Monterey County, CA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 36.24, -121.32.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 98th pct · 37th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 77th pct · 14th of 58 California counties · median $500,264
- counties in the Salinas metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Salinas metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 28th pct · 2,199th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 66th pct · 20th of 58 California counties · median +0.3%
- counties in the Salinas metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Salinas metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 96th pct · 48th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 66th pct · 17th of 49 California counties · median $2,340
- counties in the Salinas metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Salinas metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 94th pct · 177th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 66th pct · 20th of 58 California counties · median 74,865
- counties in the Salinas metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Salinas metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 81st pct · 582nd of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 61st pct · 23rd of 58 California counties · median $1,206
- counties in the Salinas metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Salinas metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 99th pct · 29th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 91st pct · 6th of 58 California counties · median 7.4
- counties in the Salinas metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Salinas 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 $843,096 (Aug 2026), +0.9% over one year, +14.0% over five
- 98th pct · 37th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 77th pct · 14th of 58 California counties · median $500,264
- counties in the Salinas metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Salinas metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Monterey County, CA | $843,096 · +0.9% 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 $2,799/mo (Aug 2026), +5.1% over one year; price-to-rent 25.1
- 96th pct · 48th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 66th pct · 17th of 49 California counties · median $2,340
- counties in the Salinas metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Salinas metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Monterey County, CA | $2,799/mo · +5.1% 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 $4,615 a month on $843,096 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $5,469 a month: 84.4% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $843,096 × 80% = $674,477, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $4,615/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,262 × 52 / 12 = $5,469) = 84% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $843,096 / ($1,262 × 52) = 12.8
- price-to-rent = $843,096 / ($2,799 × 12) = 25.1
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 #
185,826 jobs at 16,559 employers (2026 Q1); +3.7% jobs and +1.9% average weekly wage over the year
- 94th pct · 177th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 66th pct · 20th of 58 California counties · median 74,865
- counties in the Salinas metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Salinas metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Monterey County, CA | 185,826 jobs · $1,262/wk · +3.7% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 38,595 | $870 | 28.75 | +10.2% |
| Accommodation and food services | 22,085 | $784 | 1.32 | +1.4% |
| Health care and social assistance | 21,665 | $1,338 | 0.77 | +3.9% |
| Retail trade | 16,083 | $853 | 0.89 | +0.3% |
| Construction | 8,025 | $1,557 | 0.82 | +3.6% |
| Administrative and waste services | 7,903 | $908 | 0.75 | +14.3% |
| Other services | 5,507 | $1,001 | 0.99 | -1.6% |
| Manufacturing | 5,335 | $1,637 | 0.36 | +23.8% |
| Wholesale trade | 5,190 | $1,756 | 0.73 | -0.7% |
| Professional and technical services | 4,922 | $1,743 | 0.38 | -4.9% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 3,136 | $1,015 | 1.03 | +4.4% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 2,493 | $1,292 | 0.32 | -8.7% |
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 #
$11.9 bn in deposits at 65 offices of 13 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,634, moderately concentrated. $2.9 bn federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $2.1 bn, contracts $601.5 m), $15,409 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $3.0 bn · 25.5% share · 12 offices | |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $2.7 bn · 22.5% share · 15 offices | |
| Bank of America, National Association | $1.9 bn · 15.7% share · 6 offices | |
| Monterey, CA | $2.9 bn FY2026 · $15,409/job |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $3,035,671,000 | 25.5% | 12 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $2,683,776,000 | 22.5% | 15 |
| Bank of America, National Association | $1,871,268,000 | 15.7% | 6 |
| Mechanics Bank | $1,047,696,000 | 8.8% | 9 |
| West Coast Community Bank | $940,958,000 | 7.9% | 3 |
| U.S. Bank National Association | $914,175,000 | 7.7% | 5 |
| Pacific Valley Bank | $552,565,000 | 4.6% | 4 |
| Fifth Third Bank, National Association | $266,746,000 | 2.2% | 3 |
| Monterey County Bank | $232,559,000 | 2.0% | 4 |
| Pinnacle Bank | $191,818,000 | 1.6% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,634 across 13 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 13 banks with deposits in the county = 25.5² + 22.5² + 15.7² + … (10 more) = 1,634
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 #
That is $15,409 per covered job, against 185,826 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $2.9 bn / 185,826 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $15,409
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 | 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 | -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 #
Monterey County, CA: 15 findings, 5 at a watch level and 10 noted
watchMonterey County, CA's years of wages of 12.8 ranks 29th of 3,063 US counties, a watch level here: years of wages in the top tenth of US counties (position among the counties that published both a ZHVI value and a QCEW average weekly wage; not an official level). The previous published period is not in this table, so this is a standing level rather than a change.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- test: yearsOfWages percentile = 99.08556499020249 >= 90
- typical home value / (average weekly wage × 52); one average covered job, not a household
position among the counties that published both a ZHVI value and a QCEW average weekly wage; not an official level
watchMonterey County, CA's price-to-rent ratio of 25.1 ranks 86th of 1,399 US counties, a watch level here: price-to-rent in the top tenth of US counties (position among the counties that published both ZHVI and ZORI this month; not an official level). The previous published period is not in this table, so this is a standing level rather than a change.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- test: priceToRent percentile = 93.91988555078684 >= 90
- typical home value / (typical rent × 12); Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month
position among the counties that published both ZHVI and ZORI this month; not an official level
watchMonterey County, CA's years of wages is 12.8, a watch level here: typical home value worth 10 or more years of one average covered wage (typical home value / (average weekly wage × 52), one average covered job rather than a household; 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 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- test: yearsOfWages = 12.847373964519058 >= 10
- typical home value / (average weekly wage × 52); one average covered job, not a household
typical home value / (average weekly wage × 52), one average covered job rather than a household; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchMonterey County, CA's price-to-rent ratio is 25.1, a watch level here: typical home value worth 25 or more years of typical rent (typical home value / (typical rent × 12), Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month; 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 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- test: priceToRent = 25.10395587587621 >= 25
- typical home value / (typical rent × 12); Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month
typical home value / (typical rent × 12), Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchMonterey County, CA's typical home value of +0.9% scores 28 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 67 across California counties, a gap of 38 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 38 = |28 across US counties - 67 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.