Bedford County, PA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 40.00, -78.49.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 43rd pct · 1,738th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 43rd pct · 38th of 67 Pennsylvania counties · median $233,681
- 70th pct · 903rd of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 74th pct · 18th of 67 Pennsylvania counties · median +3.4%
- US counties: not published this period
- Pennsylvania counties: not published this period
- 66th pct · 1,079th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 34th pct · 44th of 67 Pennsylvania counties · median 27,809
- 38th pct · 1,983rd of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 12th pct · 59th of 67 Pennsylvania counties · median $1,102
- 48th pct · 1,565th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 57th pct · 29th of 67 Pennsylvania counties · median 3.8
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 $217,882 (Aug 2026), +4.8% over one year, +17.5% over five
- 43rd pct · 1,738th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 43rd pct · 38th of 67 Pennsylvania counties · median $233,681
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Bedford County, PA | $217,882 · +4.8% 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
- Pennsylvania 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 $1,193 a month on $217,882 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,277 a month: 27.9% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $217,882 × 80% = $174,305, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,193/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $987 × 52 / 12 = $4,277) = 28% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $217,882 / ($987 × 52) = 4.2
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 #
16,143 jobs at 1,264 employers (2026 Q1); -0.8% jobs and +3.5% average weekly wage over the year
- 66th pct · 1,079th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 34th pct · 44th of 67 Pennsylvania counties · median 27,809
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Bedford County, PA | 16,143 jobs · $987/wk · -0.8% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 2,777 | $1,315 | 2.14 | +2.4% |
| Retail trade | 2,021 | $620 | 1.28 | -6.1% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 1,801 | $1,115 | 2.65 | -4.8% |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,627 | $393 | 1.12 | -1.5% |
| Construction | 1,285 | $1,248 | 1.52 | +1.5% |
| Other services | 514 | $653 | 1.07 | +4.9% |
| Finance and insurance | 353 | $1,707 | 0.54 | +7.6% |
| Administrative and waste services | 352 | $834 | 0.38 | -17.4% |
| Wholesale trade | 317 | $1,154 | 0.51 | +2.6% |
| Professional and technical services | 315 | $1,060 | 0.28 | +35.2% |
| Utilities | 165 | $1,938 | 2.59 | +200.0% |
| Management of companies | 85 | $2,071 | 0.31 | -15.0% |
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 #
8 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 8, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Raystown Lake near Huntingdon, PA | 786.3 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 64 km |
| SAVAGE RIVER RESERVOIR NEAR BLOOMINGTON, MD | 1,442 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 77 km |
| JENNINGS RANDOLPH LAKE NEAR ELK GARDEN, WV | 1,446 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 83 km |
| DEEP CREEK LAKE NEAR THAYERVILLE, MD | 2,459 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 88 km |
| Loyalhanna Creek Lake, PA | 3,652 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 96 km |
| Curwensville Lake near Curwensville, PA | 1,162 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 106 km |
| Foster Joseph Sayers Lake near Blanchard, PA | 630.0 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 139 km |
| Indian Rock Dam near York, PA | 372.2 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 149 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 #
50 gauges · 0 flooding · 8 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 12 stale
Sites found: 50, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Raystown Branch Juniata River at Wolfsburg, PA | stage 5.52 ft | 6 km |
| Dunning Creek at Belden, PA | flow 46.5 ft³/s · no flooding | 8 km |
| Wills Creek below Hyndman, PA | flow 23.0 ft³/s | 28 km |
| Raystown Branch Juniata River at Saxton, PA | flow 214.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 31 km |
| Bobs Creek near Pavia, PA | flow 16.0 ft³/s · STALE | 32 km |
| Tonoloway Creek near Needmore, PA | flow 0.42 ft³/s | 33 km |
| WILLS CREEK AT ELLERSLIE, MD | flow 150.0 ft³/s · STALE | 39 km |
| SIDELING HILL CREEK NEAR BELLEGROVE, MD | flow 0.91 ft³/s · no flooding | 41 km |
| POTOMAC RIVER AT HANCOCK, MD | flow 768.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 43 km |
| TONOLOWAY CREEK NEAR HANCOCK, MD | flow 5.48 ft³/s | 44 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 #
32 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 32, 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-400217078281901 | depth 22.9 ft · 2026-10-05 | 5 km |
| USGS-400225078280801 | depth 42.5 ft · 1977-08-24 | 5 km |
| USGS-395658078301601 | depth 72.3 ft · 1984-10-24 | 6 km |
| USGS-400450078303001 | depth 80.9 ft · 2005-09-29 | 9 km |
| USGS-400302078090401 | depth 0.36 ft · 1995-04-25 | 30 km |
| USGS-394755078135001 | depth 51.2 ft · 2026-10-05 | 32 km |
| USGS-401706078222801 | depth 126.7 ft · 1984-11-08 | 33 km |
| USGS-394024078273401 | depth 5.02 ft · 2012-10-21 | 36 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 #
$1.1 bn in deposits at 19 offices of 9 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,659, moderately concentrated. $370.6 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $339.5 m, grants $30.5 m), $22,960 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Hometown Bank of Pennsylvania | $358.0 m · 31.2% share · 5 offices | |
| First National Bank of Pennsylvania | $142.0 m · 12.4% share · 1 office | |
| First Commonwealth Bank | $140.6 m · 12.2% share · 2 offices | |
| Bedford, PA | $370.6 m FY2026 · $22,960/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $333.7 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hometown Bank of Pennsylvania | $358,012,000 | 31.2% | 5 |
| First National Bank of Pennsylvania | $142,003,000 | 12.4% | 1 |
| First Commonwealth Bank | $140,562,000 | 12.2% | 2 |
| Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company | $127,246,000 | 11.1% | 2 |
| Somerset Trust Company | $118,729,000 | 10.3% | 3 |
| Truist Bank | $103,235,000 | 9.0% | 2 |
| Altoona First Savings Bank | $84,540,000 | 7.4% | 2 |
| Community State Bank of Orbisonia | $40,918,000 | 3.6% | 1 |
| Dollar Bank, Federal Savings Bank | $33,614,000 | 2.9% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,659 across 9 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 9 banks with deposits in the county = 31.2² + 12.4² + 12.2² + … (6 more) = 1,659
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 | $297,872,771 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $31,405,302 |
| Department of Transportation | $23,367,552 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $5,117,514 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $4,429,814 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $3,347,309 |
| Department of Agriculture | $2,895,598 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $957,005 |
| Environmental Protection Agency | $797,000 |
| Department of Defense | $455,257 |
| Department of the Treasury | $17,212 |
| Department of the Interior | $3,700 |
That is $22,960 per covered job, against 16,143 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $370.6 m / 16,143 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $22,960
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 #
Bedford County, PA: 6 findings, 2 at a watch level and 4 noted
watchBedford County, PA's covered employment is -0.8% 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 = -0.8 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchBedford County, PA's covered employment of 16,143 scores 67 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 35 across Pennsylvania counties, a gap of 32 points.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 32 = |67 across US counties - 35 across Pennsylvania counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteBedford County, PA's average weekly wage was 3.5% 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
- +3.5 % = 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
noteBedford County, PA's covered employment was 0.8% 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
- -0.8 % = 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
noteBedford County, PA's typical home value rose 0.3% from $217,329 in July 2026 to $217,882 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.3% = (217881.73493948617 - 217328.6297856206) / 217328.6297856206 × 100
- 217881.73493948617 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 217328.6297856206 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
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.