Sonoma County, CA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 38.53, -122.93.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 98th pct · 47th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 75th pct · 15th of 58 California counties · median $500,264
- counties in the Santa Rosa-Petaluma metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Santa Rosa-Petaluma metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 20th pct · 2,421st of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 47th pct · 31st of 58 California counties · median +0.3%
- counties in the Santa Rosa-Petaluma metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Santa Rosa-Petaluma metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 96th pct · 55th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 64th pct · 18th of 49 California counties · median $2,340
- counties in the Santa Rosa-Petaluma metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Santa Rosa-Petaluma metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 95th pct · 159th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 71st pct · 17th of 58 California counties · median 74,865
- counties in the Santa Rosa-Petaluma metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Santa Rosa-Petaluma metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 90th pct · 316th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 70th pct · 18th of 58 California counties · median $1,206
- counties in the Santa Rosa-Petaluma metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Santa Rosa-Petaluma metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 97th pct · 64th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 82nd pct · 11th of 58 California counties · median 7.4
- counties in the Santa Rosa-Petaluma metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Santa Rosa-Petaluma 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 $785,115 (Aug 2026), -0.0% over one year, +3.9% over five
- 98th pct · 47th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 75th pct · 15th of 58 California counties · median $500,264
- counties in the Santa Rosa-Petaluma metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Santa Rosa-Petaluma metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Sonoma County, CA | $785,115 · -0.0% 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 $2,685/mo (Aug 2026), +4.0% over one year; price-to-rent 24.4
- 96th pct · 55th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 64th pct · 18th of 49 California counties · median $2,340
- counties in the Santa Rosa-Petaluma metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Santa Rosa-Petaluma metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Sonoma County, CA | $2,685/mo · +4.0% 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 $4,297 a month on $785,115 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $6,162 a month: 69.7% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $785,115 × 80% = $628,092, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $4,297/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,422 × 52 / 12 = $6,162) = 70% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $785,115 / ($1,422 × 52) = 10.6
- price-to-rent = $785,115 / ($2,685 × 12) = 24.4
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 #
204,329 jobs at 22,940 employers (2026 Q1); +0.1% jobs and +3.0% average weekly wage over the year
- 95th pct · 159th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 71st pct · 17th of 58 California counties · median 74,865
- counties in the Santa Rosa-Petaluma metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Santa Rosa-Petaluma metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Sonoma County, CA | 204,329 jobs · $1,422/wk · +0.1% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 36,445 | $1,554 | 1.19 | +4.1% |
| Retail trade | 21,596 | $894 | 1.08 | -0.9% |
| Accommodation and food services | 20,648 | $715 | 1.12 | +2.4% |
| Manufacturing | 19,030 | $1,787 | 1.16 | -3.5% |
| Construction | 15,380 | $1,601 | 1.44 | -1.0% |
| Administrative and waste services | 12,746 | $1,065 | 1.10 | -3.3% |
| Professional and technical services | 8,275 | $1,847 | 0.59 | -0.9% |
| Other services | 7,627 | $1,296 | 1.25 | -0.5% |
| Wholesale trade | 5,828 | $1,760 | 0.74 | -1.3% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 5,192 | $955 | 3.52 | -6.6% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 4,419 | $658 | 1.31 | +6.6% |
| Finance and insurance | 3,751 | $2,950 | 0.45 | +0.7% |
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 #
$19.7 bn in deposits at 92 offices of 14 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,424, moderately concentrated. $3.3 bn federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $3.1 bn, grants $150.9 m), $16,387 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $4.8 bn · 24.5% share · 11 offices | |
| Poppy Bank | $3.5 bn · 17.8% share · 6 offices | |
| Exchange Bank | $2.7 bn · 13.8% share · 16 offices | |
| Sonoma, CA | $3.3 bn FY2026 · $16,387/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $3.0 bn · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $4,823,006,000 | 24.5% | 11 |
| Poppy Bank | $3,498,150,000 | 17.8% | 6 |
| Exchange Bank | $2,712,102,000 | 13.8% | 16 |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $2,323,180,000 | 11.8% | 13 |
| Bank of America, National Association | $1,955,361,000 | 9.9% | 7 |
| WaFd Bank | $1,111,364,000 | 5.6% | 2 |
| Summit State Bank | $846,129,000 | 4.3% | 4 |
| Westamerica Bank | $650,836,000 | 3.3% | 9 |
| BMO Bank National Association | $527,844,000 | 2.7% | 8 |
| U.S. Bank National Association | $397,842,000 | 2.0% | 3 |
Deposit concentration is 1,424 across 14 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 14 banks with deposits in the county = 24.5² + 17.8² + 13.8² + … (11 more) = 1,424
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 | $2,770,240,284 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $184,553,933 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $121,746,682 |
| Department of Transportation | $91,291,879 |
| Department of Homeland Security | $60,421,132 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $45,076,906 |
| Department of Education | $38,117,377 |
| Department of Agriculture | $12,518,304 |
| Department of Defense | $8,672,403 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $3,893,839 |
| Department of the Interior | $2,753,964 |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | $2,365,014 |
That is $16,387 per covered job, against 204,329 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $3.3 bn / 204,329 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $16,387
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 #
Sonoma County, CA: 15 findings, 5 at a watch level and 10 noted
watchSonoma County, CA's years of wages of 10.6 ranks 64th 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 = 97.94252122795558 >= 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
watchSonoma County, CA's price-to-rent ratio of 24.4 ranks 109th 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 = 92.27467811158799 >= 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
watchSonoma County, CA's years of wages is 10.6, 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 = 10.61769268571885 >= 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
watchSonoma County, CA's typical home value is -0.0% against a year earlier, a watch level here: typical home value below a year ago (arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; 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: home.yoyPct = -0.001161854197700173 < 0
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; not an official level
watchSonoma County, CA's typical asking rent of $2,685 scores 96 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 65 across California counties, a gap of 32 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 32 = |96 across US counties - 65 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.