Sierra County, NM
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 33.12, -107.19.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 29th pct · 2,152nd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 31st pct · 21st of 30 New Mexico counties · median $223,584
- 56th pct · 1,324th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 79th pct · 7th of 30 New Mexico counties · median +1.3%
- US counties: not published this period
- New Mexico counties: not published this period
- 27th pct · 2,322nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 28th pct · 24th of 33 New Mexico counties · median 8,227
- 15th pct · 2,729th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 18th pct · 27th of 33 New Mexico counties · median $968
- 44th pct · 1,698th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 48th pct · 16th of 30 New Mexico counties · median 4.2
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 $183,170 (Aug 2026), +3.5% over one year, +11.9% over five
- 29th pct · 2,152nd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 31st pct · 21st of 30 New Mexico counties · median $223,584
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Sierra County, NM | $183,170 · +3.5% 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
- New Mexico 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 $1,003 a month on $183,170 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $3,796 a month: 26.4% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $183,170 × 80% = $146,536, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,003/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $876 × 52 / 12 = $3,796) = 26% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $183,170 / ($876 × 52) = 4.0
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 #
3,460 jobs at 365 employers (2026 Q1); 0.0% jobs and +1.3% average weekly wage over the year
- 27th pct · 2,322nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 28th pct · 24th of 33 New Mexico counties · median 8,227
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Sierra County, NM | 3,460 jobs · $876/wk · 0.0% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 474 | $582 | 1.41 | +0.4% |
| Accommodation and food services | 444 | $424 | 1.43 | +0.7% |
| Construction | 247 | $1,204 | 1.36 | +17.1% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 88 | $1,949 | 0.60 | +72.5% |
| Administrative and waste services | 88 | $699 | 0.45 | +4.8% |
| Manufacturing | 74 | $972 | 0.27 | -2.6% |
| Other services | 72 | $360 | 0.70 | +7.5% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 69 | $576 | 1.21 | +1.5% |
| Finance and insurance | 59 | $1,036 | 0.42 | -9.2% |
| Real estate and rental | 29 | $509 | 0.55 | +20.8% |
| Utilities | 27 | $1,701 | 1.98 | +3.8% |
| Information | 16 | $1,497 | 0.25 | -11.1% |
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 #
D1 moderate drought
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 #
4 % of conservation capacity, weighted over 1 TWDB reservoirs
Sites found: 1, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Elephant Butte Lake | 4 % full · 1,986k ac-ft | 4 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 #
13 gauges · 0 flooding · 8 with quality panels averaging 53 % · 9 stale
Sites found: 13, 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-324955107180901 | temp 18.5 °C · quality 50 % (2) · STALE | 34 km |
| USGS-324955107180902 | DO 0.20 mg/l · quality 50 % (4) · STALE | 34 km |
| USGS-324007107095501 | DO 0.00 mg/l · quality 50 % (4) · STALE | 50 km |
| USGS-325002107181201 | temp 20.7 °C · quality 50 % (2) · STALE | 33 km |
| USGS-323917107031601 | temp 19.3 °C · quality 50 % (2) · STALE | 53 km |
| USGS-323802107024101 | temp 19.4 °C · quality 50 % (2) · STALE | 56 km |
| USGS-323733107011002 | DO 0.10 mg/l · quality 50 % (4) · STALE | 57 km |
| RIO GRANDE BELOW ELEPHANT BUTTE DAM, NM | flow 1.23 ft³/s | 4 km |
| RIO GRANDE AT NARROWS IN ELEPHANT BUTTE RES., NM | flow 3,010 ft³/s | 30 km |
| USGS-324122107120802 | temp 19.1 °C · quality 75 % (2) · STALE | 48 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 #
10 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 10, 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-325002107181201 | depth 15.5 ft · 2025-09-24 | 33 km |
| USGS-324955107180902 | depth 13.0 ft · 2019-05-14 | 34 km |
| USGS-324955107180901 | depth 12.9 ft · 2019-05-19 | 34 km |
| USGS-324122107120802 | depth 14.0 ft · 2026-07-29 | 48 km |
| USGS-324021107114301 | depth 14.2 ft · 2011-04-05 | 50 km |
| USGS-324007107095501 | depth 13.8 ft · 2019-05-14 | 50 km |
| USGS-323930107041401 | depth 17.0 ft · 2016-08-03 | 52 km |
| USGS-323802107024101 | depth 12.7 ft · 2026-02-18 | 56 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 #
high (0.55)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.25 + 0.3×0.96 + 0.2×0.47 / 0.85
Banks & federal dollars #
$212.9 m in deposits at 4 offices of 3 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 3,399, highly concentrated. $149.2 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $111.8 m, grants $25.3 m), $43,108 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Citizens Bank of Las Cruces | $82.2 m · 38.6% share · 1 office | |
| First Savings Bank | $72.8 m · 34.2% share · 1 office | |
| Bank of the Southwest | $57.9 m · 27.2% share · 2 offices | |
| Sierra, NM | $149.2 m FY2026 · $43,108/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $108.2 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Citizens Bank of Las Cruces | $82,199,000 | 38.6% | 1 |
| First Savings Bank | $72,794,000 | 34.2% | 1 |
| Bank of the Southwest | $57,942,000 | 27.2% | 2 |
Deposit concentration is 3,399 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 = 38.6² + 34.2² + 27.2² = 3,399
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 | $91,614,644 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $30,783,154 |
| Department of Transportation | $10,810,195 |
| Department of the Interior | $10,453,845 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $3,877,643 |
| Department of Agriculture | $792,537 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $770,265 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $50,000 |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | $0 |
That is $43,108 per covered job, against 3,460 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $149.2 m / 3,460 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $43,108
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 | 12.28 | 2026-10-04 | -0.1% |
| 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 #
Sierra County, NM: 2 findings, 2 noted
noteSierra County, NM'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
noteThe next Zillow ZHVI typical home value (monthly) covering Sierra County, NM 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
Every finding is produced by a fixed rule table and a fixed sentence for each rule. Nothing here is generated prose.