Barbour County, WV
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 39.14, -80.00.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 7th pct · 2,829th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 24th pct · 42nd of 55 West Virginia counties · median $154,872
- 15th pct · 2,601st of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 14th pct · 47th of 55 West Virginia counties · median +3.3%
- US counties: not published this period
- West Virginia counties: not published this period
- 31st pct · 2,209th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 35th pct · 36th of 55 West Virginia counties · median 5,555
- 69th pct · 972nd of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 75th pct · 14th of 55 West Virginia counties · median $1,076
- 4th pct · 2,914th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 18th pct · 45th of 55 West Virginia counties · median 2.8
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 $124,382 (Aug 2026), -0.9% over one year, +3.0% over five
- 7th pct · 2,829th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 24th pct · 42nd of 55 West Virginia counties · median $154,872
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Barbour County, WV | $124,382 · -0.9% 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
- West 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 $681 a month on $124,382 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,970 a month: 13.7% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $124,382 × 80% = $99,506, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $681/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,147 × 52 / 12 = $4,970) = 14% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $124,382 / ($1,147 × 52) = 2.1
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 #
3,981 jobs at 379 employers (2026 Q1); +1.0% jobs and +4.5% average weekly wage over the year
- 31st pct · 2,209th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 35th pct · 36th of 55 West Virginia counties · median 5,555
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Barbour County, WV | 3,981 jobs · $1,147/wk · +1.0% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 1,195 | $641 | 1.99 | -2.8% |
| Retail trade | 293 | $640 | 0.76 | -5.8% |
| Accommodation and food services | 235 | $245 | 0.66 | +11.4% |
| Manufacturing | 165 | $760 | 0.52 | +2.5% |
| Administrative and waste services | 88 | $1,452 | 0.39 | -3.3% |
| Finance and insurance | 78 | $891 | 0.48 | -20.4% |
| Wholesale trade | 46 | $1,672 | 0.30 | +43.8% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 22 | $444 | 0.34 | -15.4% |
| Real estate and rental | 9 | $597 | 0.15 | -57.1% |
| Educational services | 8 | $607 | 0.09 | +14.3% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | withheld | |||
| Mining, oil and gas | 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 #
3 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 3, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| DEEP CREEK LAKE NEAR THAYERVILLE, MD | 2,459 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 73 km |
| JENNINGS RANDOLPH LAKE NEAR ELK GARDEN, WV | 1,446 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 82 km |
| SAVAGE RIVER RESERVOIR NEAR BLOOMINGTON, MD | 1,442 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 85 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 #
76 gauges · 0 flooding · 18 with quality panels averaging 98 % · 11 stale
Sites found: 76, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| RED CREEK AT LANEVILLE, WV | stage 1.57 ft · quality 67 % (3) | 55 km |
| TYGART VALLEY RIVER AT PHILIPPI, WV | flow 689.0 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 4 km |
| MIDDLE FORK RIVER AT AUDRA, WV | flow 133.0 ft³/s | 13 km |
| TYGART VALLEY RIVER AT BELINGTON, WV | flow 254.0 ft³/s | 13 km |
| BUCKHANNON RIVER AT HALL, WV | flow 272.0 ft³/s | 14 km |
| TYGART VALLEY R AT TYGART DAM NR GRAFTON, WV | flow 1,160 ft³/s · quality 100 % (4) | 20 km |
| THREE FORK CREEK NR GRAFTON, WV | flow 37.0 ft³/s | 22 km |
| BUCKHANNON R AT BUCKHANNON, WV | flow 222.0 ft³/s | 24 km |
| SAND RUN NEAR BUCKHANNON, WV | stage 1.57 ft | 24 km |
| MIDDLE FORK RIVER AT ELLAMORE, WV | stage 3.49 ft | 26 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 #
18 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 18, 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-385849079563901 | depth 40.2 ft · 2024-03-13 | 18 km |
| USGS-391020080244101 | depth 41.8 ft · 2026-10-05 | 36 km |
| USGS-392923079571801 | depth 70.6 ft · 1985-11-04 | 39 km |
| USGS-390121079274901 | depth 18.8 ft · 1993-06-08 | 48 km |
| USGS-390135079275601 | depth 9.22 ft · 2000-02-18 | 48 km |
| USGS-393057080161901 | depth 47.2 ft · 1985-11-10 | 48 km |
| USGS-390605079254201 | depth 71.8 ft · 1994-04-12 | 49 km |
| USGS-390122079264301 | depth 29.8 ft · 1993-06-07 | 49 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 + 0.2×0.02 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$277.4 m in deposits at 4 offices of 2 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 6,443, highly concentrated. $117.6 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $106.0 m, grants $9.9 m), $29,534 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Freedom Bank, Inc. | $213.2 m · 76.9% share · 3 offices | |
| Peoples Bank | $64.2 m · 23.1% share · 1 office | |
| Barbour, WV | $117.6 m FY2026 · $29,534/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $98.4 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom Bank, Inc. | $213,222,000 | 76.9% | 3 |
| Peoples Bank | $64,186,000 | 23.1% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 6,443 across 2 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 2 banks with deposits in the county = 76.9² + 23.1² = 6,443
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 | $85,871,743 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $11,890,829 |
| Department of Transportation | $9,549,019 |
| Department of Agriculture | $4,850,769 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $2,601,158 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $1,816,459 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $747,704 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $245,343 |
That is $29,534 per covered job, against 3,981 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $117.6 m / 3,981 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $29,534
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 #
Barbour County, WV: 6 findings, 1 at a watch level and 5 noted
watchBarbour County, WV's typical home value is -0.9% against a year earlier, a watch level here: typical home value below a year ago (arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; 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: home.yoyPct = -0.9175950759238722 < 0
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; not an official level
noteBarbour County, WV's average weekly wage 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
noteBarbour County, WV's covered employment 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
noteBarbour County, WV's years of wages of 2.1 ranks 2,914th of 3,063 US counties, against a median of 4.3.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 5 on the 0-to-100 scale across 3063 US counties that published yearsOfWages
- 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
noteBarbour County, WV's typical home value of $124,382 ranks 2,829th of 3,063 US counties, against a median of $234,566.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 8 on the 0-to-100 scale across 3063 US counties that published home.latest
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
Read all 6 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.