Bland County, VA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 37.13, -81.13.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 32nd pct · 2,056th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 17th pct · 110th of 133 Virginia counties · median $307,999
- 97th pct · 80th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 98th pct · 3rd of 133 Virginia counties · median +2.9%
- US counties: not published this period
- Virginia counties: not published this period
- 17th pct · 2,654th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 7th pct · 123rd of 133 Virginia counties · median 9,944
- 66th pct · 1,074th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 59th pct · 54th of 133 Virginia counties · median $1,048
- 26th pct · 2,259th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 15th pct · 113th of 133 Virginia counties · median 5.4
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 $190,166 (Aug 2026), +11.2% over one year, +24.8% over five
- 32nd pct · 2,056th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 17th pct · 110th of 133 Virginia counties · median $307,999
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Bland County, VA | $190,166 · +11.2% 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
- Virginia 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 $1,041 a month on $190,166 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,871 a month: 21.4% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $190,166 × 80% = $152,133, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,041/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,124 × 52 / 12 = $4,871) = 21% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $190,166 / ($1,124 × 52) = 3.3
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 #
2,172 jobs at 150 employers (2026 Q1); +4.5% jobs and +1.0% average weekly wage over the year
- 17th pct · 2,654th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 7th pct · 123rd of 133 Virginia counties · median 9,944
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Bland County, VA | 2,172 jobs · $1,124/wk · +4.5% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 820 | $1,300 | 4.69 | +18.5% |
| Retail trade | 126 | $530 | 0.60 | +14.5% |
| Wholesale trade | 73 | $1,367 | 0.88 | +0.0% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 62 | $1,205 | 0.68 | +0.0% |
| Professional and technical services | 61 | $2,162 | 0.41 | -9.0% |
| Administrative and waste services | 55 | $669 | 0.45 | -37.5% |
| Other services | 32 | $737 | 0.49 | +3.2% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | withheld | |||
| Mining, oil and gas | withheld | |||
| Construction | withheld | |||
| Finance and insurance | withheld | |||
| Educational services | withheld |
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 #
2 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 2, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| LITTLE RIVER RESERVOIR NEAR RADFORD, VA | 231.0 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 49 km |
| W. KERR SCOTT RESERVOIR AT DAM NR WILKESBORO, NC | 30.0 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 111 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 · 10 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 14 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 |
|---|---|---|
| BLUESTONE RIVER AT FALLS MILLS, VA | flow 17.3 ft³/s | 22 km |
| BRUSH CREEK NEAR PRINCETON, WV | stage 0.58 ft | 23 km |
| COX BRANCH AB TAZEWELL RESERVOIR NR GRATTON, VA | flow 39.0 ft³/s · STALE | 26 km |
| GLADE CREEK AT GRAHAMS FORGE, VA | flow 0.16 ft³/s · STALE | 30 km |
| REED CREEK AT GRAHAMS FORGE, VA | flow 107.0 ft³/s | 30 km |
| WOLF CREEK NEAR NARROWS, VA | flow 46.9 ft³/s | 31 km |
| PEAK CREEK AT PULASKI, VA | stage 2.63 ft · STALE | 32 km |
| EAST RIVER AT WILLOWTON, WV | flow 11.5 ft³/s | 32 km |
| BLUESTONE R NR SPANISHBURG, WV | flow 86.0 ft³/s | 34 km |
| NEW RIVER AT GLEN LYN, VA | flow 2,610 ft³/s | 36 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 #
16 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 16, 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-372322081241501 | depth 22.8 ft · 2026-10-05 | 38 km |
| USGS-371719080372901 | depth 102.1 ft · 2026-10-05 | 48 km |
| USGS-373602081203901 | depth 37.0 ft · 1979-11-30 | 56 km |
| USGS-373452081254301 | depth 17.6 ft · 1979-11-30 | 57 km |
| USGS-370812080261901 | depth 5.59 ft · 2026-10-05 | 61 km |
| USGS-373818081234301 | depth 49.6 ft · 1979-11-18 | 61 km |
| USGS-373701081271301 | depth 30.6 ft · 1983-01-11 | 61 km |
| USGS-373749081262701 | depth 5.32 ft · 1983-01-10 | 62 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 #
$43.8 m in deposits at 1 offices of 1 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 10,000, highly concentrated. $65.1 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $51.2 m, grants $12.1 m), $29,993 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| First Sentinel Bank | $43.8 m · 100.0% share · 1 office | |
| Bland, VA | $65.1 m FY2026 · $29,993/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $48.3 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Sentinel Bank | $43,817,000 | 100.0% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 10,000 across 1 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 1 banks with deposits in the county = 100.0² = 10,000
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 | $40,880,016 |
| Department of Transportation | $11,962,462 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $6,021,306 |
| Department of Agriculture | $2,742,727 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $1,875,345 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $1,317,143 |
| Department of Justice | $476,074 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $225,188 |
| General Services Administration | -$7,849 |
| Small Business Administration | -$19,887 |
| National Science Foundation | -$327,717 |
That is $29,993 per covered job, against 2,172 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $65.1 m / 2,172 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $29,993
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 #
Bland County, VA: 10 findings, 10 noted
noteBland County, VA's covered employment was 4.5% 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
- +4.5 % = 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
noteBland County, VA's average weekly wage was 1.0% 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 % = 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
noteBland County, VA's typical home value of +11.2% ranks 3rd of 133 Virginia counties, against a median of +2.9%.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 98 on the 0-to-100 scale across 133 Virginia counties that published home.yoyPct
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteBland County, VA's momentum index of 0.75 ranks 4th of 133 Virginia counties, against a median of 0.26.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 98 on the 0-to-100 scale across 133 Virginia counties that published momentum
- 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
noteBland County, VA's typical home value of +11.2% ranks 80th of 3,063 US counties, against a median of +2.9%.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 97 on the 0-to-100 scale across 3063 US counties that published home.yoyPct
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
Read all 10 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.