Huerfano County, CO
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 37.69, -104.96.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 61st pct · 1,178th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 26th pct · 46th of 62 Colorado counties · median $450,011
- 15th pct · 2,586th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 40th pct · 37th of 62 Colorado counties · median +0.2%
- US counties: not published this period
- Colorado counties: not published this period
- 13th pct · 2,783rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 25th pct · 48th of 64 Colorado counties · median 4,853
- 23rd pct · 2,471st of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 17th pct · 53rd of 64 Colorado counties · median $1,075
- 74th pct · 797th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 36th pct · 40th of 62 Colorado counties · median 6.5
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 $269,002 (Aug 2026), -0.8% over one year, +14.7% over five
- 61st pct · 1,178th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 26th pct · 46th of 62 Colorado counties · median $450,011
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Huerfano County, CO | $269,002 · -0.8% 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 #
Zillow publishes no rent index for this area (ZORI covers about 1,400 counties)
- US counties: not published this period
- Colorado counties: not published this period
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 $1,472 a month on $269,002 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $3,991 a month: 36.9% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $269,002 × 80% = $215,201, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,472/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $921 × 52 / 12 = $3,991) = 37% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $269,002 / ($921 × 52) = 5.6
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 #
1,718 jobs at 207 employers (2026 Q1); -6.3% jobs and +7.0% average weekly wage over the year
- 13th pct · 2,783rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 25th pct · 48th of 64 Colorado counties · median 4,853
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Huerfano County, CO | 1,718 jobs · $921/wk · -6.3% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 294 | $637 | 1.76 | +6.9% |
| Accommodation and food services | 194 | $680 | 1.26 | -36.2% |
| Manufacturing | 80 | $829 | 0.58 | -19.2% |
| Construction | 47 | $1,140 | 0.52 | -9.6% |
| Professional and technical services | 39 | $1,858 | 0.33 | +0.0% |
| Other services | 32 | $820 | 0.62 | -11.1% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 29 | $558 | 1.03 | +7.4% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 22 | $1,028 | 1.77 | -21.4% |
| Information | 18 | $766 | 0.57 | -10.0% |
| Real estate and rental | 15 | $984 | 0.57 | -21.1% |
| Finance and insurance | 12 | $778 | 0.17 | -29.4% |
| Wholesale trade | 6 | $721 | 0.09 | +0.0% |
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 #
D3 extreme 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 #
4 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 4, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| TRINIDAD LAKE NEAR TRINIDAD, CO. | 20,180 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 71 km |
| LAKE MALOYA NR RATON NM | 3,482 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 94 km |
| COSTILLA RESERVOIR NEAR COSTILLA, NM | 1,034 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 95 km |
| EAGLE NEST LAKE NR EAGLE NEST, NM | 20,960 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 131 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 #
22 gauges · 0 flooding · 7 with quality panels averaging 93 % · 4 stale
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 |
|---|---|---|
| FOUNTAIN CREEK AT PUEBLO, CO. | flow 157.0 ft³/s · quality 50 % (3) · out of service | 74 km |
| GRANEROS CREEK NEAR RYE, CO | flow 0.00 ft³/s · STALE | 25 km |
| GREENHORN CREEK NEAR RYE, CO. | flow 1.20 ft³/s · STALE | 26 km |
| Cucharas River at Boyd Ranch near La Veta | no flooding | 31 km |
| Huerfano River near Redwing | no flooding | 35 km |
| ST. CHARLES RIVER AT BURNT MILL, CO. | stage 7.27 ft · no flooding | 43 km |
| CLOSED BASIN PROJECT CANAL ABV HWY 150 NR MOSCA CO | flow 14.9 ft³/s · quality 100 % (2) · STALE | 65 km |
| Pueblo Reservoir near Pueblo | observation not current | 68 km |
| PURGATOIRE RIVER AT MADRID, CO. | flow 33.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 68 km |
| ARKANSAS RIVER ABOVE PUEBLO, CO | flow 107.0 ft³/s · quality 100 % (3) · no flooding | 68 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 #
18 wells in 2 named aquifers: Rio Grande aquifer system, Alluvial aquifers
Sites found: 18, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Alluvial aquifers | level 9,054 ft · 2019-11-13 | 49 km |
| CC03107211DBD | depth 194.0 ft · 1984-09-29 | 53 km |
| CC03107209BAA | depth 25.3 ft · 1984-09-29 | 54 km |
| CC03107214CAA | depth 159.5 ft · 1984-09-29 | 54 km |
| CC03107207DDA | depth 26.2 ft · 1984-09-29 | 58 km |
| NA03901236DCC1 EW16U | depth -5.36 ft · 1997-09-30 | 59 km |
| NA03901235BDB2 EW-17U | depth -1.42 ft · 1999-09-30 | 60 km |
| NA03701201DAA EW-8U | depth -65.9 ft · 1999-09-30 | 61 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 #
high (0.50)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.75 + 0.2×0.07 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$114.6 m in deposits at 2 offices of 2 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 5,047, highly concentrated. $88.1 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $63.8 m, grants $24.2 m), $51,253 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| NBH Bank | $62.8 m · 54.8% share · 1 office | |
| The First National Bank in Trinidad | $51.8 m · 45.2% share · 1 office | |
| Huerfano, CO | $88.1 m FY2026 · $51,253/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $63.4 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| NBH Bank | $62,810,000 | 54.8% | 1 |
| The First National Bank in Trinidad | $51,753,000 | 45.2% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 5,047 across 2 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 2 banks with deposits in the county = 54.8² + 45.2² = 5,047
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 | $54,199,366 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $16,058,234 |
| Department of Transportation | $14,292,774 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $950,190 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $700,719 |
| Department of Agriculture | $616,368 |
| Environmental Protection Agency | $600,000 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $296,746 |
| Department of the Interior | $220,902 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $90,208 |
| Department of Education | $26,872 |
That is $51,253 per covered job, against 1,718 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $88.1 m / 1,718 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $51,253
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 #
Huerfano County, CO: 10 findings, 1 at an alert level, 4 at a watch level and 5 noted
alertHuerfano County, CO's covered employment is -6.3% against a year earlier, an alert level here: covered employment at least 3 percent below the same quarter a year earlier (BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; 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 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- test: jobs.yoy.emp = -6.3 <= -3
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchHuerfano County, CO's covered employment is -6.3% 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 = -6.3 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchHuerfano County, CO's typical home value is -0.8% 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 = -0.8471692223687667 < 0
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; not an official level
watchHuerfano County, CO's years of wages of 5.6 scores 74 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 36 across Colorado counties, a gap of 38 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 38 = |74 across US counties - 36 across Colorado 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
watchHuerfano County, CO's typical home value of $269,002 scores 62 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 26 across Colorado counties, a gap of 35 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 35 = |62 across US counties - 26 across Colorado 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.