Mono County, CA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 37.92, -118.88.
Assembled 2026-10-21. Read the brief.
- 98th pct · 52nd of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 70th pct · 18th of 58 California counties · median $494,569
- 53rd pct · 1,411th of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 84th pct · 10th of 58 California counties · median +0.4%
- 98th pct · 27th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 85th pct · 8th of 48 California counties · median $2,448
- 51st pct · 1,577th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 14th pct · 50th of 58 California counties · median 74,865
- 48th pct · 1,656th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 7th pct · 54th of 58 California counties · median $1,206
- 99th pct · 22nd of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 96th pct · 3rd of 58 California counties · median 7.2
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 $758,836 (Sep 2026), +3.2% over one year, +16.2% over five
- 98th pct · 52nd of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 70th pct · 18th of 58 California counties · median $494,569
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Mono County, CA | $758,836 · +3.2% 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 $3,067/mo (Sep 2026), n/a over one year; price-to-rent 20.6
- 98th pct · 27th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 85th pct · 8th of 48 California counties · median $2,448
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Mono County, CA | $3,067/mo · n/a 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 $4,203 a month on $758,836 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,476 a month: 93.9% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $758,836 × 80% = $607,069, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $4,203/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,033 × 52 / 12 = $4,476) = 94% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $758,836 / ($1,033 × 52) = 14.1
- price-to-rent = $758,836 / ($3,067 × 12) = 20.6
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 #
8,523 jobs at 744 employers (2026 Q1); +2.6% jobs and +0.4% average weekly wage over the year
- 51st pct · 1,577th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 14th pct · 50th of 58 California counties · median 74,865
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Mono County, CA | 8,523 jobs · $1,033/wk · +2.6% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and food services | 4,287 | $819 | 5.60 | +6.9% |
| Retail trade | 574 | $794 | 0.69 | +4.6% |
| Construction | 393 | $1,414 | 0.88 | -5.1% |
| Real estate and rental | 328 | $1,013 | 2.51 | -8.6% |
| Administrative and waste services | 261 | $922 | 0.54 | -7.1% |
| Other services | 213 | $953 | 0.84 | -1.4% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 127 | $756 | 0.91 | +0.0% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 29 | $951 | 0.08 | -19.4% |
| Finance and insurance | 23 | $1,944 | 0.07 | -8.0% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | withheld | |||
| Mining, oil and gas | withheld | |||
| Utilities | 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 #
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 #
12 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 12, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| LOWER TWIN LAKE NR BRIDGEPORT, CA | 7,193 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 48 km |
| UPPER TWIN LAKE NR BRIDGEPORT, CA | 7,206 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 49 km |
| BRIDGEPORT RE NR BRIDGEPORT, CA | 44.5 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 54 km |
| HETCH HETCHY RES A HETCH HETCHY CA | 270,600 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 80 km |
| WALKER LAKE NR HAWTHORNE, NV | 3,914 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 85 km |
| LK ELEANOR NR HETCH HETCHY CA | 15,030 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 88 km |
| CHERRY LK NR HETCH HETCHY CA | 239,400 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 91 km |
| TOPAZ LAKE NR TOPAZ, CA | 82.7 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 103 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 #
21 gauges · 0 flooding · 7 with quality panels averaging 93 % · 6 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 |
|---|---|---|
| HOT C A FLUME NR MAMMOTH LAKES CA | flow 36.4 ft³/s · quality 50 % (2) | 28 km |
| DEADMAN C A BIG SPRINGS NR CRESTVIEW CA | flow 20.1 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 19 km |
| USGS-373822118514401 | cond. 276.0 uS/cm · quality 100 % (1) · STALE | 31 km |
| USGS-373817118514101 | temp 14.9 °C · quality 100 % (1) · STALE | 31 km |
| MF SAN JOAQUIN R NR MAMMOTH LAKES CA | flow 5.39 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 37 km |
| VIRGINIA CK NR BRIDGEPORT, CA | flow 4.58 ft³/s · no flooding | 42 km |
| GREEN CK NR BRIDGEPORT, CA | flow 4.02 ft³/s · no flooding | 43 km |
| ROBINSON CK AT TWIN LKS OUTLET NR BRIDGEPORT, CA | flow 14.2 ft³/s · no flooding | 49 km |
| BUCKEYE CK NR BRIDGEPORT, CA | flow 11.8 ft³/s · no flooding | 53 km |
| E WALKER RV NR BRIDGEPORT, CA | flow 96.8 ft³/s · no flooding | 55 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 #
low (0.03)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.07 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$228.6 m in deposits at 3 offices of 2 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 5,152, highly concentrated. $66.1 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $44.8 m, contracts $11.1 m), $7,757 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Bank National Association | $134.2 m · 58.7% share · 1 office | |
| Oak Valley Community Bank | $94.4 m · 41.3% share · 2 offices | |
| Mono, CA | $66.1 m FY2026 · $7,757/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $44.3 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Bank National Association | $134,226,000 | 58.7% | 1 |
| Oak Valley Community Bank | $94,366,000 | 41.3% | 2 |
Deposit concentration is 5,152 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 = 58.7² + 41.3² = 5,152
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 | $39,800,689 |
| Department of Transportation | $10,196,103 |
| Department of Defense | $5,275,293 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $4,437,902 |
| Department of Agriculture | $4,052,055 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $1,028,345 |
| Department of the Interior | $676,425 |
| Department of Justice | $406,308 |
| Department of Education | $195,584 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $59,417 |
| Small Business Administration | $3,975 |
| Department of Commerce | $0 |
That is $7,757 per covered job, against 8,523 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $66.1 m / 8,523 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $7,757
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 #
Mono County, CA: 15 findings, 5 at a watch level and 10 noted
watchMono County, CA's years of wages of 14.1 ranks 22nd 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 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- test: yearsOfWages percentile = 99.31417374265186 >= 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
watchMono County, CA's years of wages is 14.1, a watch level here: typical home value worth 10 or more years of one average covered wage (typical home value / (average weekly wage × 52), one average covered job rather than a household; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level). The previous published period is not in this table, so this is a standing level rather than a change.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- test: yearsOfWages = 14.126810744027086 >= 10
- typical home value / (average weekly wage × 52); one average covered job, not a household
typical home value / (average weekly wage × 52), one average covered job rather than a household; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchMono County, CA's average weekly wage of $1,033 scores 48 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 7 across California counties, a gap of 41 points.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 41 = |48 across US counties - 7 across California counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchMono County, CA's covered employment of 8,523 scores 51 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 14 across California counties, a gap of 37 points.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 37 = |51 across US counties - 14 across California counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchMono County, CA's typical home value of +3.2% scores 54 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 84 across California counties, a gap of 30 points.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 30 = |54 across US counties - 84 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.