Pitkin County, CO
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 39.22, -106.92.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 99th pct · 2nd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 100th pct · 1st of 62 Colorado counties · median $450,011
- 93rd pct · 196th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 100th pct · 1st of 62 Colorado counties · median +0.2%
- 100th pct · 1st of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 100th pct · 1st of 35 Colorado counties · median $1,975
- 70th pct · 956th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 74th pct · 17th of 64 Colorado counties · median 4,853
- 95th pct · 161st of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 88th pct · 8th of 64 Colorado counties · median $1,075
- 99th pct · 2nd of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 100th pct · 1st 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 $2.6 m (Aug 2026), +9.0% over one year, +47.0% over five
- 99th pct · 2nd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 100th pct · 1st of 62 Colorado counties · median $450,011
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Pitkin County, CO | $2.6 m · +9.0% 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 $14,561/mo (Aug 2026), +15.6% over one year; price-to-rent 15.0
- 100th pct · 1st of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 100th pct · 1st of 35 Colorado counties · median $1,975
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Pitkin County, CO | $14,561/mo · +15.6% 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 $14,342 a month on $2,620,251 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $7,033 a month: 203.9% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $2.6 m × 80% = $2.1 m, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $14,342/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,623 × 52 / 12 = $7,033) = 204% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $2.6 m / ($1,623 × 52) = 31.0
- price-to-rent = $2.6 m / ($14,561 × 12) = 15.0
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 #
19,181 jobs at 2,103 employers (2026 Q1); -1.5% jobs and +5.7% average weekly wage over the year
- 70th pct · 956th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 74th pct · 17th of 64 Colorado counties · median 4,853
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Pitkin County, CO | 19,181 jobs · $1,623/wk · -1.5% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and food services | 5,205 | $1,288 | 3.02 | -0.6% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 3,579 | $1,348 | 11.33 | -0.7% |
| Retail trade | 1,468 | $1,363 | 0.79 | -6.4% |
| Real estate and rental | 1,172 | $1,532 | 3.99 | -7.4% |
| Administrative and waste services | 867 | $1,266 | 0.80 | -5.6% |
| Other services | 838 | $1,372 | 1.46 | -1.3% |
| Professional and technical services | 834 | $2,500 | 0.63 | -4.5% |
| Construction | 733 | $2,327 | 0.73 | -1.2% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 427 | $820 | 0.53 | -3.2% |
| Health care and social assistance | 340 | $1,482 | 0.12 | -9.8% |
| Educational services | 262 | $1,641 | 0.63 | +11.5% |
| Finance and insurance | 227 | $8,971 | 0.29 | -9.9% |
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 #
9 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 9, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| PAONIA RESERVOIR NEAR BARDINE, CO | 364.4 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 48 km |
| TAYLOR PARK RESERVOIR AT TAYLOR PARK, CO. | 51,520 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 52 km |
| VEGA RESERVOIR NEAR COLLBRAN, CO | 2,836 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 77 km |
| CRAWFORD RESERVOIR NEAR CRAWFORD, CO | 1,165 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 84 km |
| RIFLE GAP RESERVOIR NEAR RIFLE, CO | 1,721 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 85 km |
| FRUIT GROWERS RESERVOIR NEAR ORCHARD CITY, CO | 79.8 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 100 km |
| WOLFORD MTN RESERVOIR NR KREMMLING, CO | 19,430 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 108 km |
| SILVER JACK RESERVOIR NEAR CIMARRON, CO | 1,148 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 122 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 #
136 gauges · 0 flooding · 45 with quality panels averaging 96 % · 64 stale
Sites found: 136, 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-393259107194801 | stage 5.67 ft · quality 70 % (5) | 51 km |
| ANTHRACITE CREEK ABOVE MOUTH NEAR SOMERSET | flow 47.6 ft³/s · quality 50 % (2) | 49 km |
| OWL CREEK NEAR ASPEN, CO. | flow 0.18 ft³/s · STALE | 3 km |
| Roaring Fork River below Aspen | no readings | 5 km |
| ROARING FORK RIVER BLW MAROON CREEK NR ASPEN, CO | flow 124.0 ft³/s · quality 100 % (2) | 5 km |
| MAROON CREEK NEAR ASPEN, CO. | flow 40.1 ft³/s | 7 km |
| CASTLE CREEK AT ASPEN, CO | flow 42.6 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) · STALE | 8 km |
| Hunter Creek near Aspen, CO | observation not current | 9 km |
| Snowmass Creek near Snowmass | no readings | 9 km |
| CASTLE CREEK ABOVE QUEENS GULCH NEAR ASPEN, CO | flow 50.2 ft³/s | 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 #
10 wells in 1 named aquifer: Alluvial aquifers
Sites found: 10, 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-385109106565701 | level 8,759 ft · 2024-04-16 | 41 km |
| USGS-384542106515101 | level 8,359 ft · 2026-07-20 | 51 km |
| USGS-384540106513001 | level 8,376 ft · 2026-07-20 | 51 km |
| USGS-384538106503101 | level 8,686 ft · 2026-07-21 | 51 km |
| USGS-390900106191901 | level 9,247 ft · 2026-07-14 | 52 km |
| Alluvial aquifers | level 8,278 ft · 2026-07-20 | 53 km |
| Alluvial aquifers | level 8,246 ft · 2026-07-21 | 54 km |
| Alluvial aquifers | level 7,793 ft · 2026-07-20 | 69 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 (0.65)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×1.00 + 0.2×0.04 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$1.9 bn in deposits at 12 offices of 10 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,272, highly concentrated. $130.1 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $80.5 m, grants $48.9 m), $6,785 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Alpine Bank | $790.7 m · 41.9% share · 3 offices | |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $290.8 m · 15.4% share · 1 office | |
| Zions Bancorporation, N.A. | $173.7 m · 9.2% share · 1 office | |
| Pitkin, CO | $130.1 m FY2026 · $6,785/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $80.1 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine Bank | $790,668,000 | 41.9% | 3 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $290,834,000 | 15.4% | 1 |
| Zions Bancorporation, N.A. | $173,691,000 | 9.2% | 1 |
| Timberline Bank | $151,729,000 | 8.0% | 1 |
| U.S. Bank National Association | $121,564,000 | 6.4% | 1 |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $113,548,000 | 6.0% | 1 |
| NBH Bank | $95,251,000 | 5.0% | 1 |
| ANB Bank | $85,615,000 | 4.5% | 1 |
| PNC Bank, National Association | $37,709,000 | 2.0% | 1 |
| First Western Trust Bank | $26,710,000 | 1.4% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,272 across 10 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 10 banks with deposits in the county = 41.9² + 15.4² + 9.2² + … (7 more) = 2,272
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 | $78,677,829 |
| Department of Transportation | $47,771,255 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $1,407,861 |
| Department of the Interior | $942,189 |
| Department of Justice | $486,884 |
| Department of Agriculture | $313,395 |
| National Science Foundation | $309,375 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $206,521 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $15,000 |
| Department of Defense | $10,000 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
| Department of Commerce | $0 |
That is $6,785 per covered job, against 19,181 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $130.1 m / 19,181 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $6,785
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 #
Pitkin County, CO: 19 findings, 5 at a watch level and 14 noted
watchPitkin County, CO's years of wages is 31.0, 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 = 31.047105089786495 >= 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
watchPitkin County, CO's years of wages of 31.0 ranks 2nd 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 = 99.96734160679294 >= 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
watchPitkin County, CO's typical asking rent is +15.6% against a year earlier, a watch level here: typical asking rent at least 8 percent above a year ago (arithmetic on Zillow ZORI; 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: rent.yoyPct = 15.626039651547174 >= 8
arithmetic on Zillow ZORI; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchPitkin County, CO's covered employment is -1.5% 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 = -1.5 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchPitkin County, CO's typical asking rent rose 5.8% from $13,769 in July 2026 to $14,561 in August 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +5.8% = (14561.111111111111 - 13769.17114550787) / 13769.17114550787 × 100
- 14561.111111111111 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
- 13769.17114550787 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-07
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.