Kings County, CA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 36.07, -119.82.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 81st pct · 563rd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 19th pct · 47th of 58 California counties · median $500,264
- counties in the Hanford-Corcoran metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Hanford-Corcoran metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 51st pct · 1,472nd of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 82nd pct · 11th of 58 California counties · median +0.3%
- counties in the Hanford-Corcoran metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Hanford-Corcoran metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 82nd pct · 246th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 29th pct · 35th of 49 California counties · median $2,340
- counties in the Hanford-Corcoran metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Hanford-Corcoran metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 84th pct · 499th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 40th pct · 35th of 58 California counties · median 74,865
- counties in the Hanford-Corcoran metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Hanford-Corcoran metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 62nd pct · 1,201st of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 22nd pct · 45th of 58 California counties · median $1,206
- counties in the Hanford-Corcoran metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Hanford-Corcoran metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 82nd pct · 522nd of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 22nd pct · 45th of 58 California counties · median 7.4
- counties in the Hanford-Corcoran metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Hanford-Corcoran 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 $366,229 (Aug 2026), +3.1% over one year, +23.8% over five
- 81st pct · 563rd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 19th pct · 47th of 58 California counties · median $500,264
- counties in the Hanford-Corcoran metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Hanford-Corcoran metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Kings County, CA | $366,229 · +3.1% 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 $1,983/mo (Aug 2026), +4.1% over one year; price-to-rent 15.4
- 82nd pct · 246th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 29th pct · 35th of 49 California counties · median $2,340
- counties in the Hanford-Corcoran metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Hanford-Corcoran metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Kings County, CA | $1,983/mo · +4.1% 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 $2,005 a month on $366,229 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,771 a month: 42.0% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $366,229 × 80% = $292,983, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $2,005/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,101 × 52 / 12 = $4,771) = 42% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $366,229 / ($1,101 × 52) = 6.4
- price-to-rent = $366,229 / ($1,983 × 12) = 15.4
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 #
50,590 jobs at 5,821 employers (2026 Q1); +2.6% jobs and +1.9% average weekly wage over the year
- 84th pct · 499th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 40th pct · 35th of 58 California counties · median 74,865
- counties in the Hanford-Corcoran metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Hanford-Corcoran metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Kings County, CA | 50,590 jobs · $1,101/wk · +2.6% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 7,963 | $925 | 1.05 | +3.9% |
| Retail trade | 4,304 | $762 | 0.87 | -1.0% |
| Manufacturing | 4,015 | $1,506 | 0.99 | -6.6% |
| Accommodation and food services | 3,521 | $519 | 0.77 | -2.8% |
| Construction | 1,258 | $1,328 | 0.47 | +6.9% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 1,161 | $1,386 | 0.54 | +4.7% |
| Administrative and waste services | 837 | $1,339 | 0.29 | -1.2% |
| Professional and technical services | 770 | $1,598 | 0.22 | -1.9% |
| Wholesale trade | 645 | $1,473 | 0.33 | -9.4% |
| Finance and insurance | 443 | $1,995 | 0.21 | +2.8% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 340 | $465 | 0.41 | -3.1% |
| Real estate and rental | 325 | $912 | 0.42 | +10.2% |
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 #
No drought class at this point (USDM covers the United States only)
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 #
Surface water layer not loaded
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 #
Surface water layer not loaded
Sites found: 0, 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.
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 #
No USGS monitoring wells within 75 km (or above 1,500 km)
Sites found: 0, 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.
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 (0.00)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 / 0.35
Banks & federal dollars #
$1.6 bn in deposits at 12 offices of 10 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,306, moderately concentrated. $803.2 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $607.5 m, contracts $145.5 m), $15,877 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $354.7 m · 22.2% share · 2 offices | |
| Bank of America, National Association | $248.9 m · 15.6% share · 1 office | |
| Citibank, National Association | $185.0 m · 11.6% share · 1 office | |
| Kings, CA | $803.2 m FY2026 · $15,877/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $547.7 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $354,663,000 | 22.2% | 2 |
| Bank of America, National Association | $248,897,000 | 15.6% | 1 |
| Citibank, National Association | $185,000,000 | 11.6% | 1 |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $184,010,000 | 11.5% | 1 |
| BMO Bank National Association | $168,467,000 | 10.6% | 2 |
| U.S. Bank National Association | $143,513,000 | 9.0% | 1 |
| Bank of the Sierra | $109,273,000 | 6.8% | 1 |
| Mechanics Bank | $102,590,000 | 6.4% | 1 |
| Banc of California | $66,929,000 | 4.2% | 1 |
| Westamerica Bank | $33,290,000 | 2.1% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,306 across 10 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 10 banks with deposits in the county = 22.2² + 15.6² + 11.6² + … (7 more) = 1,306
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 | $404,015,437 |
| Department of Agriculture | $147,296,257 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $142,324,831 |
| Department of Defense | $37,891,849 |
| Department of Transportation | $23,890,791 |
| Department of Education | $22,243,632 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $14,865,055 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $8,284,010 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $1,162,628 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $652,835 |
| Department of Justice | $248,451 |
| Department of the Interior | $181,271 |
That is $15,877 per covered job, against 50,590 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $803.2 m / 50,590 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $15,877
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 | 12.28 | 2026-10-04 | -0.1% |
| 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 | 2026-10-05 | +0.1% |
| 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 | 6.00 | 2026-09-22 | -14.3% |
| Shanghai to Los Angeles container rate · $ per 40 ft box | 6,830.00 | 2026-08-01 | +7.4% |
| 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 | -88,576.00 | 2026-07-01 | -24.4% |
| 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 #
Kings County, CA: 12 findings, 6 at a watch level and 6 noted
watchKings County, CA's typical home value of $366,229 scores 82 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 19 across California counties, a gap of 62 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 62 = |82 across US counties - 19 across California counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchKings County, CA's years of wages of 6.4 scores 83 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 23 across California counties, a gap of 60 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 60 = |83 across US counties - 23 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
watchKings County, CA's typical asking rent of $1,983 scores 82 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 29 across California counties, a gap of 53 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 53 = |82 across US counties - 29 across California counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchKings County, CA's covered employment of 50,590 scores 85 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 40 across California counties, a gap of 44 points.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 44 = |85 across US counties - 40 across California counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchKings County, CA's average weekly wage of $1,101 scores 63 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 23 across California counties, a gap of 40 points.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 40 = |63 across US counties - 23 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.