Rio Grande County, CO
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 37.49, -106.45.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 75th pct · 759th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 36th pct · 40th of 62 Colorado counties · median $450,011
- 38th pct · 1,884th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 60th pct · 25th of 62 Colorado counties · median +0.2%
- US counties: not published this period
- Colorado counties: not published this period
- 33rd pct · 2,155th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 41st pct · 38th of 64 Colorado counties · median 4,853
- 35th pct · 2,074th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 25th pct · 48th of 64 Colorado counties · median $1,075
- 83rd pct · 514th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 47th pct · 33rd 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 $326,240 (Aug 2026), +1.9% over one year, +34.9% over five
- 75th pct · 759th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 36th pct · 40th of 62 Colorado counties · median $450,011
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Rio Grande County, CO | $326,240 · +1.9% 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 $1,786 a month on $326,240 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,221 a month: 42.3% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $326,240 × 80% = $260,992, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,786/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $974 × 52 / 12 = $4,221) = 42% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $326,240 / ($974 × 52) = 6.4
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 #
4,240 jobs at 514 employers (2026 Q1); -0.2% jobs and +4.4% average weekly wage over the year
- 33rd pct · 2,155th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 41st pct · 38th of 64 Colorado counties · median 4,853
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Rio Grande County, CO | 4,240 jobs · $974/wk · -0.2% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 756 | $808 | 24.69 | -0.1% |
| Accommodation and food services | 381 | $387 | 1.00 | -0.3% |
| Retail trade | 374 | $590 | 0.91 | -1.8% |
| Wholesale trade | 278 | $1,694 | 1.71 | -7.3% |
| Construction | 186 | $839 | 0.84 | +2.2% |
| Manufacturing | 179 | $1,079 | 0.52 | +17.8% |
| Other services | 119 | $879 | 0.94 | +11.2% |
| Finance and insurance | 98 | $1,734 | 0.57 | -3.0% |
| Professional and technical services | 91 | $915 | 0.31 | -9.0% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 79 | $815 | 0.44 | -2.5% |
| Utilities | 72 | $1,521 | 4.30 | +5.9% |
| Real estate and rental | 61 | $2,364 | 0.94 | +19.6% |
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 #
6 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 6, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| VALLECITO RESERVOIR NEAR BAYFIELD, CO. | 40,320 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 100 km |
| LEMON RESERVOIR NEAR DURANGO CO | 22,420 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 107 km |
| COSTILLA RESERVOIR NEAR COSTILLA, NM | 1,034 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 124 km |
| SILVER JACK RESERVOIR NEAR CIMARRON, CO | 1,148 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 127 km |
| RIDGWAY RESERVOIR NEAR RIDGWAY, CO | 64,820 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 142 km |
| TAYLOR PARK RESERVOIR AT TAYLOR PARK, CO. | 51,520 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 149 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 · 2 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 19 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 |
|---|---|---|
| ALAMOSA RIVER ABOVE JASPER, CO | flow 20.0 ft³/s · STALE | 8 km |
| ALAMOSA RIVER BELOW CASTLEMAN GULCH NEAR JASPER | flow 29.0 ft³/s · STALE | 9 km |
| WIGHTMAN FORK AT MOUTH NEAR JASPER, CO | flow 5.40 ft³/s · STALE | 11 km |
| ALAMOSA RIVER ABOVE WIGHTMAN FORK NEAR JASPER, CO | flow 13.0 ft³/s · STALE | 11 km |
| WIGHTMAN FORK BEL CROPSY CREEK AT SUMMITVILLE, CO | flow 2.90 ft³/s · STALE | 13 km |
| RIO GRANDE NEAR DEL NORTE, CO | flow 875.0 ft³/s · STALE | 23 km |
| EF SAN JUAN R AB SAND CREEK, NR PAGOSA SPGS, CO. | flow 17.0 ft³/s · STALE | 36 km |
| WINDY PASS CR NR PAGOSA SPR, CO. | flow 0.01 ft³/s · STALE | 38 km |
| WOLF CR AT WOLF CR CAMPGR NR PAGOSA SPR, CO | flow 21.0 ft³/s · STALE | 39 km |
| W FK SAN JUAN R AT W FK CAMPGR NR PAGOSA SPR, CO | flow 73.0 ft³/s · STALE | 41 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 #
30 wells in 1 named aquifer: Rio Grande aquifer system
Sites found: 30, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| NA04001016DDC2 EW-34C | depth -18.0 ft · 1999-09-30 | 57 km |
| NA04001016DDC1 EW-34U | depth -9.42 ft · 1999-09-30 | 57 km |
| USGS-374549105540202 | depth -10.2 ft · 1997-09-30 | 58 km |
| USGS-374549105540201 | depth 7.26 ft · 1984-09-29 | 58 km |
| NA03901001DDD2 EW-32C | depth -9.45 ft · 1997-09-30 | 59 km |
| NA03901001DDD1 EW-32U | depth 3.79 ft · 1984-09-29 | 59 km |
| NA04001010AAA2 EW-35C | depth 8.67 ft · 1984-09-29 | 60 km |
| NA04001010AAA1 EW-35U | depth 9.41 ft · 1984-09-29 | 60 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 #
moderate (0.48)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.75 + 0.2×0.00 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$401.8 m in deposits at 6 offices of 6 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,828, highly concentrated. $96.5 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $83.0 m, grants $11.8 m), $22,753 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Del Norte Bank | $105.0 m · 26.1% share · 1 office | |
| San Luis Valley Federal Bank | $80.9 m · 20.1% share · 1 office | |
| RG Bank, A Savings and Loan Association | $64.7 m · 16.1% share · 1 office | |
| Rio Grande, CO | $96.5 m FY2026 · $22,753/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $80.9 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Del Norte Bank | $104,997,000 | 26.1% | 1 |
| San Luis Valley Federal Bank | $80,920,000 | 20.1% | 1 |
| RG Bank, A Savings and Loan Association | $64,666,000 | 16.1% | 1 |
| Sunflower Bank, National Association | $58,517,000 | 14.6% | 1 |
| First Southwest Bank | $50,326,000 | 12.5% | 1 |
| NBH Bank | $42,353,000 | 10.5% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,828 across 6 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 6 banks with deposits in the county = 26.1² + 20.1² + 16.1² + … (3 more) = 1,828
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 | $70,672,779 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $12,711,001 |
| Department of Transportation | $6,661,928 |
| Department of Agriculture | $2,882,283 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $2,210,769 |
| Department of the Interior | $695,707 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $328,820 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $160,318 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $86,233 |
| Department of Education | $63,842 |
| Environmental Protection Agency | $0 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
That is $22,753 per covered job, against 4,240 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $96.5 m / 4,240 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $22,753
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 #
Rio Grande County, CO: 7 findings, 4 at a watch level and 3 noted
watchRio Grande County, CO's covered employment is -0.2% 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 = -0.2 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchRio Grande County, CO's typical home value of $326,240 scores 75 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 36 across Colorado counties, a gap of 39 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 39 = |75 across US counties - 36 across Colorado counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchRio Grande County, CO's years of wages of 6.4 scores 83 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 48 across Colorado counties, a gap of 36 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 36 = |83 across US counties - 48 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
watchRio Grande County, CO's covered employment of -0.2% scores 51 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 82 across Colorado counties, a gap of 31 points.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 31 = |51 across US counties - 82 across Colorado counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteRio Grande County, CO's average weekly wage was 4.4% 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
- +4.4 % = 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 7 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.