Imperial County, CA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 33.04, -115.36.
Assembled 2026-10-07. Read the brief.
- 83rd pct · 497th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 26th pct · 43rd of 58 California counties · median $500,264
- counties in the El Centro metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the El Centro metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 74th pct · 777th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 96th pct · 3rd of 58 California counties · median +0.3%
- counties in the El Centro metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the El Centro metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 70th pct · 417th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 14th pct · 42nd of 49 California counties · median $2,340
- counties in the El Centro metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the El Centro metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 87th pct · 403rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 47th pct · 31st of 58 California counties · median 74,865
- counties in the El Centro metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the El Centro metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 59th pct · 1,301st of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 15th pct · 49th of 58 California counties · median $1,206
- counties in the El Centro metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the El Centro metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 86th pct · 407th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 40th pct · 35th of 58 California counties · median 7.4
- counties in the El Centro metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the El Centro 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 $382,827 (Aug 2026), +5.2% over one year, +32.5% over five
- 83rd pct · 497th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 26th pct · 43rd of 58 California counties · median $500,264
- counties in the El Centro metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the El Centro metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Imperial County, CA | $382,827 · +5.2% 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 $1,754/mo (Aug 2026), +7.8% over one year; price-to-rent 18.2
- 70th pct · 417th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 14th pct · 42nd of 49 California counties · median $2,340
- counties in the El Centro metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the El Centro metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Imperial County, CA | $1,754/mo · +7.8% 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 $2,095 a month on $382,827 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,702 a month: 44.6% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $382,827 × 80% = $306,262, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $2,095/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,085 × 52 / 12 = $4,702) = 45% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $382,827 / ($1,085 × 52) = 6.8
- price-to-rent = $382,827 / ($1,754 × 12) = 18.2
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 #
68,680 jobs at 10,695 employers (2026 Q1); -0.2% jobs and +1.3% average weekly wage over the year
- 87th pct · 403rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 47th pct · 31st of 58 California counties · median 74,865
- counties in the El Centro metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the El Centro metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Imperial County, CA | 68,680 jobs · $1,085/wk · -0.2% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 12,663 | $633 | 1.23 | +10.4% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 8,284 | $833 | 16.70 | -8.4% |
| Retail trade | 7,872 | $710 | 1.18 | -1.3% |
| Accommodation and food services | 4,038 | $564 | 0.65 | -4.7% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 2,177 | $1,113 | 0.75 | +0.0% |
| Administrative and waste services | 2,024 | $1,015 | 0.52 | -5.7% |
| Manufacturing | 1,840 | $1,312 | 0.33 | -19.5% |
| Construction | 1,771 | $1,423 | 0.49 | +3.1% |
| Wholesale trade | 1,722 | $1,415 | 0.65 | -2.4% |
| Professional and technical services | 1,078 | $1,202 | 0.23 | +3.3% |
| Other services | 1,016 | $838 | 0.50 | +5.1% |
| Utilities | 610 | $2,597 | 2.25 | +4.5% |
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 #
2 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 2, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| EL CAPITAN RES NR LAKESIDE CA | 9,039 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 137 km |
| SAN VICENTE RES NR LAKESIDE CA | 90,870 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 147 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 #
28 gauges · 0 flooding · 7 with quality panels averaging 32 % · 10 stale
Sites found: 28, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| COLORADO RIVER BELOW COOPER WASTEWAY NEAR YUMA, AZ | temp 27.8 °C · quality 50 % (2) | 70 km |
| YUMA MESA OUTLET DRAIN NEAR YUMA, AZ | flow 40.9 ft³/s · quality 25 % (2) | 74 km |
| USGS-324421114482101 | cond. 2,330 uS/cm · quality 0 % (1) · STALE | 61 km |
| USGS-324630114501501 | cond. 5,630 uS/cm · quality 0 % (1) · STALE | 57 km |
| ALAMO R AT DROP 3 NR CALIPATRIA CA | flow 811.0 ft³/s · STALE | 19 km |
| COACHELLA CANAL NEAR NILAND, CA | flow 444.0 ft³/s | 26 km |
| ALAMO R NR NILAND CA | flow 595.0 ft³/s | 29 km |
| NEW R NR WESTMORLAND CA | flow 316.0 ft³/s | 30 km |
| NEW R AT INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY AT CALEXICO CA | flow 55.9 ft³/s | 44 km |
| ALL-AMERICAN CANAL BELOW DROP 2 RESERVOIR OUTLET | flow 3,590 ft³/s | 47 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 #
22 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 22, 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-324242115073501 | depth 31.0 ft · 2011-09-11 | 42 km |
| USGS-324711114544801 | depth 96.5 ft · 2015-03-26 | 50 km |
| USGS-324239114563601 | depth 26.8 ft · 2021-09-19 | 53 km |
| USGS-324226114554901 | depth 98.8 ft · 2023-01-10 | 54 km |
| USGS-324410114533801 | depth 100.4 ft · 2023-01-11 | 55 km |
| USGS-324426114530901 | depth 137.8 ft · 2012-12-12 | 55 km |
| USGS-324423114530303 | depth 105.4 ft · 2026-08-12 | 55 km |
| USGS-324423114530302 | depth 103.2 ft · 2026-05-07 | 55 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 #
moderate (0.41)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.25 + 0.2×0.68 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$2.3 bn in deposits at 9 offices of 6 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,013, highly concentrated. $2.6 bn federal obligations in FY2026 (contracts $1.7 bn, direct payments $815.2 m), $37,738 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanics Bank | $618.2 m · 26.6% share · 3 offices | |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $575.7 m · 24.8% share · 2 offices | |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $425.7 m · 18.3% share · 1 office | |
| Imperial, CA | $2.6 bn FY2026 · $37,738/job | |
| FISHER SAND & GRAVEL CO | $996.4 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanics Bank | $618,226,000 | 26.6% | 3 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $575,682,000 | 24.8% | 2 |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $425,665,000 | 18.3% | 1 |
| Bank of America, National Association | $358,527,000 | 15.4% | 1 |
| U.S. Bank National Association | $223,691,000 | 9.6% | 1 |
| Sunflower Bank, National Association | $124,178,000 | 5.3% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,013 across 6 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 6 banks with deposits in the county = 26.6² + 24.8² + 18.3² + … (3 more) = 2,013
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 Homeland Security | $1,640,699,128 |
| Social Security Administration | $642,565,759 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $89,393,791 |
| General Services Administration | $38,245,293 |
| Department of Education | $36,267,189 |
| Department of Defense | $28,777,055 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $26,305,033 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $25,634,019 |
| Department of Agriculture | $24,459,844 |
| Department of Transportation | $16,858,412 |
| Department of the Interior | $8,653,329 |
| Department of the Treasury | $6,765,346 |
That is $37,738 per covered job, against 68,680 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $2.6 bn / 68,680 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $37,738
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 #
Imperial County, CA: 13 findings, 6 at a watch level and 7 noted
watchImperial County, CA's covered employment is -0.2% 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 = -0.2 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchImperial County, CA's typical home value of $382,827 scores 84 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 26 across California counties, a gap of 57 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 57 = |84 across US counties - 26 across California counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchImperial County, CA's typical asking rent of $1,754 scores 70 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 15 across California counties, a gap of 56 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 56 = |70 across US counties - 15 across California counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchImperial County, CA's years of wages of 6.8 scores 87 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 40 across California counties, a gap of 46 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 46 = |87 across US counties - 40 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
watchImperial County, CA's average weekly wage of $1,085 scores 59 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 16 across California counties, a gap of 44 points.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 44 = |59 across US counties - 16 across California counties|
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.