Mercer County, PA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 41.30, -80.25.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 29th pct · 2,171st of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 33rd pct · 45th of 67 Pennsylvania counties · median $233,681
- 27th pct · 2,221st of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 18th pct · 55th of 67 Pennsylvania counties · median +3.4%
- 2nd pct · 1,360th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 2nd pct · 47th of 48 Pennsylvania counties · median $1,349
- 81st pct · 582nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 57th pct · 29th of 67 Pennsylvania counties · median 27,809
- 64th pct · 1,130th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 56th pct · 30th of 67 Pennsylvania counties · median $1,102
- 23rd pct · 2,344th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 34th pct · 44th 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 $181,984 (Aug 2026), +0.8% over one year, +9.6% over five
- 29th pct · 2,171st of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 33rd pct · 45th of 67 Pennsylvania counties · median $233,681
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Mercer County, PA | $181,984 · +0.8% 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 #
Typical rent $871/mo (Aug 2026), +5.3% over one year; price-to-rent 17.4
- 2nd pct · 1,360th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 2nd pct · 47th of 48 Pennsylvania counties · median $1,349
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Mercer County, PA | $871/mo · +5.3% 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 $996 a month on $181,984 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,827 a month: 20.6% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $181,984 × 80% = $145,587, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $996/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,114 × 52 / 12 = $4,827) = 21% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $181,984 / ($1,114 × 52) = 3.1
- price-to-rent = $181,984 / ($871 × 12) = 17.4
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 #
42,143 jobs at 2,858 employers (2026 Q1); -0.4% jobs and +2.9% average weekly wage over the year
- 81st pct · 582nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 57th pct · 29th of 67 Pennsylvania counties · median 27,809
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Mercer County, PA | 42,143 jobs · $1,114/wk · -0.4% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 8,686 | $1,047 | 1.37 | +5.8% |
| Manufacturing | 7,831 | $1,467 | 2.31 | -2.6% |
| Retail trade | 5,303 | $630 | 1.29 | -3.8% |
| Accommodation and food services | 3,743 | $367 | 0.99 | -1.9% |
| Other services | 1,692 | $586 | 1.34 | +1.6% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 1,665 | $1,272 | 0.94 | +0.8% |
| Finance and insurance | 1,471 | $2,756 | 0.86 | +2.8% |
| Construction | 1,359 | $1,210 | 0.62 | -3.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 1,268 | $1,259 | 0.79 | +9.0% |
| Educational services | 943 | $1,085 | 1.04 | -8.3% |
| Professional and technical services | 879 | $1,572 | 0.30 | -0.2% |
| Administrative and waste services | 710 | $878 | 0.30 | -12.8% |
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 #
4 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 4, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pymatuning Reservoir at Pymatuning Dam, PA | 1,008 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 28 km |
| Lake Arthur at Moraine State Park, PA | 1,190 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 39 km |
| Loyalhanna Creek Lake, PA | 3,652 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 115 km |
| Curwensville Lake near Curwensville, PA | 1,162 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 150 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 #
48 gauges · 0 flooding · 21 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 8 stale
Sites found: 48, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Shenango River near Transfer, PA | flow 168.0 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 14 km |
| Little Shenango River at Greenville, PA | flow 25.0 ft³/s | 17 km |
| Shenango River at Sharpsville, PA | flow 190.0 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 19 km |
| Shenango River at Pymatuning Dam, PA | flow 138.0 ft³/s | 28 km |
| French Creek at Utica, PA | flow 395.0 ft³/s | 29 km |
| Pymatuning Creek at Kinsman OH | flow 87.0 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 32 km |
| Shenango River near West New Castle, PA | stage 5.58 ft · quality 100 % (1) | 33 km |
| Allegheny River at Franklin, PA | flow 4,900 ft³/s | 37 km |
| Mahoning River at Lowellville OH | flow 775.0 ft³/s · quality 100 % (3) | 38 km |
| French Creek at Meadville, PA | flow 241.0 ft³/s | 38 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 #
20 wells in 3 named aquifers: Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions), Mississippian aquifers, Pennsylvanian aquifers
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 |
|---|---|---|
| USGS-412350080223701 | depth 2.96 ft · 2005-09-29 | 15 km |
| USGS-412739080104201 | depth 25.5 ft · 2026-10-05 | 19 km |
| USGS-410538080280801 | depth 17.1 ft · 2026-10-05 | 29 km |
| USGS-411958079540202 | depth 112.4 ft · 2026-10-05 | 30 km |
| USGS-411958079540201 | depth 109.8 ft · 1971-02-18 | 30 km |
| USGS-413542080245001 | depth 27.5 ft · 1981-06-08 | 35 km |
| USGS-413542080245002 | depth 52.6 ft · 2026-10-05 | 35 km |
| USGS-410501079524401 | depth 6.24 ft · 2026-10-05 | 39 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 #
$2.8 bn in deposits at 30 offices of 9 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,353, highly concentrated. $812.9 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $765.5 m, grants $41.6 m), $19,290 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| First National Bank of Pennsylvania | $1.2 bn · 41.5% share · 9 offices | |
| PNC Bank, National Association | $446.5 m · 15.7% share · 4 offices | |
| Mercer County State Bank | $376.1 m · 13.2% share · 7 offices | |
| Mercer, PA | $812.9 m FY2026 · $19,290/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $749.6 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| First National Bank of Pennsylvania | $1,179,828,000 | 41.5% | 9 |
| PNC Bank, National Association | $446,539,000 | 15.7% | 4 |
| Mercer County State Bank | $376,146,000 | 13.2% | 7 |
| The Huntington National Bank | $273,931,000 | 9.6% | 3 |
| Greenville Savings Bank | $221,384,000 | 7.8% | 2 |
| Citizens Bank, National Association | $190,022,000 | 6.7% | 2 |
| Northwest Bank | $72,924,000 | 2.6% | 1 |
| The Farmers National Bank of Canfield | $56,442,000 | 2.0% | 1 |
| NEXTIER BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION | $26,299,000 | 0.9% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,353 across 9 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 9 banks with deposits in the county = 41.5² + 15.7² + 13.2² + … (6 more) = 2,353
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 | $676,513,326 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $66,647,556 |
| Department of Transportation | $25,537,385 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $14,932,486 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $12,304,982 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $7,223,269 |
| Department of Agriculture | $4,229,042 |
| Department of Education | $2,679,478 |
| Department of Justice | $1,188,274 |
| Department of Defense | $951,205 |
| General Services Administration | $263,376 |
| National Science Foundation | $190,000 |
That is $19,290 per covered job, against 42,143 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $812.9 m / 42,143 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $19,290
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 | -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 #
Mercer County, PA: 9 findings, 1 at a watch level and 8 noted
watchMercer County, PA's covered employment is -0.4% 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 = -0.4 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteMercer County, PA's average weekly wage was 2.9% 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
- +2.9 % = 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
noteMercer County, PA's typical asking rent rose 2.8% from $848 in July 2026 to $871 in August 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +2.8% = (871.2619047619047 - 847.7562527774483) / 847.7562527774483 × 100
- 871.2619047619047 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
- 847.7562527774483 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-07
noteMercer County, PA's covered employment was 0.4% 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
- -0.4 % = 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
noteMercer County, PA's typical home value fell 0.3% from $182,470 in July 2026 to $181,984 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- -0.3% = (181983.59383568287 - 182469.63039653553) / 182469.63039653553 × 100
- 181983.59383568287 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 182469.63039653553 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
Read all 9 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.