Colusa County, CA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 39.18, -122.24.
Assembled 2026-10-07. Read the brief.
- 83rd pct · 518th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 24th pct · 44th of 58 California counties · median $500,264
- 27th pct · 2,231st of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 64th pct · 21st of 58 California counties · median +0.3%
- US counties: not published this period
- California counties: not published this period
- 52nd pct · 1,532nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 17th pct · 48th of 58 California counties · median 74,865
- 67th pct · 1,059th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 31st pct · 40th of 58 California counties · median $1,206
- 83rd pct · 517th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 24th pct · 44th of 58 California counties · median 7.4
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 $376,598 (Aug 2026), +0.8% over one year, +10.5% over five
- 83rd pct · 518th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 24th pct · 44th of 58 California counties · median $500,264
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Colusa County, CA | $376,598 · +0.8% 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 #
Zillow publishes no rent index for this area (ZORI covers about 1,400 counties)
- US counties: not published this period
- California counties: not published this period
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 $2,061 a month on $376,598 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,879 a month: 42.2% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $376,598 × 80% = $301,278, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $2,061/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,126 × 52 / 12 = $4,879) = 42% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $376,598 / ($1,126 × 52) = 6.4
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 #
9,040 jobs at 1,087 employers (2026 Q1); +5.8% jobs and +1.2% average weekly wage over the year
- 52nd pct · 1,532nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 17th pct · 48th of 58 California counties · median 74,865
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Colusa County, CA | 9,040 jobs · $1,126/wk · +5.8% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 1,973 | $966 | 30.22 | +10.3% |
| Manufacturing | 964 | $1,663 | 1.33 | +3.8% |
| Retail trade | 618 | $750 | 0.70 | -22.8% |
| Accommodation and food services | 523 | $593 | 0.64 | +4.6% |
| Administrative and waste services | 351 | $761 | 0.68 | +0.0% |
| Construction | 266 | $1,072 | 0.56 | +101.5% |
| Wholesale trade | 264 | $1,698 | 0.76 | -23.7% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 250 | $1,322 | 0.66 | +10.6% |
| Other services | 212 | $879 | 0.78 | +25.4% |
| Finance and insurance | 79 | $2,176 | 0.21 | +1.3% |
| Utilities | 66 | $3,617 | 1.85 | +50.0% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 44 | $440 | 0.30 | +29.4% |
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 #
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 #
1 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 1, 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.
| Site | Reading | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| INDIAN VALLEY RES A CLEARLAKE OAKS CA | 203,000 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 28 km |
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 #
35 gauges · 0 flooding · 16 with quality panels averaging 84 % · 9 stale
Sites found: 35, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| CLOVER C BYPASS A ELK MTN RD NR UPPER LAKE CA | flow 0.00 ft³/s · quality 50 % (2) | 57 km |
| CACHE C OUTFLOW FROM SETTLING BASIN NR WOODLAND CA | flow 0.00 ft³/s · quality 67 % (3) | 74 km |
| USGS-384115121402501 | turb. 353.0 FNU · quality 67 % (3) | 73 km |
| MOLESWORTH C NR CLEARLAKE CA | flow 0.00 ft³/s · quality 50 % (2) · STALE | 43 km |
| CACHE C OVERFLOW WEIR FROM SETTLING BAS NR WOOD'LD | flow 0.00 ft³/s · quality 80 % (5) | 74 km |
| SACRAMENTO R A COLUSA CA | flow 4,670 ft³/s | 21 km |
| BEAR C AB HOLSTEN CHIMNEY CYN NR RUMSEY CA | flow 1.54 ft³/s | 26 km |
| NF CACHE C NR CLEARLAKE OAKS CA | flow 11.5 ft³/s | 28 km |
| CACHE C A RUMSEY CA | flow 332.0 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 32 km |
| NF CACHE C A HOUGH SPRING NR CLEARLAKE OAKS CA | flow 0.11 ft³/s | 33 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 #
3 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 3, 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-385501121361903 | depth 8.54 ft · 1997-12-28 | 62 km |
| USGS-385501121361902 | depth 10.5 ft · 1997-12-28 | 62 km |
| USGS-385501121361901 | depth 10.7 ft · 1997-12-28 | 62 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 (0.06)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.16 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$620.3 m in deposits at 6 offices of 5 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,413, highly concentrated. $145.4 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $130.7 m, grants $14.5 m), $16,079 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Tri Counties Bank | $191.8 m · 30.9% share · 1 office | |
| Columbia Bank | $169.6 m · 27.3% share · 2 offices | |
| U.S. Bank National Association | $122.1 m · 19.7% share · 1 office | |
| Colusa, CA | $145.4 m FY2026 · $16,079/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $92.3 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tri Counties Bank | $191,760,000 | 30.9% | 1 |
| Columbia Bank | $169,561,000 | 27.3% | 2 |
| U.S. Bank National Association | $122,134,000 | 19.7% | 1 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $107,564,000 | 17.3% | 1 |
| First Northern Bank of Dixon | $29,310,000 | 4.7% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,413 across 5 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 5 banks with deposits in the county = 30.9² + 27.3² + 19.7² + … (2 more) = 2,413
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 | $85,230,618 |
| Department of Agriculture | $36,488,556 |
| Department of Transportation | $11,952,222 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $6,922,910 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $2,327,341 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $929,524 |
| Department of the Interior | $750,951 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $518,279 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $176,251 |
| Department of Defense | $51,750 |
| Department of Education | $43,592 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
That is $16,079 per covered job, against 9,040 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $145.4 m / 9,040 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $16,079
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 | 12.69 | 2026-10-05 | +3.3% |
| 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 · % | 72.60 | 2026-10-06 | +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 | 3.00 | 2026-10-06 | -50.0% |
| 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 | 96.16 | 2026-09-29 | -3.2% |
| 30-year fixed mortgage rate · % | 7.28 | 2026-10-01 | +3.6% |
| 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 | 646,347.00 | 2026-08-01 | +1.1% |
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 #
Colusa County, CA: 11 findings, 5 at a watch level and 6 noted
watchColusa County, CA's years of wages of 6.4 scores 83 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 25 across California counties, a gap of 59 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 59 = |83 across US counties - 25 across California counties|
- 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
watchColusa County, CA's typical home value of $376,598 scores 83 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 25 across California counties, a gap of 59 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 59 = |83 across US counties - 25 across California counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchColusa County, CA's typical home value of +0.8% scores 27 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 65 across California counties, a gap of 38 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 38 = |27 across US counties - 65 across California counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchColusa County, CA's average weekly wage of $1,126 scores 67 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 32 across California counties, a gap of 35 points.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 35 = |67 across US counties - 32 across California counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchColusa County, CA's covered employment of 9,040 scores 52 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 18 across California counties, a gap of 35 points.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 35 = |52 across US counties - 18 across California counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
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.