Madera County, CA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 37.21, -119.75.
Assembled 2026-10-20. Read the brief.
- 88th pct · 351st of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 42nd pct · 34th of 58 California counties · median $494,569
- counties in the Fresno metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Fresno metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 36th pct · 1,934th of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 73rd pct · 16th of 58 California counties · median +0.4%
- counties in the Fresno metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Fresno metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 88th pct · 160th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 42nd pct · 28th of 48 California counties · median $2,448
- counties in the Fresno metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Fresno metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 85th pct · 457th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 43rd pct · 33rd of 58 California counties · median 74,865
- counties in the Fresno metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Fresno metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 67th pct · 1,034th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 33rd pct · 39th of 58 California counties · median $1,206
- counties in the Fresno metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Fresno metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 89th pct · 313th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 45th pct · 32nd of 58 California counties · median 7.2
- counties in the Fresno metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Fresno metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
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 $421,927 (Sep 2026), +1.7% over one year, +18.8% over five
- 88th pct · 351st of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 42nd pct · 34th of 58 California counties · median $494,569
- counties in the Fresno metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Fresno metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Madera County, CA | $421,927 · +1.7% 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 $2,135/mo (Sep 2026), +0.8% over one year; price-to-rent 16.5
- 88th pct · 160th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 42nd pct · 28th of 48 California counties · median $2,448
- counties in the Fresno metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Fresno metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Madera County, CA | $2,135/mo · +0.8% 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 $2,337 a month on $421,927 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,910 a month: 47.6% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $421,927 × 80% = $337,541, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $2,337/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,133 × 52 / 12 = $4,910) = 48% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $421,927 / ($1,133 × 52) = 7.2
- price-to-rent = $421,927 / ($2,135 × 12) = 16.5
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 #
58,026 jobs at 6,268 employers (2026 Q1); +6.0% jobs and +4.9% average weekly wage over the year
- 85th pct · 457th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 43rd pct · 33rd of 58 California counties · median 74,865
- counties in the Fresno metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Fresno metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Madera County, CA | 58,026 jobs · $1,133/wk · +6.0% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 10,732 | $1,315 | 1.23 | +10.5% |
| Retail trade | 4,344 | $804 | 0.77 | +1.8% |
| Accommodation and food services | 3,622 | $578 | 0.69 | +5.4% |
| Manufacturing | 3,604 | $1,464 | 0.77 | +8.9% |
| Construction | 2,208 | $1,276 | 0.73 | +4.4% |
| Administrative and waste services | 1,987 | $1,408 | 0.60 | -4.8% |
| Wholesale trade | 1,173 | $1,532 | 0.53 | -5.8% |
| Professional and technical services | 1,031 | $1,200 | 0.26 | +1.0% |
| Other services | 927 | $814 | 0.53 | -0.6% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 842 | $974 | 0.34 | -5.2% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 624 | $550 | 0.65 | +3.7% |
| Educational services | 524 | $381 | 0.42 | +509.3% |
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 #
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 #
Surface water layer not loaded
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 #
Surface water layer not loaded
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 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 #
low (0.00)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 / 0.35
Banks & federal dollars #
$1.6 bn in deposits at 14 offices of 9 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,484, moderately concentrated. $808.4 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $724.1 m, grants $59.5 m), $13,931 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $379.6 m · 23.5% share · 2 offices | |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $332.7 m · 20.6% share · 3 offices | |
| Bank of America, National Association | $193.3 m · 11.9% share · 1 office | |
| Madera, CA | $808.4 m FY2026 · $13,931/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $667.6 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $379,628,000 | 23.5% | 2 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $332,725,000 | 20.6% | 3 |
| Bank of America, National Association | $193,289,000 | 11.9% | 1 |
| Community West Bank | $184,670,000 | 11.4% | 3 |
| Tri Counties Bank | $175,101,000 | 10.8% | 1 |
| U.S. Bank National Association | $102,024,000 | 6.3% | 1 |
| Citizens Business Bank, National Association | $94,201,000 | 5.8% | 1 |
| UMB Bank, National Association | $88,421,000 | 5.5% | 1 |
| Westamerica Bank | $68,153,000 | 4.2% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,484 across 9 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 9 banks with deposits in the county = 23.5² + 20.6² + 11.9² + … (6 more) = 1,484
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 | $577,735,652 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $87,892,240 |
| Department of Agriculture | $80,550,497 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $14,249,956 |
| Department of Transportation | $13,264,395 |
| Department of Education | $11,487,197 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $11,359,848 |
| Environmental Protection Agency | $4,500,000 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $3,364,648 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $1,919,024 |
| Department of the Interior | $1,223,946 |
| Department of Defense | $580,994 |
That is $13,931 per covered job, against 58,026 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $808.4 m / 58,026 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $13,931
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 | 17.40 | 2026-10-19 | -3.1% |
| 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 · % | 72.20 | 2026-10-20 | +0.0% |
| Laredo truck crossings, monthly · trucks | 255,129.00 | 2026-09-01 | -1.4% |
| 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 | 7.00 | 2026-10-13 | +133.3% |
| Shanghai to Los Angeles container rate · $ per 40 ft box | 7,848.00 | 2026-09-01 | +14.9% |
| US diesel retail price · $ per gallon | unavailable | not published | |
| WTI crude oil, spot · $ per barrel | 101.91 | 2026-10-14 | +1.0% |
| 30-year fixed mortgage rate · % | 7.40 | 2026-10-15 | +0.0% |
| Housing starts, annual rate · thousands of units | 1,221.00 | 2026-09-01 | -5.2% |
| Building permits, annual rate · thousands of units | 1,400.00 | 2026-09-01 | -0.2% |
| 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 | 652,115.00 | 2026-09-01 | +0.7% |
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 #
Madera County, CA: 14 findings, 6 at a watch level and 8 noted
watchMadera County, CA's typical home value of $421,927 scores 89 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 42 across California counties, a gap of 46 points.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 46 = |89 across US counties - 42 across California counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchMadera County, CA's typical asking rent of $2,135 scores 88 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 43 across California counties, a gap of 46 points.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 46 = |88 across US counties - 43 across California counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchMadera County, CA's years of wages of 7.2 scores 90 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 46 across California counties, a gap of 44 points.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 44 = |90 across US counties - 46 across California 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
watchMadera County, CA's covered employment of 58,026 scores 86 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 44 across California counties, a gap of 42 points.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 42 = |86 across US counties - 44 across California counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchMadera County, CA's typical home value of +1.7% scores 37 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 74 across California counties, a gap of 37 points.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 37 = |37 across US counties - 74 across California counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
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.