Benzie County, MI
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 44.64, -86.23.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 87th pct · 389th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 93rd pct · 6th of 83 Michigan counties · median $226,891
- counties in the Traverse City metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 4 counties in the Traverse City metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 83rd pct · 496th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 58th pct · 35th of 83 Michigan counties · median +5.7%
- counties in the Traverse City metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 4 counties in the Traverse City metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- US counties: not published this period
- Michigan counties: not published this period
- counties in the Traverse City metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 4 counties in the Traverse City metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 35th pct · 2,070th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 21st pct · 65th of 83 Michigan counties · median 12,414
- counties in the Traverse City metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 4 counties in the Traverse City metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 17th pct · 2,650th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 17th pct · 69th of 83 Michigan counties · median $1,045
- counties in the Traverse City metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 4 counties in the Traverse City metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 95th pct · 134th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 98th pct · 2nd of 83 Michigan counties · median 4.1
- counties in the Traverse City metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 4 counties in the Traverse City metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
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 $412,460 (Aug 2026), +6.6% over one year, +31.6% over five
- 87th pct · 389th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 93rd pct · 6th of 83 Michigan counties · median $226,891
- counties in the Traverse City metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 4 counties in the Traverse City metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Benzie County, MI | $412,460 · +6.6% 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
- Michigan counties: not published this period
- counties in the Traverse City metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 4 counties in the Traverse City metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
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 $2,258 a month on $412,460 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $3,865 a month: 58.4% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $412,460 × 80% = $329,968, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $2,258/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $892 × 52 / 12 = $3,865) = 58% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $412,460 / ($892 × 52) = 8.9
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 #
4,728 jobs at 519 employers (2026 Q1); +7.0% jobs and +1.2% average weekly wage over the year
- 35th pct · 2,070th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 21st pct · 65th of 83 Michigan counties · median 12,414
- counties in the Traverse City metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 4 counties in the Traverse City metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Benzie County, MI | 4,728 jobs · $892/wk · +7.0% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and food services | 1,053 | $589 | 2.48 | -0.6% |
| Retail trade | 623 | $620 | 1.35 | +10.1% |
| Construction | 479 | $1,162 | 1.93 | +11.7% |
| Health care and social assistance | 427 | $1,174 | 0.60 | +1.9% |
| Manufacturing | 298 | $1,090 | 0.78 | +10.8% |
| Finance and insurance | 221 | $1,463 | 1.15 | +7.3% |
| Administrative and waste services | 182 | $947 | 0.68 | +45.6% |
| Other services | 144 | $731 | 1.02 | -2.0% |
| Professional and technical services | 128 | $761 | 0.39 | +10.3% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 60 | $908 | 0.77 | +3.4% |
| Educational services | 38 | $402 | 0.37 | +123.5% |
| Real estate and rental | 31 | $694 | 0.43 | +3.3% |
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 #
No reservoir gauges within 150 km (or the camera is above the gauge altitude)
Sites found: 0, 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.
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 #
9 gauges · 0 flooding · 5 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 2 stale
Sites found: 9, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| PLATTE RIVER AT HONOR, MI | flow 123.0 ft³/s | 16 km |
| CRYSTAL RIVER AT COUNTY HWY 675 NR GLEN ARBOR, MI | flow 33.0 ft³/s · STALE | 36 km |
| MANISTEE RIVER NEAR MANISTEE, MI | flow 2,120 ft³/s · STALE | 41 km |
| MANISTEE RIVER NEAR MESICK, MI | flow 1,050 ft³/s · quality 100 % (2) | 45 km |
| MANISTEE RIVER NEAR SHERMAN, MI | flow 955.0 ft³/s · quality 100 % (2) | 48 km |
| MANISTEE RIVER NEAR WELLSTON, MI | flow 1,490 ft³/s · quality 100 % (2) | 48 km |
| L MANISTEE R AT NINE MILE BRIDGE NR FREESOIL, MI | flow 125.0 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 53 km |
| PINE RIVER AT HIGH SCHOOL BRIDGE NR HOXEYVILLE, MI | flow 218.0 ft³/s · quality 100 % (2) | 61 km |
| BOARDMAN R ABOVE BROWN BRIDGE ROAD NR MAYFIELD, MI | flow 97.2 ft³/s | 63 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 #
2 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 2, 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-445011086031401 | depth 23.6 ft · 1992-04-13 | 26 km |
| USGS-443921085213501 | depth 24.2 ft · 2026-10-06 | 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 #
low (0.00)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.00 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$407.3 m in deposits at 6 offices of 3 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 4,386, highly concentrated. $168.4 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $157.9 m, grants $10.5 m), $35,617 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| State Savings Bank | $211.4 m · 51.9% share · 2 offices | |
| Honor Bank | $164.6 m · 40.4% share · 3 offices | |
| West Shore Bank | $31.3 m · 7.7% share · 1 office | |
| Benzie, MI | $168.4 m FY2026 · $35,617/job |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Savings Bank | $211,427,000 | 51.9% | 2 |
| Honor Bank | $164,600,000 | 40.4% | 3 |
| West Shore Bank | $31,307,000 | 7.7% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 4,386 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 = 51.9² + 40.4² + 7.7² = 4,386
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 #
That is $35,617 per covered job, against 4,728 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $168.4 m / 4,728 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $35,617
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 #
Benzie County, MI: 8 findings, 1 at a watch level and 7 noted
watchBenzie County, MI's years of wages of 8.9 ranks 134th 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 = 95.65643370346179 >= 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
noteBenzie County, MI's covered employment was 7.0% 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
- +7 % = 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
noteBenzie County, MI's average weekly wage was 1.2% 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
- +1.2 % = 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
noteBenzie County, MI's covered employment of +7.0% ranks 112th of 3,221 US counties, against a median of -0.2%.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 97 on the 0-to-100 scale across 3221 US counties that published jobs.yoy.emp
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteBenzie County, MI's typical home value of $412,460 ranks 6th of 83 Michigan counties, against a median of $226,891.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 94 on the 0-to-100 scale across 83 Michigan counties that published home.latest
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
Read all 8 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.