What the evidence shows
Lauderdale County’s first-quarter average weekly wage rose from $922.00 in 2025 to $990.00 in 2026 (+7.38%). Covered workplace jobs in March fell from 30,711 to 30,578 (-133, or -0.43%). Current-year workplace data are preliminary. Higher average pay does not establish a raise for each worker or an inflation-adjusted gain.
Covered establishments increased from 1,860 to 1,897 (+1.99%) in the first quarter. These are reporting locations, not unique firms. The increase does not establish 37 new businesses or increased commercial floor-space occupancy. Private jobs, a subset of total jobs, fell from 25,396 to 25,251 (-0.57%).
In September, a later resident snapshot, the unemployment rate fell from 3.80% to 3.50%. Employed residents also fell from 27,691 to 27,008 (-2.47%), while the labor force fell from 28,771 to 27,981 (-2.75%). September 2026 is preliminary; these county resident estimates are not seasonally adjusted.
LAUS counts employed residents; QCEW counts covered jobs at county workplaces. Even the matched March resident comparison was lower, at 27,572 versus 28,190 (-2.19%). Different coverage and counting rules prevent subtracting the measures to estimate commuting. County figures do not establish a rent, vacancy, absorption, commercial sale-price trend or appraisal adjustment.
Read the full report
The three-page public-source edition includes resident-employment and workplace-jobs charts, calculation tables, property-category questions and linked sources. The unavailable October 2025 resident-employment observation remains blank. November is the issue date, not a claim of October or November market observations.
Download the November 2026 report (PDF) ↓Sources and interpretation
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Local Area Unemployment Statistics for Lauderdale County and Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages county data slices, first quarter 2025 and 2026; Insite calculations from published levels. Source identifiers, hashes, formulas and precision limits accompany the report in the public data file.
Lauderdale County is the geography throughout, not Meridian’s municipal boundary or a specific trade area. This edition uses independent public government data and contains no MLS-derived or confidential assignment information. It is economic context, not a property-specific value opinion.