Berrien County, MI
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 41.79, -86.74.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 65th pct · 1,053rd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 81st pct · 16th of 83 Michigan counties · median $226,891
- counties in the Niles metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Niles metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 87th pct · 379th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 65th pct · 29th of 83 Michigan counties · median +5.7%
- counties in the Niles metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Niles metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 38th pct · 866th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 58th pct · 17th of 40 Michigan counties · median $1,338
- counties in the Niles metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Niles metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 85th pct · 455th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 85th pct · 13th of 83 Michigan counties · median 12,414
- counties in the Niles metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Niles metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 73rd pct · 842nd of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 78th pct · 19th of 83 Michigan counties · median $1,045
- counties in the Niles metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Niles metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 57th pct · 1,305th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 65th pct · 29th of 83 Michigan counties · median 4.1
- counties in the Niles metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Niles 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 $284,228 (Aug 2026), +7.3% over one year, +28.9% over five
- 65th pct · 1,053rd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 81st pct · 16th of 83 Michigan counties · median $226,891
- counties in the Niles metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Niles metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Berrien County, MI | $284,228 · +7.3% 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 $1,370/mo (Aug 2026), +4.1% over one year; price-to-rent 17.3
- 38th pct · 866th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 58th pct · 17th of 40 Michigan counties · median $1,338
- counties in the Niles metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Niles metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Berrien County, MI | $1,370/mo · +4.1% 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 $1,556 a month on $284,228 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $5,109 a month: 30.5% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $284,228 × 80% = $227,383, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,556/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,179 × 52 / 12 = $5,109) = 30% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $284,228 / ($1,179 × 52) = 4.6
- price-to-rent = $284,228 / ($1,370 × 12) = 17.3
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 #
58,305 jobs at 4,265 employers (2026 Q1); -0.9% jobs and +0.1% average weekly wage over the year
- 85th pct · 455th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 85th pct · 13th of 83 Michigan counties · median 12,414
- counties in the Niles metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Niles metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Berrien County, MI | 58,305 jobs · $1,179/wk · -0.9% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 10,738 | $1,596 | 2.29 | -0.3% |
| Health care and social assistance | 8,105 | $1,254 | 0.92 | +0.9% |
| Retail trade | 6,879 | $673 | 1.21 | -2.0% |
| Accommodation and food services | 6,133 | $445 | 1.17 | -4.2% |
| Administrative and waste services | 2,239 | $917 | 0.68 | -8.7% |
| Other services | 2,189 | $699 | 1.26 | +2.3% |
| Finance and insurance | 2,099 | $2,118 | 0.88 | +2.0% |
| Construction | 1,862 | $1,223 | 0.61 | +3.1% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 1,656 | $840 | 0.67 | +0.0% |
| Professional and technical services | 1,415 | $1,519 | 0.35 | +5.0% |
| Educational services | 1,378 | $714 | 1.10 | +4.7% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 615 | $581 | 0.64 | -7.4% |
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 #
Surface water layer not loaded
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 #
Surface water layer not loaded
Sites found: 0, 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.
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 #
No USGS monitoring wells within 75 km (or above 1,500 km)
Sites found: 0, 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.
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 / 0.35
Banks & federal dollars #
$2.2 bn in deposits at 33 offices of 8 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,768, moderately concentrated. $1.1 bn federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $1.1 bn, grants $35.0 m), $19,259 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Fifth Third Bank, National Association | $651.7 m · 29.1% share · 7 offices | |
| The Huntington National Bank | $393.4 m · 17.6% share · 9 offices | |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $350.1 m · 15.6% share · 3 offices | |
| Berrien, MI | $1.1 bn FY2026 · $19,259/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $1.0 bn · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fifth Third Bank, National Association | $651,717,000 | 29.1% | 7 |
| The Huntington National Bank | $393,430,000 | 17.6% | 9 |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $350,075,000 | 15.6% | 3 |
| Sturgis Bank & Trust Company | $266,968,000 | 11.9% | 3 |
| Horizon Bank | $247,691,000 | 11.1% | 4 |
| 1st Source Bank | $214,625,000 | 9.6% | 5 |
| Flagstar Bank, National Association | $63,131,000 | 2.8% | 1 |
| Old National Bank | $53,165,000 | 2.4% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,768 across 8 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 8 banks with deposits in the county = 29.1² + 17.6² + 15.6² + … (5 more) = 1,768
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 | $925,983,851 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $81,834,297 |
| Department of Transportation | $27,689,281 |
| Department of Homeland Security | $23,824,634 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $16,183,074 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $15,617,443 |
| Department of Agriculture | $9,709,394 |
| Department of Education | $7,025,295 |
| Department of the Interior | $5,558,081 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $5,520,777 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $2,148,802 |
| Department of Defense | $1,077,316 |
That is $19,259 per covered job, against 58,305 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $1.1 bn / 58,305 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $19,259
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 | 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 #
Berrien County, MI: 6 findings, 1 at a watch level and 5 noted
watchBerrien County, MI's covered employment is -0.9% 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 = -0.9 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteBerrien County, MI's covered employment was 0.9% lower 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
- -0.9 % = 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
noteBerrien County, MI's typical home value rose 0.4% from $283,076 in July 2026 to $284,228 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.4% = (284228.15958124754 - 283075.7446810782) / 283075.7446810782 × 100
- 284228.15958124754 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 283075.7446810782 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
noteBerrien County, MI's average weekly wage was 0.1% 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
- +0.1 % = 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
noteThe next Zillow ZHVI typical home value (monthly) covering Berrien County, MI is due between 2026-10-14 and 2026-10-21, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern.
Show the arithmetic
- window = 2026-10-14 to 2026-10-21, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern
estimated from the publisher's past release pattern; not an announced date
Read all 6 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.