Lewis County, WA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 46.58, -122.38.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 89th pct · 332nd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 50th pct · 20th of 39 Washington counties · median $433,836
- 35th pct · 1,975th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 86th pct · 6th of 39 Washington counties · median +0.4%
- 51st pct · 676th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 21st pct · 23rd of 29 Washington counties · median $1,767
- 76th pct · 761st of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 60th pct · 16th of 39 Washington counties · median 18,771
- 80th pct · 640th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 52nd pct · 19th of 39 Washington counties · median $1,237
- 86th pct · 425th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 52nd pct · 19th of 39 Washington counties · median 6.7
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 $433,836 (Aug 2026), +1.6% over one year, +16.1% over five
- 89th pct · 332nd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 50th pct · 20th of 39 Washington counties · median $433,836
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Lewis County, WA | $433,836 · +1.6% 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 $1,515/mo (Aug 2026), +5.3% over one year; price-to-rent 23.9
- 51st pct · 676th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 21st pct · 23rd of 29 Washington counties · median $1,767
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Lewis County, WA | $1,515/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 $2,375 a month on $433,836 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $5,369 a month: 44.2% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $433,836 × 80% = $347,069, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $2,375/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,239 × 52 / 12 = $5,369) = 44% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $433,836 / ($1,239 × 52) = 6.7
- price-to-rent = $433,836 / ($1,515 × 12) = 23.9
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 #
27,353 jobs at 2,260 employers (2026 Q1); +1.0% jobs and +7.6% average weekly wage over the year
- 76th pct · 761st of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 60th pct · 16th of 39 Washington counties · median 18,771
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Lewis County, WA | 27,353 jobs · $1,239/wk · +1.0% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 4,354 | $1,290 | 1.06 | +1.9% |
| Retail trade | 3,758 | $863 | 1.41 | +1.2% |
| Manufacturing | 3,344 | $1,373 | 1.52 | +1.1% |
| Accommodation and food services | 2,449 | $526 | 1.00 | +0.7% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 1,441 | $1,177 | 1.25 | +3.0% |
| Construction | 1,382 | $1,336 | 0.96 | -0.9% |
| Wholesale trade | 1,261 | $2,617 | 1.20 | -7.6% |
| Administrative and waste services | 874 | $1,312 | 0.56 | +3.1% |
| Other services | 690 | $753 | 0.84 | +33.5% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 685 | $989 | 3.47 | -3.8% |
| Professional and technical services | 543 | $1,314 | 0.29 | -4.6% |
| Finance and insurance | 392 | $1,595 | 0.35 | +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 #
D0 abnormally dry
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 |
|---|---|---|
| MUD MOUNTAIN LAKE NEAR BUCKLEY, WA | 19.5 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 71 km |
| LAKE TAPPS NEAR SUMNER, WA | 40,020 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 75 km |
| HOWARD A HANSON RESERVOIR NEAR PALMER, WA | 22,460 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 90 km |
| WYNOOCHEE LAKE NEAR GRISDALE, WA | 18,260 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 129 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 #
95 gauges · 0 flooding · 10 with quality panels averaging 97 % · 35 stale
Sites found: 95, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| TILTON RIVER AB BEAR CANYON CREEK NEAR CINEBAR, WA | flow 61.6 ft³/s | 7 km |
| COWLITZ RIVER BELOW MAYFIELD DAM, WA | flow 3,660 ft³/s | 20 km |
| SOUTH FORK NEWAUKUM RIVER NEAR ONALASKA, WA | flow 35.4 ft³/s | 24 km |
| COWLITZ RIVER NEAR KOSMOS, WA | flow 688.0 ft³/s | 24 km |
| COWLITZ RIVER NEAR RANDLE, WA | flow 6,450 ft³/s · STALE | 25 km |
| MINERAL CREEK NEAR MINERAL, WA | flow 21.9 ft³/s | 25 km |
| SKOOKUMCHUCK RIVER NEAR VAIL, WA | flow 21.6 ft³/s | 27 km |
| NISQUALLY RIVER AT LA GRANDE DAM, WA | flow 82.4 ft³/s | 28 km |
| NF TOUTLE RIVER BELOW SRS NEAR KID VALLEY, WA | flow 55.4 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 28 km |
| NISQUALLY RIVER AT LA GRANDE, WA | flow 735.0 ft³/s | 29 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 #
2 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 2, 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-465033122570202 | depth 24.5 ft · 2024-07-10 | 53 km |
| USGS-471032122292701 | depth 34.8 ft · 2020-01-08 | 67 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 (0.01)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.03 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$857.8 m in deposits at 10 offices of 7 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,010, highly concentrated. $677.5 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $625.5 m, grants $45.1 m), $24,769 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Columbia Bank | $274.1 m · 32.0% share · 1 office | |
| Timberland Bank | $162.4 m · 18.9% share · 3 offices | |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $123.5 m · 14.4% share · 1 office | |
| Lewis, WA | $677.5 m FY2026 · $24,769/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $613.4 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Bank | $274,077,000 | 32.0% | 1 |
| Timberland Bank | $162,404,000 | 18.9% | 3 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $123,472,000 | 14.4% | 1 |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $122,208,000 | 14.2% | 1 |
| KeyBank National Association | $114,529,000 | 13.4% | 2 |
| WaFd Bank | $55,243,000 | 6.4% | 1 |
| Olympia Federal Savings and Loan Association | $5,896,000 | 0.7% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,010 across 7 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 7 banks with deposits in the county = 32.0² + 18.9² + 14.4² + … (4 more) = 2,010
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 | $523,033,523 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $86,682,773 |
| Department of Transportation | $38,626,822 |
| Department of the Interior | $6,319,690 |
| Department of Education | $5,812,161 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $5,785,196 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $4,203,017 |
| Department of Agriculture | $4,098,963 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $1,313,788 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $1,095,719 |
| Environmental Protection Agency | $331,457 |
| Department of Defense | $197,412 |
That is $24,769 per covered job, against 27,353 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $677.5 m / 27,353 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $24,769
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 #
Lewis County, WA: 11 findings, 5 at a watch level and 6 noted
watchLewis County, WA's price-to-rent ratio of 23.9 ranks 131st of 1,399 US counties, a watch level here: price-to-rent in the top tenth of US counties (position among the counties that published both ZHVI and ZORI this month; not an official level). The previous published period is not in this table, so this is a standing level rather than a change.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- test: priceToRent percentile = 90.70100143061516 >= 90
- typical home value / (typical rent × 12); Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month
position among the counties that published both ZHVI and ZORI this month; not an official level
watchLewis County, WA's typical home value of +1.6% scores 36 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 87 across Washington counties, a gap of 51 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 51 = |36 across US counties - 87 across Washington counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchLewis County, WA's typical home value of $433,836 scores 89 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 50 across Washington counties, a gap of 39 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 39 = |89 across US counties - 50 across Washington counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchLewis County, WA's years of wages of 6.7 scores 86 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 53 across Washington counties, a gap of 34 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 34 = |86 across US counties - 53 across Washington counties|
- typical home value / (average weekly wage × 52); one average covered job, not a household
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchLewis County, WA's typical asking rent of $1,515 scores 52 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 21 across Washington counties, a gap of 30 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 30 = |52 across US counties - 21 across Washington counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
Read all 11 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.