Wexford County, MI
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 44.33, -85.57.
Assembled 2026-10-07. Read the brief.
- 50th pct · 1,519th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 56th pct · 37th of 83 Michigan counties · median $226,891
- 65th pct · 1,043rd of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 28th pct · 60th of 83 Michigan counties · median +5.7%
- US counties: not published this period
- Michigan counties: not published this period
- 61st pct · 1,240th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 54th pct · 38th of 83 Michigan counties · median 12,414
- 62nd pct · 1,214th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 60th pct · 33rd of 83 Michigan counties · median $1,045
- 46th pct · 1,633rd of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 51st pct · 41st 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 $235,448 (Aug 2026), +4.4% over one year, +29.4% over five
- 50th pct · 1,519th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 56th pct · 37th of 83 Michigan counties · median $226,891
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Wexford County, MI | $235,448 · +4.4% 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 #
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
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 $1,289 a month on $235,448 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,762 a month: 27.1% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $235,448 × 80% = $188,359, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,289/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,099 × 52 / 12 = $4,762) = 27% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $235,448 / ($1,099 × 52) = 4.1
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 #
13,023 jobs at 927 employers (2026 Q1); +0.6% jobs and +1.9% average weekly wage over the year
- 61st pct · 1,240th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 54th pct · 38th of 83 Michigan counties · median 12,414
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Wexford County, MI | 13,023 jobs · $1,099/wk · +0.6% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 2,874 | $1,585 | 2.74 | -4.6% |
| Health care and social assistance | 1,856 | $1,017 | 0.95 | +8.9% |
| Retail trade | 1,842 | $687 | 1.45 | +2.4% |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,138 | $439 | 0.97 | -0.7% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 531 | $924 | 0.97 | +0.2% |
| Administrative and waste services | 432 | $1,413 | 0.58 | +0.2% |
| Other services | 405 | $655 | 1.04 | -7.3% |
| Construction | 258 | $927 | 0.38 | +2.4% |
| Finance and insurance | 186 | $1,234 | 0.35 | +3.3% |
| Information | 176 | $1,231 | 0.73 | -2.8% |
| Educational services | 125 | $604 | 0.45 | +0.8% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 124 | $1,132 | 1.32 | -11.4% |
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 #
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 #
20 gauges · 0 flooding · 7 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 2 stale
Sites found: 20, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| MANISTEE RIVER NEAR SHERMAN, MI | flow 955.0 ft³/s · quality 100 % (2) | 16 km |
| MANISTEE RIVER NEAR MESICK, MI | flow 1,070 ft³/s · quality 100 % (2) | 20 km |
| PINE RIVER AT HIGH SCHOOL BRIDGE NR HOXEYVILLE, MI | flow 220.0 ft³/s · quality 100 % (2) | 22 km |
| EAST BRANCH PINE RIVER NEAR TUSTIN, MI | flow 12.4 ft³/s | 26 km |
| MANISTEE RIVER NEAR WELLSTON, MI | flow 1,510 ft³/s · quality 100 % (2) | 31 km |
| BOARDMAN R ABOVE BROWN BRIDGE ROAD NR MAYFIELD, MI | flow 97.2 ft³/s | 38 km |
| CLAM RIVER AT VOGEL CENTER, MI | flow 62.0 ft³/s | 44 km |
| L MANISTEE R AT NINE MILE BRIDGE NR FREESOIL, MI | flow 125.0 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 46 km |
| TWIN CREEK AT EIGHT MILE ROAD NEAR EVART, MI | flow 3.51 ft³/s | 50 km |
| MANISTEE RIVER NEAR MANISTEE, MI | flow 2,120 ft³/s · STALE | 50 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 #
6 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 6, 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-441503084242201 | depth 23.0 ft · 1967-07-12 | 16 km |
| USGS-443921085213501 | depth 24.2 ft · 2026-10-06 | 40 km |
| USGS-435657085171201 | depth 65.8 ft · 2026-10-06 | 48 km |
| USGS-435615085173501 | depth 55.8 ft · 2026-10-06 | 49 km |
| USGS-445011086031401 | depth 23.6 ft · 1992-04-13 | 68 km |
| USGS-443925084445301 | depth 7.78 ft · 1973-12-31 | 75 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 #
$627.6 m in deposits at 9 offices of 5 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,362, highly concentrated. $364.0 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $237.3 m, contracts $118.7 m), $27,948 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| The Huntington National Bank | $184.5 m · 29.4% share · 2 offices | |
| Fifth Third Bank, National Association | $141.4 m · 22.5% share · 2 offices | |
| Mercantile Bank | $140.7 m · 22.4% share · 2 offices | |
| Wexford, MI | $364.0 m FY2026 · $27,948/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $234.8 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Huntington National Bank | $184,501,000 | 29.4% | 2 |
| Fifth Third Bank, National Association | $141,383,000 | 22.5% | 2 |
| Mercantile Bank | $140,659,000 | 22.4% | 2 |
| Horizon Bank | $136,418,000 | 21.7% | 2 |
| Honor Bank | $24,668,000 | 3.9% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,362 across 5 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 5 banks with deposits in the county = 29.4² + 22.5² + 22.4² + … (2 more) = 2,362
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 | $206,050,534 |
| Department of Defense | $116,877,080 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $27,870,882 |
| Department of Transportation | $7,079,483 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $1,981,948 |
| General Services Administration | $1,641,721 |
| Department of Agriculture | $1,038,138 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $831,367 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $320,000 |
| Department of Education | $294,107 |
| Department of Justice | $0 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
That is $27,948 per covered job, against 13,023 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $364.0 m / 13,023 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $27,948
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 #
Wexford County, MI: 6 findings, 2 at a watch level and 4 noted
watchWexford County, MI's typical home value of +4.4% scores 66 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 28 across Michigan counties, a gap of 38 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 38 = |66 across US counties - 28 across Michigan counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchWexford County, MI's momentum index of 0.32 scores 62 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 32 across Michigan counties, a gap of 31 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 31 = |62 across US counties - 32 across Michigan counties|
- momentum = Σ wᵢ · clip(changeᵢ / scaleᵢ, −1, 1) / Σ wᵢ over the terms present; weights and scales: home value 1-yr change 0.3 (±10%), rent 1-yr change 0.15 (±10%), jobs over-the-year change 0.3 (±3%), avg weekly wage over-the-year change 0.25 (±6%)
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteWexford County, MI's average weekly wage was 1.9% 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
- +1.9 % = 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
noteWexford County, MI's covered employment was 0.6% 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
- +0.6 % = 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 Wexford 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.