Lake County, CO
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 39.21, -106.35.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 94th pct · 177th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 62nd pct · 24th of 62 Colorado counties · median $450,011
- 40th pct · 1,808th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 63rd pct · 23rd of 62 Colorado counties · median +0.2%
- 94th pct · 72nd of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 79th pct · 8th of 35 Colorado counties · median $1,975
- 24th pct · 2,433rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 36th pct · 41st of 64 Colorado counties · median 4,853
- 89th pct · 348th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 80th pct · 13th of 64 Colorado counties · median $1,075
- 89th pct · 336th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 59th pct · 26th 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 $516,004 (Aug 2026), +2.2% over one year, +27.0% over five
- 94th pct · 177th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 62nd pct · 24th of 62 Colorado counties · median $450,011
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Lake County, CO | $516,004 · +2.2% 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 $2,556/mo (Aug 2026), n/a over one year; price-to-rent 16.8
- 94th pct · 72nd of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 79th pct · 8th of 35 Colorado counties · median $1,975
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Lake County, CO | $2,556/mo · n/a 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 $2,824 a month on $516,004 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $6,028 a month: 46.9% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $516,004 × 80% = $412,803, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $2,824/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,391 × 52 / 12 = $6,028) = 47% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $516,004 / ($1,391 × 52) = 7.1
- price-to-rent = $516,004 / ($2,556 × 12) = 16.8
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 #
3,010 jobs at 304 employers (2026 Q1); -0.4% jobs and +8.8% average weekly wage over the year
- 24th pct · 2,433rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 36th pct · 41st of 64 Colorado counties · median 4,853
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Lake County, CO | 3,010 jobs · $1,391/wk · -0.4% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and food services | 413 | $574 | 1.53 | -2.8% |
| Retail trade | 221 | $642 | 0.75 | +0.5% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 202 | $695 | 4.08 | -17.2% |
| Health care and social assistance | 169 | $1,293 | 0.37 | -4.5% |
| Construction | 153 | $1,343 | 0.97 | -5.0% |
| Real estate and rental | 62 | $674 | 1.34 | +19.2% |
| Educational services | 60 | $977 | 0.93 | +27.7% |
| Other services | 54 | $805 | 0.60 | +0.0% |
| Professional and technical services | 49 | $1,513 | 0.24 | -2.0% |
| Finance and insurance | 16 | $1,170 | 0.13 | -5.9% |
| Unclassified | 8 | $422 | 1.25 | +100.0% |
| Information | 7 | $1,266 | 0.13 | +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 #
D4 exceptional 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 #
8 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 8, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| TAYLOR PARK RESERVOIR AT TAYLOR PARK, CO. | 51,520 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 48 km |
| PAONIA RESERVOIR NEAR BARDINE, CO | 364.4 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 91 km |
| WOLFORD MTN RESERVOIR NR KREMMLING, CO | 19,420 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 101 km |
| CRAWFORD RESERVOIR NEAR CRAWFORD, CO | 1,164 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 123 km |
| VEGA RESERVOIR NEAR COLLBRAN, CO | 2,836 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 126 km |
| RIFLE GAP RESERVOIR NEAR RIFLE, CO | 1,721 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 130 km |
| FRUIT GROWERS RESERVOIR NEAR ORCHARD CITY, CO | 79.8 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 145 km |
| SILVER JACK RESERVOIR NEAR CIMARRON, CO | 1,146 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 150 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 #
157 gauges · 0 flooding · 45 with quality panels averaging 99 % · 81 stale
Sites found: 157, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| CALIFORNIA GULCH AT MALTA, CO. | flow 2.40 ft³/s · STALE | 2 km |
| HALFMOON CR BL HALFMOON DIVERSION NR LEADVILLE, CO | flow 6.82 ft³/s · STALE | 4 km |
| ARKANSAS RIVER NEAR LEADVILLE, CO | flow 12.6 ft³/s · no flooding | 5 km |
| HALFMOON CREEK NEAR MALTA, CO | temp 8.80 °C · quality 100 % (1) | 5 km |
| USGS-391435106230801 | flow 0.10 ft³/s · STALE | 5 km |
| USGS-391504106225200 | flow 0.27 ft³/s · STALE | 6 km |
| USGS-391517106223801 | flow 0.06 ft³/s · STALE | 6 km |
| USGS-390900106191901 | temp 8.30 °C · quality 100 % (1) · STALE | 7 km |
| EF ARKANSAS R AT US HIGHWAY 24, NR LEADVILLE, CO. | flow 13.0 ft³/s | 8 km |
| LEADVILLE MINE DRAINAGE TUNNEL AT LEADVILLE, CO | flow 2.80 ft³/s · STALE | 9 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 #
13 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 13, 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-390900106191901 | level 9,247 ft · 2026-07-14 | 7 km |
| USGS-385201106085801 | level 8,011 ft · 2026-07-15 | 41 km |
| USGS-384933106064301 | level 7,870 ft · 2026-07-15 | 47 km |
| USGS-384336106093301 | level 8,058 ft · 2026-07-15 | 56 km |
| USGS-384322106095401 | level 8,275 ft · 2026-07-15 | 56 km |
| USGS-385109106565701 | level 8,759 ft · 2024-04-16 | 65 km |
| USGS-384538106503101 | level 8,686 ft · 2026-07-21 | 65 km |
| USGS-384540106513001 | level 8,376 ft · 2026-07-20 | 66 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 (0.64)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×1.00 + 0.2×0.01 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$170.6 m in deposits at 3 offices of 3 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 4,415, highly concentrated. $31.2 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $27.7 m, contracts $2.7 m), $10,382 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| NBH Bank | $102.3 m · 59.9% share · 1 office | |
| High Plains Bank | $39.5 m · 23.1% share · 1 office | |
| PB&T Bank | $28.9 m · 16.9% share · 1 office | |
| Lake, CO | $31.2 m FY2026 · $10,382/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $27.5 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| NBH Bank | $102,281,000 | 59.9% | 1 |
| High Plains Bank | $39,500,000 | 23.1% | 1 |
| PB&T Bank | $28,850,000 | 16.9% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 4,415 across 3 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 3 banks with deposits in the county = 59.9² + 23.1² + 16.9² = 4,415
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 | $24,254,700 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $3,059,615 |
| Department of the Interior | $2,568,454 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $843,393 |
| Department of Agriculture | $259,025 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $135,478 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $93,788 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $84,281 |
| Small Business Administration | $47,138 |
| Department of Transportation | -$96,028 |
That is $10,382 per covered job, against 3,010 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $31.2 m / 3,010 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $10,382
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 #
Lake County, CO: 13 findings, 4 at a watch level and 9 noted
watchLake County, CO's covered employment is -0.4% 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 = -0.4 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchLake County, CO's price-to-rent ratio of 16.8 scores 47 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 3 across Colorado counties, a gap of 44 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 44 = |47 across US counties - 3 across Colorado counties|
- typical home value / (typical rent × 12); Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchLake County, CO's typical home value of $516,004 scores 94 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 62 across Colorado counties, a gap of 32 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 32 = |94 across US counties - 62 across Colorado counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchLake County, CO's years of wages of 7.1 scores 89 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 59 across Colorado counties, a gap of 30 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 30 = |89 across US counties - 59 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
noteLake County, CO's average weekly wage was 8.8% higher than the same quarter a year earlier in 2026 Q1, on BLS QCEW's published over-the-year change.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- +8.8 % = BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change for 2026 Q1, as published
- the newest QCEW file carries no year-earlier level, so no move from one level to another is printed
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published
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.