $19,011,620 |
| Department of Transportation | $13,533,107 |
| Department of Education | $6,892,081 |
| Appalachian Regional Commission | $5,714,000 |
| Environmental Protection Agency | $3,000,000 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $2,558,177 |
| Department of Agriculture | $2,041,329 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $837,412 |
That is $21,852 per covered job, against 26,199 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $572.5 m / 26,199 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $21,852
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 #
Lowndes County, MS: 11 findings, 3 at a watch level and 8 noted
watchLowndes County, MS' typical asking rent is -2.0% against the previous month, a watch level here: typical asking rent at least 1 percent below the previous month (arithmetic on the Zillow ZORI month columns; convention chosen for this dashboard, 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: rent.momPct = -1.970941983985767 <= -1
- month-over-month percent change = (newest month − previous month) / |previous month| × 100, from Zillow's own published month columns
arithmetic on the Zillow ZORI month columns; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchLowndes County, MS' covered employment is -0.4% against a year earlier, a watch level here: covered employment below the same quarter a year earlier (BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; 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 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- test: jobs.yoy.emp = -0.4 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchLowndes County, MS' typical home value of $187,535 scores 33 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 78 across Mississippi counties, a gap of 45 points.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 45 = |33 across US counties - 78 across Mississippi counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteLowndes County, MS' average weekly wage was 3.5% 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
- +3.5 % = 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
noteLowndes County, MS' typical asking rent fell 2.0% from $1,431 in August 2026 to $1,403 in September 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- -2.0% = (1403.186507936508 - 1431.3985427742052) / 1431.3985427742052 × 100
- 1403.186507936508 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-09
- 1431.3985427742052 = Zillow ZORI, 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.