Mason County, WA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 47.35, -123.17.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 90th pct · 285th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 55th pct · 18th of 39 Washington counties · median $433,836
- 22nd pct · 2,369th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 42nd pct · 23rd of 39 Washington counties · median +0.4%
- 75th pct · 339th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 53rd pct · 14th of 29 Washington counties · median $1,767
- 64th pct · 1,160th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 39th pct · 24th of 39 Washington counties · median 18,771
- 74th pct · 812th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 47th pct · 21st of 39 Washington counties · median $1,237
- 90th pct · 300th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 65th pct · 14th 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 $451,737 (Aug 2026), +0.2% over one year, +9.4% over five
- 90th pct · 285th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 55th pct · 18th of 39 Washington counties · median $433,836
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Mason County, WA | $451,737 · +0.2% 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 #
Typical rent $1,837/mo (Aug 2026), +6.7% over one year; price-to-rent 20.5
- 75th pct · 339th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 53rd pct · 14th of 29 Washington counties · median $1,767
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Mason County, WA | $1,837/mo · +6.7% 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 $2,473 a month on $451,737 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $5,144 a month: 48.1% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $451,737 × 80% = $361,389, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $2,473/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,187 × 52 / 12 = $5,144) = 48% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $451,737 / ($1,187 × 52) = 7.3
- price-to-rent = $451,737 / ($1,837 × 12) = 20.5
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 #
14,645 jobs at 1,267 employers (2026 Q1); -0.4% jobs and +3.5% average weekly wage over the year
- 64th pct · 1,160th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 39th pct · 24th of 39 Washington counties · median 18,771
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Mason County, WA | 14,645 jobs · $1,187/wk · -0.4% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 1,699 | $783 | 1.19 | +6.6% |
| Health care and social assistance | 1,451 | $929 | 0.66 | +0.7% |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,312 | $613 | 1.00 | -2.5% |
| Manufacturing | 831 | $977 | 0.71 | -21.6% |
| Construction | 633 | $902 | 0.82 | +1.6% |
| Other services | 486 | $805 | 1.11 | +0.2% |
| Wholesale trade | 405 | $1,211 | 0.72 | +30.6% |
| Professional and technical services | 357 | $1,829 | 0.35 | +0.0% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 299 | $935 | 0.48 | +30.0% |
| Finance and insurance | 288 | $1,394 | 0.48 | +5.5% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 139 | $735 | 0.58 | -9.7% |
| Information | 105 | $2,062 | 0.39 | +23.5% |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| WYNOOCHEE LAKE NEAR GRISDALE, WA | 18,240 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 33 km |
| LAKE TAPPS NEAR SUMNER, WA | 40,020 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 75 km |
| MUD MOUNTAIN LAKE NEAR BUCKLEY, WA | 19.5 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 97 km |
| HOWARD A HANSON RESERVOIR NEAR PALMER, WA | 22,390 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 105 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 #
137 gauges · 0 flooding · 52 with quality panels averaging 88 % · 79 stale
Sites found: 137, 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-473253122203201 | temp 12.5 °C · quality 50 % (2) · STALE | 66 km |
| USGS-473322122390701 | temp 15.6 °C · quality 50 % (2) · STALE | 45 km |
| USGS-473317122392101 | temp 14.4 °C · quality 50 % (2) · STALE | 45 km |
| USGS-473319122390701 | temp 15.9 °C · quality 50 % (2) · STALE | 45 km |
| USGS-473308122393701 | temp 16.8 °C · quality 50 % (2) · STALE | 45 km |
| USGS-473333122203701 | temp 13.8 °C · quality 50 % (2) · STALE | 67 km |
| USGS-473316122392401 | temp 16.4 °C · quality 50 % (2) · STALE | 45 km |
| USGS-473310122393101 | temp 15.9 °C · quality 50 % (2) · STALE | 45 km |
| SKOKOMISH RIVER BYPASS AT HWY101 NR POTLATCH, WA | stage 24.3 ft · STALE | 4 km |
| SKOKOMISH RIVER NEAR POTLATCH, WA | flow 339.0 ft³/s | 5 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-471032122292701 | depth 34.8 ft · 2020-01-08 | 55 km |
| USGS-465033122570202 | depth 24.5 ft · 2024-07-10 | 59 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 (0.04)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.12 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$372.0 m in deposits at 6 offices of 4 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,725, highly concentrated. $573.2 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $557.4 m, grants $14.0 m), $39,140 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| KeyBank National Association | $122.7 m · 33.0% share · 2 offices | |
| Heritage Bank | $113.7 m · 30.6% share · 2 offices | |
| Columbia Bank | $84.1 m · 22.6% share · 1 office | |
| Mason, WA | $573.2 m FY2026 · $39,140/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $534.6 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| KeyBank National Association | $122,719,000 | 33.0% | 2 |
| Heritage Bank | $113,701,000 | 30.6% | 2 |
| Columbia Bank | $84,091,000 | 22.6% | 1 |
| Olympia Federal Savings and Loan Association | $51,481,000 | 13.8% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,725 across 4 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 4 banks with deposits in the county = 33.0² + 30.6² + 22.6² + … (1 more) = 2,725
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 | $451,952,773 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $80,821,205 |
| Department of the Interior | $19,122,672 |
| Department of Transportation | $5,527,453 |
| Department of Agriculture | $3,756,845 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $3,189,517 |
| Department of Justice | $2,030,928 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $1,895,949 |
| Department of Education | $1,724,871 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $1,062,813 |
| Department of Defense | $624,639 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $580,441 |
That is $39,140 per covered job, against 14,645 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $573.2 m / 14,645 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $39,140
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 | -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 #
Mason County, WA: 10 findings, 4 at a watch level and 6 noted
watchMason County, WA'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
watchMason County, WA's years of wages of 7.3 ranks 300th of 3,063 US counties, a watch level here: years of wages in the top tenth of US counties (position among the counties that published both a ZHVI value and a QCEW average weekly wage; 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: yearsOfWages percentile = 90.23514043109078 >= 90
- typical home value / (average weekly wage × 52); one average covered job, not a household
position among the counties that published both a ZHVI value and a QCEW average weekly wage; not an official level
watchMason County, WA's price-to-rent ratio of 20.5 scores 77 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 25 across Washington counties, a gap of 52 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 52 = |77 across US counties - 25 across Washington counties|
- typical home value / (typical rent × 12); Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchMason County, WA's typical home value of $451,737 scores 91 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 55 across Washington counties, a gap of 35 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 35 = |91 across US counties - 55 across Washington counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteMason County, WA'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
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.