Vilas County, WI
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 46.05, -89.50.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 87th pct · 388th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 91st pct · 7th of 72 Wisconsin counties · median $298,900
- 89th pct · 336th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 74th pct · 19th of 72 Wisconsin counties · median +6.0%
- US counties: not published this period
- Wisconsin counties: not published this period
- 48th pct · 1,669th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 32nd pct · 49th of 72 Wisconsin counties · median 15,405
- 19th pct · 2,604th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 9th pct · 65th of 72 Wisconsin counties · median $1,037
- 95th pct · 146th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 100th pct · 1st of 72 Wisconsin counties · median 5.4
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 $412,500 (Aug 2026), +7.5% over one year, +28.4% over five
- 87th pct · 388th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 91st pct · 7th of 72 Wisconsin counties · median $298,900
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Vilas County, WI | $412,500 · +7.5% 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
- Wisconsin 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 $2,258 a month on $412,500 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $3,900 a month: 57.9% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $412,500 × 80% = $330,000, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $2,258/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $900 × 52 / 12 = $3,900) = 58% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $412,500 / ($900 × 52) = 8.8
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 #
7,661 jobs at 1,057 employers (2026 Q1); -1.0% jobs and +1.6% average weekly wage over the year
- 48th pct · 1,669th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 32nd pct · 49th of 72 Wisconsin counties · median 15,405
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Vilas County, WI | 7,661 jobs · $900/wk · -1.0% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and food services | 1,353 | $509 | 1.97 | -2.6% |
| Retail trade | 1,036 | $692 | 1.39 | -1.0% |
| Construction | 601 | $1,115 | 1.50 | +3.1% |
| Health care and social assistance | 434 | $1,560 | 0.38 | -2.7% |
| Manufacturing | 380 | $866 | 0.62 | -8.4% |
| Administrative and waste services | 247 | $877 | 0.57 | +7.4% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 228 | $785 | 0.71 | +0.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 197 | $1,124 | 0.67 | -11.3% |
| Finance and insurance | 166 | $1,440 | 0.53 | -2.4% |
| Other services | 123 | $904 | 0.54 | -3.1% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 120 | $634 | 0.95 | +0.0% |
| Information | 97 | $1,563 | 0.69 | +9.0% |
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 #
D3 extreme 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 #
28 gauges · 0 flooding · 2 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 21 stale
Sites found: 28, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| ALLEQUASH CREEK NEAR SAYNER, WI | flow 3.68 ft³/s · quality 100 % (5) · STALE | 8 km |
| ALLEQUASH CREEK SITE NO. 3 NR BOULDER JUNCTION, WI | turb. 1.10 FNU · quality 100 % (5) · STALE | 8 km |
| STEVENSON CREEK @ CT HWY M NR BOULDER JUNCTION, WI | stage 6.73 ft · STALE | 11 km |
| MUSKELLUNGE CR-MUSKELLUNGE L OTL-NR EAGLE RIVER,WI | flow 2.40 ft³/s · STALE | 14 km |
| TROUT RIVER NEAR BOULDER JUNCTION, WI | flow 86.0 ft³/s · STALE | 21 km |
| TROUT RIVER AT CT HWY H NEAR BOULDER JUNCTION, WI | flow 10.0 ft³/s · STALE | 21 km |
| CISCO BRANCH ONTONAGON R AT CISCO LAKE OUTLET, MI | flow 0.54 ft³/s | 23 km |
| LINK CR(MINOCQUA THOROUGHFARE)@ STH 47 NR WOODRUFF | flow 6.30 ft³/s · STALE | 23 km |
| WISCONSIN RIVER @ RAINBOW LAKE NR LAKE TOMAHAWK,WI | flow 332.0 ft³/s | 25 km |
| TOMAHAWK RIVER AT THOROUGHFARE ROAD NR MINOCQUA,WI | flow -64.0 ft³/s · STALE | 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 #
14 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 14, 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-460150089362401 | depth -1.00 ft · 2021-11-03 | 8 km |
| USGS-455448089545001 | depth 3.22 ft · 2018-02-06 | 35 km |
| USGS-455448089545003 | depth 3.51 ft · 2018-02-06 | 35 km |
| USGS-455448089545002 | depth 3.04 ft · 2018-02-06 | 35 km |
| USGS-455701089030901 | depth 5.64 ft · 2014-10-14 | 36 km |
| USGS-455646089012601 | depth 4.61 ft · 2017-05-10 | 39 km |
| USGS-455620088593901 | depth 76.0 ft · 2026-07-23 | 42 km |
| USGS-461257088542001 | depth 95.7 ft · 1964-09-23 | 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 #
moderate (0.48)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.75 + 0.2×0.00 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$874.4 m in deposits at 13 offices of 11 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,328, moderately concentrated. $265.6 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $248.3 m, grants $16.9 m), $34,671 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Nicolet National Bank | $172.9 m · 19.8% share · 1 office | |
| BMO Bank National Association | $157.5 m · 18.0% share · 1 office | |
| Associated Bank, National Association | $124.3 m · 14.2% share · 2 offices | |
| Vilas, WI | $265.6 m FY2026 · $34,671/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $239.5 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicolet National Bank | $172,897,000 | 19.8% | 1 |
| BMO Bank National Association | $157,546,000 | 18.0% | 1 |
| Associated Bank, National Association | $124,349,000 | 14.2% | 2 |
| Headwaters State Bank | $102,883,000 | 11.8% | 2 |
| IncredibleBank | $85,867,000 | 9.8% | 1 |
| Chippewa Valley Bank | $80,323,000 | 9.2% | 1 |
| Peoples State Bank | $68,088,000 | 7.8% | 1 |
| U.S. Bank National Association | $39,957,000 | 4.6% | 1 |
| Great North Bank | $23,314,000 | 2.7% | 1 |
| WOODTRUST BANK | $10,439,000 | 1.2% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,328 across 11 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 11 banks with deposits in the county = 19.8² + 18.0² + 14.2² + … (8 more) = 1,328
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 | $217,332,274 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $20,764,344 |
| Department of Education | $8,370,415 |
| Department of the Interior | $7,696,471 |
| Department of Transportation | $3,531,402 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $2,982,958 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $2,103,196 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $1,189,617 |
| Department of Agriculture | $779,203 |
| Environmental Protection Agency | $500,000 |
| General Services Administration | $208,364 |
| Institute of Museum and Library Services | $95,299 |
That is $34,671 per covered job, against 7,661 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $265.6 m / 7,661 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $34,671
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 #
Vilas County, WI: 8 findings, 2 at a watch level and 6 noted
watchVilas County, WI's years of wages of 8.8 ranks 146th 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 = 95.26453298497714 >= 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
watchVilas County, WI's covered employment is -1.0% 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 = -1 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteVilas County, WI's average weekly wage was 1.6% 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
- +1.6 % = 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
noteVilas County, WI's covered employment was 1.0% 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
- -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
noteVilas County, WI's typical home value rose 0.7% from $409,570 in July 2026 to $412,500 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.7% = (412500.0751458213 - 409570.3524810628) / 409570.3524810628 × 100
- 412500.0751458213 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 409570.3524810628 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
Read all 8 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.