Wayne County, WV
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 38.14, -82.42.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 13th pct · 2,663rd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 38th pct · 34th of 55 West Virginia counties · median $154,872
- 14th pct · 7th of 8 counties in the Huntington-Ashland metro · median $153,214
- 77th pct · 700th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 79th pct · 12th of 55 West Virginia counties · median +3.3%
- 100th pct · 1st of 8 counties in the Huntington-Ashland metro · median +1.5%
- US counties: not published this period
- West Virginia counties: not published this period
- counties in the Huntington-Ashland metro: not published this period
- 50th pct · 1,594th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 66th pct · 19th of 55 West Virginia counties · median 5,555
- 42nd pct · 5th of 8 counties in the Huntington-Ashland metro · median 11,177
- 77th pct · 738th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 81st pct · 11th of 55 West Virginia counties · median $1,076
- 85th pct · 2nd of 8 counties in the Huntington-Ashland metro · median $1,051
- 6th pct · 2,855th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 25th pct · 41st of 55 West Virginia counties · median 2.8
- 14th pct · 7th of 8 counties in the Huntington-Ashland metro · median 3.2
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 $142,489 (Aug 2026), +5.6% over one year, +16.2% over five
- 13th pct · 2,663rd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 38th pct · 34th of 55 West Virginia counties · median $154,872
- 14th pct · 7th of 8 counties in the Huntington-Ashland metro · median $153,214
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Wayne County, WV | $142,489 · +5.6% 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 #
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
- counties in the Huntington-Ashland metro: 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 $780 a month on $142,489 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $5,235 a month: 14.9% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $142,489 × 80% = $113,991, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $780/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,208 × 52 / 12 = $5,235) = 15% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $142,489 / ($1,208 × 52) = 2.3
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 #
8,354 jobs at 709 employers (2026 Q1); -2.2% jobs and +2.3% average weekly wage over the year
- 50th pct · 1,594th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 66th pct · 19th of 55 West Virginia counties · median 5,555
- 42nd pct · 5th of 8 counties in the Huntington-Ashland metro · median 11,177
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Wayne County, WV | 8,354 jobs · $1,208/wk · -2.2% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 766 | $571 | 0.94 | -5.9% |
| Manufacturing | 751 | $1,326 | 1.12 | -2.7% |
| Accommodation and food services | 440 | $355 | 0.59 | +5.8% |
| Construction | 427 | $1,160 | 0.97 | +3.1% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 378 | $1,273 | 1.07 | -4.1% |
| Wholesale trade | 341 | $1,421 | 1.07 | +0.0% |
| Professional and technical services | 164 | $1,231 | 0.28 | +0.6% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 163 | $423 | 1.19 | +3.2% |
| Other services | 127 | $741 | 0.51 | -3.1% |
| Information | 108 | $1,567 | 0.70 | +6.9% |
| Finance and insurance | 79 | $932 | 0.23 | +5.3% |
| Administrative and waste services | 65 | $1,031 | 0.14 | -29.3% |
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 #
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 #
41 gauges · 0 flooding · 5 with quality panels averaging 95 % · 6 stale
Sites found: 41, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| TWELVEPOLE CREEK BELOW WAYNE, WV | flow 27.4 ft³/s | 12 km |
| EAST FORK TWELVEPOLE CREEK NEAR DUNLOW, WV | flow 2.14 ft³/s | 18 km |
| BIG SANDY R AT LOUISA, KY | stage 3.14 ft | 19 km |
| TWELVEPOLE CREEK AT LAVALETTE, WV | stage 2.53 ft | 20 km |
| GUYANDOTTE RIVER AT BRANCHLAND, WV | stage 3.66 ft | 21 km |
| EAST FORK LITTLE SANDY RIVER NEAR FALLSBURG, KY | flow 0.00 ft³/s · STALE | 27 km |
| OHIO RIVER AT HUNTINGTON, WV | stage 25.9 ft | 31 km |
| MUD RIVER AT HAMLIN, WV | stage 2.71 ft | 31 km |
| TUG FORK AT KERMIT, WV | flow 313.0 ft³/s · quality 100 % (2) | 34 km |
| MIDDLE FORK MUD RIVER NEAR GRIFFITHSVILLE, WV | flow 2.31 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 #
6 wells in 1 named aquifer: Alluvial aquifers
Sites found: 6, 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-375833082212101 | depth 30.2 ft · 2026-10-06 | 20 km |
| USGS-382205082304501 | depth 35.9 ft · 2026-10-06 | 26 km |
| Alluvial aquifers | depth 32.1 ft · 2026-10-05 | 56 km |
| USGS-380425083091901 | depth 30.7 ft · 1983-09-30 | 65 km |
| USGS-381447081393101 | depth 17.0 ft · 2017-10-20 | 68 km |
| USGS-381619081392901 | depth 30.7 ft · 2026-10-06 | 68 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 (0.02)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.05 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$338.6 m in deposits at 5 offices of 5 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,849, highly concentrated. $353.7 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $261.1 m, contracts $67.5 m), $42,342 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| United Bank | $135.7 m · 40.1% share · 1 office | |
| City National Bank of West Virginia | $81.9 m · 24.2% share · 1 office | |
| Community Trust Bank, Inc. | $79.7 m · 23.5% share · 1 office | |
| Wayne, WV | $353.7 m FY2026 · $42,342/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $258.1 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Bank | $135,715,000 | 40.1% | 1 |
| City National Bank of West Virginia | $81,881,000 | 24.2% | 1 |
| Community Trust Bank, Inc. | $79,678,000 | 23.5% | 1 |
| Huntington Federal Savings Bank | $33,550,000 | 9.9% | 1 |
| Guaranty Bank Inc. | $7,771,000 | 2.3% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,849 across 5 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 5 banks with deposits in the county = 40.1² + 24.2² + 23.5² + … (2 more) = 2,849
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 | $216,489,522 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $99,556,973 |
| Department of Transportation | $15,911,972 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $8,778,142 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $7,931,191 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $2,377,827 |
| Department of Defense | $912,131 |
| Department of Agriculture | $736,522 |
| Department of the Interior | $723,464 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $265,680 |
| Small Business Administration | $40,406 |
That is $42,342 per covered job, against 8,354 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $353.7 m / 8,354 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $42,342
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 | -105,572.00 | 2026-08-01 | -13.7% |
| 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 #
Wayne County, WV: 7 findings, 1 at a watch level and 6 noted
watchWayne County, WV's covered employment is -2.2% 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 = -2.2 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteWayne County, WV's average weekly wage was 2.3% 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
- +2.3 % = 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
noteWayne County, WV's covered employment was 2.2% lower 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
- -2.2 % = 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
noteWayne County, WV's typical home value fell 0.3% from $142,853 in July 2026 to $142,489 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- -0.3% = (142489.12062311138 - 142852.66567692094) / 142852.66567692094 × 100
- 142489.12062311138 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 142852.66567692094 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
noteWayne County, WV's typical home value of +5.6% ranks 1st of 8 counties in the Huntington-Ashland metro, against a median of +1.5%.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 100 on the 0-to-100 scale across 8 counties in the Huntington-Ashland metro that published home.yoyPct
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
Read all 7 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.