Branch County, MI
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 41.92, -85.07.
Assembled 2026-10-07. Read the brief.
- 39th pct · 1,841st of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 39th pct · 51st of 83 Michigan counties · median $226,891
- 75th pct · 738th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 47th pct · 44th of 83 Michigan counties · median +5.7%
- 21st pct · 1,102nd of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 28th pct · 29th of 40 Michigan counties · median $1,338
- 65th pct · 1,103rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 60th pct · 33rd of 83 Michigan counties · median 12,414
- 59th pct · 1,301st of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 54th pct · 38th of 83 Michigan counties · median $1,045
- 36th pct · 1,943rd of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 30th pct · 58th of 83 Michigan counties · median 4.1
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 $208,565 (Aug 2026), +5.4% over one year, +12.2% over five
- 39th pct · 1,841st of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 39th pct · 51st of 83 Michigan counties · median $226,891
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Branch County, MI | $208,565 · +5.4% 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 $1,185/mo (Aug 2026), n/a over one year; price-to-rent 14.7
- 21st pct · 1,102nd of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 28th pct · 29th of 40 Michigan counties · median $1,338
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Branch County, MI | $1,185/mo · n/a 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 $1,142 a month on $208,565 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,702 a month: 24.3% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $208,565 × 80% = $166,852, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,142/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,085 × 52 / 12 = $4,702) = 24% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $208,565 / ($1,085 × 52) = 3.7
- price-to-rent = $208,565 / ($1,185 × 12) = 14.7
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 #
15,713 jobs at 882 employers (2026 Q1); +3.8% jobs and +1.3% average weekly wage over the year
- 65th pct · 1,103rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 60th pct · 33rd of 83 Michigan counties · median 12,414
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Branch County, MI | 15,713 jobs · $1,085/wk · +3.8% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 3,870 | $1,184 | 3.06 | +4.6% |
| Retail trade | 1,673 | $747 | 1.09 | +0.4% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 1,524 | $1,276 | 2.30 | +13.5% |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,488 | $428 | 1.05 | -4.8% |
| Wholesale trade | 725 | $1,211 | 1.20 | -0.7% |
| Other services | 612 | $2,065 | 1.30 | +46.1% |
| Construction | 504 | $1,034 | 0.61 | +4.6% |
| Finance and insurance | 491 | $1,539 | 0.77 | -3.9% |
| Administrative and waste services | 347 | $981 | 0.39 | +3.3% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 203 | $968 | 1.79 | +2.0% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 136 | $466 | 0.53 | -9.9% |
| Information | 92 | $972 | 0.32 | +5.7% |
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.
Water #
Banks & federal dollars #
$1.0 bn in deposits at 16 offices of 6 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 3,197, highly concentrated. $288.0 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $278.3 m, grants $9.6 m), $18,330 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Southern Michigan Bank & Trust | $485.2 m · 47.4% share · 6 offices | |
| Century Bank and Trust | $286.5 m · 28.0% share · 5 offices | |
| PNC Bank, National Association | $81.5 m · 8.0% share · 1 office | |
| Branch, MI | $288.0 m FY2026 · $18,330/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $268.2 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Michigan Bank & Trust | $485,160,000 | 47.4% | 6 |
| Century Bank and Trust | $286,524,000 | 28.0% | 5 |
| PNC Bank, National Association | $81,456,000 | 8.0% | 1 |
| Flagstar Bank, National Association | $79,096,000 | 7.7% | 1 |
| The Huntington National Bank | $59,900,000 | 5.9% | 2 |
| Sturgis Bank & Trust Company | $31,407,000 | 3.1% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 3,197 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 = 47.4² + 28.0² + 8.0² + … (3 more) = 3,197
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 | $245,127,410 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $22,020,540 |
| Department of Agriculture | $9,531,866 |
| Department of Transportation | $6,018,902 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $1,825,005 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $1,316,884 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $1,101,621 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $645,615 |
| Department of Justice | $436,540 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
That is $18,330 per covered job, against 15,713 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $288.0 m / 15,713 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $18,330
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 #
Branch County, MI: 7 findings, 7 noted
noteBranch County, MI's covered employment was 3.8% 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
- +3.8 % = 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
noteBranch County, MI's average weekly wage was 1.3% 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
- +1.3 % = 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
noteBranch County, MI's typical home value fell 0.3% from $209,273 in July 2026 to $208,565 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- -0.3% = (208565.04117801346 - 209273.10382340942) / 209273.10382340942 × 100
- 208565.04117801346 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 209273.10382340942 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
noteBranch County, MI's covered employment of +3.8% ranks 289th of 3,221 US counties, against a median of -0.2%.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 91 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
noteThe next Zillow ZHVI typical home value (monthly) covering Branch 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 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.