Clare County, MI
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 43.99, -84.84.
Assembled 2026-10-20. Read the brief.
- 20th pct · 2,426th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 6th pct · 78th of 83 Michigan counties · median $225,043
- 93rd pct · 185th of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 86th pct · 12th of 83 Michigan counties · median +5.3%
- US counties: not published this period
- Michigan counties: not published this period
- 47th pct · 1,683rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 35th pct · 54th of 83 Michigan counties · median 12,414
- 29th pct · 2,280th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 23rd pct · 64th of 83 Michigan counties · median $1,045
- 27th pct · 2,233rd of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 13th pct · 72nd of 83 Michigan counties · median 4.0
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 $159,525 (Sep 2026), +8.8% over one year, +23.5% over five
- 20th pct · 2,426th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 6th pct · 78th of 83 Michigan counties · median $225,043
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Clare County, MI | $159,525 · +8.8% 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
- Michigan 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 $884 a month on $159,525 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,112 a month: 21.5% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $159,525 × 80% = $127,620, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $884/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $949 × 52 / 12 = $4,112) = 21% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $159,525 / ($949 × 52) = 3.2
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 #
7,533 jobs at 634 employers (2026 Q1); -1.1% jobs and +0.7% average weekly wage over the year
- 47th pct · 1,683rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 35th pct · 54th of 83 Michigan counties · median 12,414
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Clare County, MI | 7,533 jobs · $949/wk · -1.1% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 1,076 | $935 | 0.95 | +1.0% |
| Manufacturing | 986 | $1,286 | 1.63 | +6.1% |
| Retail trade | 938 | $614 | 1.28 | +2.0% |
| Accommodation and food services | 735 | $331 | 1.09 | -15.5% |
| Other services | 394 | $703 | 1.75 | -5.5% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 388 | $1,425 | 1.22 | +1.6% |
| Construction | 385 | $1,020 | 0.97 | +10.0% |
| Administrative and waste services | 237 | $896 | 0.55 | +10.2% |
| Professional and technical services | 222 | $1,488 | 0.43 | -15.6% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 104 | $345 | 0.84 | -8.8% |
| Finance and insurance | 83 | $1,118 | 0.27 | +0.0% |
| Real estate and rental | 38 | $748 | 0.33 | +5.6% |
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 #
27 gauges · 0 flooding · 5 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 3 stale
Sites found: 27, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| SOUTH BRANCH TOBACCO RIVER NEAR BEAVERTON, MI | flow 72.1 ft³/s | 27 km |
| CLAM RIVER AT VOGEL CENTER, MI | flow 88.5 ft³/s | 29 km |
| TOBACCO RIVER AT GLIDDEN ROAD AT BEAVERTON, MI | flow 209.0 ft³/s | 32 km |
| BUTTERFIELD CR AT S MCVETY RD NR BUTTERFIELD, MI | flow 24.3 ft³/s | 32 km |
| MUSKEGON RIVER AT EVART, MI | flow 732.0 ft³/s | 35 km |
| CHIPPEWA CREEK AT 90TH AVENUE NEAR EVART, MI | flow 4.61 ft³/s | 35 km |
| TWIN CREEK AT EIGHT MILE ROAD NEAR EVART, MI | flow 3.83 ft³/s | 37 km |
| CHIPPEWA RIVER AT DREW RD NR DREW, MI | flow 68.2 ft³/s | 40 km |
| TITTABAWASSEE RIVER AT SECORD DAM NR GLADWIN, MI | stage 6.11 ft | 40 km |
| CHIPPEWA RIVER NEAR MOUNT PLEASANT, MI | flow 253.0 ft³/s | 42 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-434900084462501 | depth 16.5 ft · 1998-09-30 | 20 km |
| USGS-435657085171201 | depth 65.9 ft · 2026-10-19 | 36 km |
| USGS-435615085173501 | depth 56.6 ft · 2026-10-19 | 37 km |
| USGS-433622084420801 | depth 20.1 ft · 2006-09-29 | 44 km |
| USGS-433604084412501 | depth 10.4 ft · 2006-09-29 | 45 km |
| USGS-433554084415401 | depth 18.0 ft · 2006-09-29 | 45 km |
| USGS-433552084415401 | depth 15.1 ft · 2006-09-29 | 45 km |
| USGS-441503084242201 | depth 23.0 ft · 1967-07-12 | 54 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 (0.00)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.00 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$431.3 m in deposits at 6 offices of 3 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 3,511, highly concentrated. $285.6 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $272.0 m, grants $13.4 m), $37,910 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Isabella Bank | $173.1 m · 40.1% share · 3 offices | |
| The Huntington National Bank | $160.8 m · 37.3% share · 2 offices | |
| Mercantile Bank | $97.3 m · 22.6% share · 1 office | |
| Clare, MI | $285.6 m FY2026 · $37,910/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $263.6 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isabella Bank | $173,120,000 | 40.1% | 3 |
| The Huntington National Bank | $160,835,000 | 37.3% | 2 |
| Mercantile Bank | $97,297,000 | 22.6% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 3,511 across 3 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 3 banks with deposits in the county = 40.1² + 37.3² + 22.6² = 3,511
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 | $234,275,391 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $28,325,387 |
| Department of Transportation | $9,810,536 |
| Department of Education | $4,538,491 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $2,988,451 |
| Department of Agriculture | $2,616,794 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $1,479,315 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $1,032,629 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $382,220 |
| Department of Justice | $125,000 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
That is $37,910 per covered job, against 7,533 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $285.6 m / 7,533 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $37,910
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 | 17.95 | 2026-10-18 | -2.6% |
| 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 | 2026-10-19 | +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 | 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 | 1,275.00 | 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 | 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 #
Clare County, MI: 8 findings, 1 at a watch level and 7 noted
watchClare County, MI's covered employment is -1.1% 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 = -1.1 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteClare County, MI's covered employment was 1.1% 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
- -1.1 % = 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
noteClare County, MI's average weekly wage was 0.7% 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
- +0.7 % = 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
noteClare County, MI's typical home value fell 0.7% from $160,608 in August 2026 to $159,525 in September 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- -0.7% = (159525.15484831223 - 160607.80646072503) / 160607.80646072503 × 100
- 159525.15484831223 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-09
- 160607.80646072503 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
noteClare County, MI's typical home value of +8.8% ranks 185th of 3,062 US counties, against a median of +2.9%.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 94 on the 0-to-100 scale across 3062 US counties that published home.yoyPct
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
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.