Whitman County, WA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 46.91, -117.54.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 77th pct · 700th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 21st pct · 31st of 39 Washington counties · median $433,836
- 47th pct · 1,598th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 94th pct · 3rd of 39 Washington counties · median +0.4%
- 28th pct · 1,003rd of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 0th pct · 29th of 29 Washington counties · median $1,767
- 69th pct · 974th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 50th pct · 20th of 39 Washington counties · median 18,771
- 89th pct · 341st of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 78th pct · 9th of 39 Washington counties · median $1,237
- 57th pct · 1,300th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 5th pct · 37th 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 $337,711 (Aug 2026), +2.7% over one year, +17.0% over five
- 77th pct · 700th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 21st pct · 31st of 39 Washington counties · median $433,836
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Whitman County, WA | $337,711 · +2.7% 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 $1,274/mo (Aug 2026), +1.7% over one year; price-to-rent 22.1
- 28th pct · 1,003rd of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 0th pct · 29th of 29 Washington counties · median $1,767
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Whitman County, WA | $1,274/mo · +1.7% 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 $1,849 a month on $337,711 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $6,058 a month: 30.5% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $337,711 × 80% = $270,169, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,849/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,398 × 52 / 12 = $6,058) = 31% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $337,711 / ($1,398 × 52) = 4.6
- price-to-rent = $337,711 / ($1,274 × 12) = 22.1
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 #
18,771 jobs at 1,216 employers (2026 Q1); +0.7% jobs and +6.6% average weekly wage over the year
- 69th pct · 974th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 50th pct · 20th of 39 Washington counties · median 18,771
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Whitman County, WA | 18,771 jobs · $1,398/wk · +0.7% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 3,388 | $1,998 | 2.24 | +14.6% |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,493 | $434 | 0.89 | +0.3% |
| Health care and social assistance | 1,462 | $1,114 | 0.52 | -8.3% |
| Retail trade | 1,210 | $721 | 0.66 | +0.8% |
| Professional and technical services | 589 | $1,927 | 0.45 | -5.6% |
| Wholesale trade | 526 | $1,640 | 0.73 | +6.7% |
| Construction | 504 | $1,186 | 0.51 | +14.5% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 378 | $777 | 2.79 | -0.8% |
| Other services | 262 | $781 | 0.47 | -11.8% |
| Real estate and rental | 214 | $683 | 0.74 | -13.0% |
| Finance and insurance | 172 | $1,949 | 0.22 | +5.5% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 134 | $494 | 0.43 | +65.4% |
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 #
D2 severe drought
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 #
No reservoir gauges within 150 km (or the camera is above the gauge altitude)
Sites found: 0, 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.
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 #
21 gauges · 0 flooding · 5 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 11 stale
Sites found: 21, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| PALOUSE RIVER BELOW SOUTH FORK AT COLFAX, WA | flow 28.0 ft³/s · STALE | 13 km |
| SOUTH FORK PALOUSE RIVER AT COLFAX, WA | flow 15.0 ft³/s · STALE | 13 km |
| REBEL FLAT CREEK AT WINONA, WA | flow 2.30 ft³/s · STALE | 20 km |
| SNAKE RIVER (RIGHT BANK) BL LOWER GRANITE DAM, WA | temp 18.7 °C · quality 100 % (1) · STALE | 28 km |
| SOUTH FORK PALOUSE RIVER AT PULLMAN, WA | flow 3.98 ft³/s | 33 km |
| PINE CREEK AT PINE CITY ROAD AT PINE CITY, WA | flow 1.50 ft³/s · STALE | 33 km |
| PARADISE CREEK AT HWY8 NEAR MOSCOW, ID | flow 3.03 ft³/s | 43 km |
| PALOUSE RIVER NR POTLATCH, ID | flow 6.99 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 44 km |
| PALOUSE RIVER AT HOOPER, WA | flow 40.8 ft³/s | 49 km |
| HANGMAN CREEK AT STATE LINE ROAD NEAR TEKOA, WA | flow 1.27 ft³/s | 50 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 #
No USGS monitoring wells within 75 km (or above 1,500 km)
Sites found: 0, 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.
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 #
moderate (0.32)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.50 + 0.2×0.00 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$875.7 m in deposits at 18 offices of 10 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,433, moderately concentrated. $450.6 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $274.2 m, grants $170.9 m), $24,005 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Bank National Association | $215.3 m · 24.6% share · 3 offices | |
| Columbia Bank | $138.6 m · 15.8% share · 2 offices | |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $130.9 m · 14.9% share · 1 office | |
| Whitman, WA | $450.6 m FY2026 · $24,005/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $181.9 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Bank National Association | $215,297,000 | 24.6% | 3 |
| Columbia Bank | $138,607,000 | 15.8% | 2 |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $130,893,000 | 14.9% | 1 |
| Banner Bank | $115,408,000 | 13.2% | 2 |
| Washington Trust Bank | $66,437,000 | 7.6% | 1 |
| WaFd Bank | $60,649,000 | 6.9% | 1 |
| Lamont Bank of St. John | $49,730,000 | 5.7% | 1 |
| State Bank Northwest | $37,319,000 | 4.3% | 3 |
| Bank of Eastern Oregon | $32,576,000 | 3.7% | 2 |
| First Interstate Bank | $28,789,000 | 3.3% | 2 |
Deposit concentration is 1,433 across 10 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 10 banks with deposits in the county = 24.6² + 15.8² + 14.9² + … (7 more) = 1,433
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 | $158,556,396 |
| Department of Agriculture | $69,138,435 |
| Department of Commerce | $65,410,513 |
| Department of Education | $60,524,124 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $48,888,460 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $22,800,983 |
| Department of Energy | $7,869,089 |
| National Science Foundation | $7,703,972 |
| Department of Transportation | $3,827,247 |
| Department of Defense | $2,395,433 |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | $1,012,851 |
| Department of the Interior | $670,690 |
That is $24,005 per covered job, against 18,771 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $450.6 m / 18,771 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $24,005
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 #
Whitman County, WA: 14 findings, 4 at a watch level and 10 noted
watchWhitman County, WA's typical home value of $337,711 scores 77 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 21 across Washington counties, a gap of 56 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 56 = |77 across US counties - 21 across Washington counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchWhitman County, WA's years of wages of 4.6 scores 58 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 5 across Washington counties, a gap of 52 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 52 = |58 across US counties - 5 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
watchWhitman County, WA's typical home value of +2.7% scores 48 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 95 across Washington counties, a gap of 47 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 47 = |48 across US counties - 95 across Washington counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchWhitman County, WA's price-to-rent ratio of 22.1 scores 83 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 46 across Washington counties, a gap of 37 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 37 = |83 across US counties - 46 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
noteWhitman County, WA's average weekly wage was 6.6% 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
- +6.6 % = 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 12 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.