Cecil County, MD
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 39.56, -75.94.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 83rd pct · 492nd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 39th pct · 15th of 24 Maryland counties · median $420,593
- 50th pct · 6th of 11 counties in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro · median $384,545
- 32nd pct · 2,069th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 69th pct · 8th of 24 Maryland counties · median +1.0%
- 10th pct · 10th of 11 counties in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro · median +2.7%
- 77th pct · 318th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 36th pct · 13th of 20 Maryland counties · median $1,960
- 30th pct · 8th of 11 counties in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro · median $2,009
- 80th pct · 639th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 43rd pct · 14th of 24 Maryland counties · median 44,580
- 10th pct · 10th of 11 counties in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro · median 217,338
- 86th pct · 437th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 60th pct · 10th of 24 Maryland counties · median $1,216
- 20th pct · 9th of 11 counties in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro · median $1,505
- 73rd pct · 813th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 43rd pct · 14th of 24 Maryland counties · median 5.8
- 70th pct · 4th of 11 counties in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro · median 4.8
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 $384,545 (Aug 2026), +1.4% over one year, +20.9% over five
- 83rd pct · 492nd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 39th pct · 15th of 24 Maryland counties · median $420,593
- 50th pct · 6th of 11 counties in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro · median $384,545
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Cecil County, MD | $384,545 · +1.4% 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 $1,864/mo (Aug 2026), +1.2% over one year; price-to-rent 17.2
- 77th pct · 318th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 36th pct · 13th of 20 Maryland counties · median $1,960
- 30th pct · 8th of 11 counties in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro · median $2,009
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Cecil County, MD | $1,864/mo · +1.2% 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 $2,105 a month on $384,545 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $5,733 a month: 36.7% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $384,545 × 80% = $307,636, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $2,105/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,323 × 52 / 12 = $5,733) = 37% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $384,545 / ($1,323 × 52) = 5.6
- price-to-rent = $384,545 / ($1,864 × 12) = 17.2
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 #
36,711 jobs at 2,110 employers (2026 Q1); -0.3% jobs and +6.0% average weekly wage over the year
- 80th pct · 639th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 43rd pct · 14th of 24 Maryland counties · median 44,580
- 10th pct · 10th of 11 counties in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro · median 217,338
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Cecil County, MD | 36,711 jobs · $1,323/wk · -0.3% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 4,417 | $1,694 | 1.50 | -6.3% |
| Retail trade | 3,726 | $710 | 1.04 | -0.5% |
| Health care and social assistance | 3,691 | $1,262 | 0.67 | +0.2% |
| Accommodation and food services | 3,050 | $464 | 0.92 | +0.1% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 2,788 | $1,249 | 1.80 | +7.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 2,494 | $1,457 | 1.77 | +7.5% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 1,839 | $676 | 3.04 | -5.8% |
| Administrative and waste services | 1,456 | $1,075 | 0.70 | -5.3% |
| Construction | 1,366 | $1,357 | 0.71 | +4.8% |
| Other services | 936 | $790 | 0.85 | -2.6% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 757 | $793 | 2.85 | +1.7% |
| Professional and technical services | 516 | $1,524 | 0.20 | -3.9% |
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 #
No drought class at this point (USDM covers the United States only)
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 #
3 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 3, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| USGS-01574700 | 372.2 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 80 km |
| Blue Marsh Lake near Bernville, PA | 290.1 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 91 km |
| Beltzville Lake near Parryville, PA | 628.1 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 145 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 #
229 gauges · 0 flooding · 79 with quality panels averaging 94 % · 67 stale
Sites found: 229, 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-01483050 | temp 21.9 °C · quality 50 % (2) · STALE | 42 km |
| USGS-01483511 | temp 15.8 °C · quality 50 % (2) · STALE | 47 km |
| USGS-01478137 | flow 0.57 ft³/s · quality 67 % (3) | 32 km |
| USGS-01589485 | flow -17.6 ft³/s · quality 80 % (5) · out of service · STALE | 65 km |
| Cohansey River at Greenwich NJ | temp 19.6 °C · quality 50 % (2) · no flooding | 55 km |
| USGS-01482695 | flow 60,100 ft³/s · quality 50 % (2) | 28 km |
| USGS-01482800 | turb. 53.0 FNU · quality 70 % (5) | 33 km |
| USGS-01482100 | flow 125,000 ft³/s · quality 67 % (3) | 39 km |
| USGS-01484085 | flow -3,090 ft³/s · quality 75 % (4) · no flooding | 73 km |
| USGS-01483177 | DO 8.30 mg/l · quality 75 % (4) | 30 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 #
161 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 161, 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-392556075590001 | level 2.80 ft · 2010-12-22 | 15 km |
| USGS-392556075590002 | level 0.76 ft · 2010-12-22 | 15 km |
| USGS-392550075593901 | level 2.60 ft · 2010-12-22 | 15 km |
| USGS-392548075593802 | level 0.72 ft · 2010-12-22 | 15 km |
| USGS-392536075591901 | level 4.81 ft · 2010-12-22 | 16 km |
| USGS-392536075592001 | level 6.38 ft · 2010-12-22 | 16 km |
| USGS-392537075593002 | level 3.41 ft · 2011-03-17 | 16 km |
| USGS-392537075593001 | level 5.96 ft · 2011-03-17 | 16 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 (0.02)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.06 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$1.3 bn in deposits at 14 offices of 7 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,761, highly concentrated. $685.0 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $634.3 m, contracts $38.3 m), $18,660 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| PNC Bank, National Association | $592.0 m · 46.5% share · 4 offices | |
| Fulton Bank, National Association | $198.2 m · 15.6% share · 1 office | |
| The Ephrata National Bank | $190.0 m · 14.9% share · 4 offices | |
| Cecil, MD | $685.0 m FY2026 · $18,660/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $620.3 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| PNC Bank, National Association | $591,967,000 | 46.5% | 4 |
| Fulton Bank, National Association | $198,190,000 | 15.6% | 1 |
| The Ephrata National Bank | $189,959,000 | 14.9% | 4 |
| First National Bank of Pennsylvania | $89,945,000 | 7.1% | 1 |
| Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company | $86,927,000 | 6.8% | 1 |
| Truist Bank | $59,688,000 | 4.7% | 1 |
| Harford Bank | $57,630,000 | 4.5% | 2 |
Deposit concentration is 2,761 across 7 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 7 banks with deposits in the county = 46.5² + 15.6² + 14.9² + … (4 more) = 2,761
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 | $521,171,424 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $105,260,731 |
| Department of Transportation | $16,075,416 |
| Department of Defense | $11,680,859 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $10,412,587 |
| Department of Energy | $8,673,136 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $8,308,623 |
| Department of Agriculture | $2,675,828 |
| Department of Education | $1,702,705 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $1,627,902 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $1,553,004 |
| Environmental Protection Agency | $1,231,716 |
That is $18,660 per covered job, against 36,711 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $685.0 m / 36,711 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $18,660
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 | 12.69 | 2026-10-05 | +3.3% |
| 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 | 2026-10-06 | +0.0% |
| 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 | 3.00 | 2026-10-06 | -50.0% |
| Shanghai to Los Angeles container rate · $ per 40 ft box | 7,848.00 | 2026-09-01 | +14.9% |
| 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 | -105,572.00 | 2026-08-01 | -13.7% |
| 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 #
Cecil County, MD: 13 findings, 6 at a watch level and 7 noted
watchCecil County, MD's covered employment is -0.3% 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 = -0.3 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchCecil County, MD's typical home value of $384,545 scores 84 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 39 across Maryland counties, a gap of 45 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 45 = |84 across US counties - 39 across Maryland counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchCecil County, MD's typical asking rent of $1,864 scores 77 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 37 across Maryland counties, a gap of 40 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 40 = |77 across US counties - 37 across Maryland counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchCecil County, MD's typical home value of +1.4% scores 32 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 70 across Maryland counties, a gap of 37 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 37 = |32 across US counties - 70 across Maryland counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchCecil County, MD's covered employment of 36,711 scores 80 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 43 across Maryland counties, a gap of 37 points.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 37 = |80 across US counties - 43 across Maryland counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
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.