Tulare County, CA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 36.23, -118.78.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 81st pct · 576th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 12th pct · 51st of 58 California counties · median $500,264
- counties in the Visalia metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Visalia metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 35th pct · 1,968th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 73rd pct · 16th of 58 California counties · median +0.3%
- counties in the Visalia metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Visalia metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 71st pct · 405th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 16th pct · 41st of 49 California counties · median $2,340
- counties in the Visalia metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Visalia metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 93rd pct · 195th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 64th pct · 21st of 58 California counties · median 74,865
- counties in the Visalia metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Visalia metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 55th pct · 1,442nd of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 14th pct · 50th of 58 California counties · median $1,206
- counties in the Visalia metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Visalia metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 84th pct · 471st of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 29th pct · 41st of 58 California counties · median 7.4
- counties in the Visalia metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Visalia 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 $362,367 (Aug 2026), +1.7% over one year, +20.9% over five
- 81st pct · 576th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 12th pct · 51st of 58 California counties · median $500,264
- counties in the Visalia metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Visalia metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Tulare County, CA | $362,367 · +1.7% 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 $1,765/mo (Aug 2026), +3.8% over one year; price-to-rent 17.1
- 71st pct · 405th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 16th pct · 41st of 49 California counties · median $2,340
- counties in the Visalia metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Visalia metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Tulare County, CA | $1,765/mo · +3.8% 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 $1,983 a month on $362,367 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,602 a month: 43.1% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $362,367 × 80% = $289,893, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,983/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,062 × 52 / 12 = $4,602) = 43% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $362,367 / ($1,062 × 52) = 6.6
- price-to-rent = $362,367 / ($1,765 × 12) = 17.1
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 #
171,620 jobs at 15,949 employers (2026 Q1); +0.8% jobs and +2.6% average weekly wage over the year
- 93rd pct · 195th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 64th pct · 21st of 58 California counties · median 74,865
- counties in the Visalia metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Visalia metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Tulare County, CA | 171,620 jobs · $1,062/wk · +0.8% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 28,620 | $776 | 23.09 | -1.5% |
| Health care and social assistance | 22,099 | $881 | 0.86 | +4.6% |
| Retail trade | 16,640 | $730 | 0.99 | -1.5% |
| Accommodation and food services | 13,137 | $531 | 0.85 | +2.9% |
| Manufacturing | 12,678 | $1,457 | 0.92 | +0.2% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 8,117 | $1,156 | 1.12 | -6.1% |
| Administrative and waste services | 7,677 | $967 | 0.79 | -5.8% |
| Construction | 7,046 | $1,210 | 0.78 | +1.3% |
| Wholesale trade | 4,094 | $1,602 | 0.62 | +3.7% |
| Other services | 3,497 | $888 | 0.68 | +2.5% |
| Professional and technical services | 2,709 | $1,390 | 0.23 | +4.6% |
| Finance and insurance | 1,972 | $1,740 | 0.28 | +7.0% |
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 #
No reservoir gauges within 150 km (or the camera is above the gauge altitude)
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 #
7 gauges · 0 flooding · 4 with quality panels averaging 92 %
Sites found: 7, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| SF TULE R NR CHOLOLLO CAMPGROUND NR PORTERVILLE CA | flow 5.57 ft³/s · quality 67 % (3) | 23 km |
| SF TULE R NR RESERVATION BNDRY NR PORTERVILLE CA | flow 7.14 ft³/s · quality 100 % (3) | 23 km |
| DEER C A ROAD 272 BRIDGE NR PORTERVILLE CA | flow 0.00 ft³/s | 30 km |
| DEER C NR FOUNTAIN SPRINGS CA | flow 4.42 ft³/s | 32 km |
| MARBLE FORK KAWEAH R AB HORSE C NR LODGEPOLE CA | flow 0.17 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 43 km |
| WHITE R NR DUCOR CA | flow 0.00 ft³/s | 48 km |
| CROSS C A KANSAS AVE NR HANFORD CA | flow 0.00 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 71 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 #
1 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 1, 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-355933119062001 | depth 362.8 ft · 2026-10-04 | 39 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 (0.03)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.08 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$7.4 bn in deposits at 45 offices of 13 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,331, moderately concentrated. $2.1 bn federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $1.8 bn, grants $167.1 m), $12,127 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Bank of the Sierra | $1.5 bn · 20.9% share · 12 offices | |
| Bank of America, National Association | $1.3 bn · 17.6% share · 5 offices | |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $1.3 bn · 17.4% share · 5 offices | |
| Tulare, CA | $2.1 bn FY2026 · $12,127/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $1.6 bn · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank of the Sierra | $1,548,259,000 | 20.9% | 12 |
| Bank of America, National Association | $1,307,246,000 | 17.6% | 5 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $1,287,629,000 | 17.4% | 5 |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $786,795,000 | 10.6% | 4 |
| Citizens Business Bank, National Association | $611,351,000 | 8.3% | 3 |
| BMO Bank National Association | $414,186,000 | 5.6% | 4 |
| U.S. Bank National Association | $330,917,000 | 4.5% | 2 |
| Mechanics Bank | $296,371,000 | 4.0% | 3 |
| Mission Bank | $295,545,000 | 4.0% | 1 |
| Community West Bank | $257,230,000 | 3.5% | 2 |
Deposit concentration is 1,331 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 = 20.9² + 17.6² + 17.4² + … (10 more) = 1,331
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 | $1,429,904,960 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $183,313,287 |
| Department of Agriculture | $157,614,427 |
| Department of Education | $94,397,727 |
| Department of Transportation | $87,153,157 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $55,363,459 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $38,474,620 |
| Department of the Interior | $17,156,676 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $6,838,886 |
| Environmental Protection Agency | $3,470,000 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $2,660,307 |
| Department of Justice | $2,390,407 |
That is $12,127 per covered job, against 171,620 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $2.1 bn / 171,620 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $12,127
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 #
Tulare County, CA: 10 findings, 5 at a watch level and 5 noted
watchTulare County, CA's typical home value of $362,367 scores 81 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 12 across California counties, a gap of 69 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 69 = |81 across US counties - 12 across California counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchTulare County, CA's years of wages of 6.6 scores 85 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 30 across California counties, a gap of 55 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 55 = |85 across US counties - 30 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
watchTulare County, CA's typical asking rent of $1,765 scores 71 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 17 across California counties, a gap of 54 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 54 = |71 across US counties - 17 across California counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchTulare County, CA's average weekly wage of $1,062 scores 55 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 14 across California counties, a gap of 41 points.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 41 = |55 across US counties - 14 across California counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchTulare County, CA's typical home value of +1.7% scores 36 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 74 across California counties, a gap of 38 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 38 = |36 across US counties - 74 across California counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
Read all 10 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.