Columbia County, OR
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 45.94, -123.08.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 90th pct · 301st of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 60th pct · 15th of 36 Oregon counties · median $428,005
- 0th pct · 7th of 7 counties in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro · median $541,704
- 16th pct · 2,556th of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 14th pct · 31st of 36 Oregon counties · median +0.4%
- 33rd pct · 5th of 7 counties in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro · median +0.2%
- 61st pct · 527th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 32nd pct · 18th of 26 Oregon counties · median $1,770
- 0th pct · 6th of 6 counties in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro · median $1,886
- 59th pct · 1,313th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 42nd pct · 21st of 36 Oregon counties · median 15,683
- 16th pct · 6th of 7 counties in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro · median 173,559
- 55th pct · 1,429th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 42nd pct · 21st of 36 Oregon counties · median $1,074
- 16th pct · 6th of 7 counties in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro · median $1,462
- 93rd pct · 207th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 77th pct · 9th of 36 Oregon counties · median 6.8
- 66th pct · 3rd of 7 counties in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro · median 8.0
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 $444,644 (Sep 2026), -0.6% over one year, +7.5% over five
- 90th pct · 301st of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 60th pct · 15th of 36 Oregon counties · median $428,005
- 0th pct · 7th of 7 counties in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro · median $541,704
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Columbia County, OR | $444,644 · -0.6% 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 #
Typical rent $1,640/mo (Sep 2026), +4.4% over one year; price-to-rent 22.6
- 61st pct · 527th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 32nd pct · 18th of 26 Oregon counties · median $1,770
- 0th pct · 6th of 6 counties in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro · median $1,886
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Columbia County, OR | $1,640/mo · +4.4% 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 $2,463 a month on $444,644 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,611 a month: 53.4% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $444,644 × 80% = $355,715, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $2,463/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,064 × 52 / 12 = $4,611) = 53% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $444,644 / ($1,064 × 52) = 8.0
- price-to-rent = $444,644 / ($1,640 × 12) = 22.6
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 #
12,128 jobs at 1,345 employers (2026 Q1); -1.1% jobs and -0.3% average weekly wage over the year
- 59th pct · 1,313th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 42nd pct · 21st of 36 Oregon counties · median 15,683
- 16th pct · 6th of 7 counties in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro · median 173,559
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Columbia County, OR | 12,128 jobs · $1,064/wk · -1.1% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 1,892 | $957 | 1.04 | +14.1% |
| Retail trade | 1,515 | $669 | 1.28 | -2.3% |
| Manufacturing | 1,486 | $1,363 | 1.52 | -0.9% |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,329 | $464 | 1.22 | -0.1% |
| Administrative and waste services | 754 | $865 | 1.09 | -9.6% |
| Construction | 628 | $1,366 | 0.99 | -12.0% |
| Other services | 456 | $704 | 1.26 | -6.0% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 351 | $985 | 0.69 | -9.1% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 343 | $859 | 3.92 | -1.4% |
| Finance and insurance | 286 | $1,595 | 0.58 | +1.8% |
| Wholesale trade | 156 | $1,422 | 0.34 | -6.6% |
| Utilities | 119 | $3,787 | 2.48 | -0.8% |
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 #
$394.6 m in deposits at 5 offices of 4 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 3,458, highly concentrated. $383.6 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $371.9 m, grants $8.6 m), $31,626 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Bank National Association | $192.5 m · 48.8% share · 2 offices | |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $105.8 m · 26.8% share · 1 office | |
| Columbia Bank | $69.9 m · 17.7% share · 1 office | |
| Columbia, OR | $383.6 m FY2026 · $31,626/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $369.6 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Bank National Association | $192,546,000 | 48.8% | 2 |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $105,786,000 | 26.8% | 1 |
| Columbia Bank | $69,944,000 | 17.7% | 1 |
| BMO Bank National Association | $26,349,000 | 6.7% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 3,458 across 4 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 4 banks with deposits in the county = 48.8² + 26.8² + 17.7² + … (1 more) = 3,458
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 | $319,229,178 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $48,137,003 |
| Department of Transportation | $3,472,103 |
| Department of Agriculture | $3,434,929 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $3,196,625 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $2,308,204 |
| Environmental Protection Agency | $1,200,000 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $762,314 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $760,295 |
| Department of Defense | $754,432 |
| Department of Homeland Security | $195,310 |
| Department of Commerce | $53,513 |
That is $31,626 per covered job, against 12,128 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $383.6 m / 12,128 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $31,626
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 #
Columbia County, OR: 15 findings, 5 at a watch level and 10 noted
watchColumbia County, OR's years of wages of 8.0 ranks 207th 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 = 93.27237099934683 >= 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
watchColumbia County, OR'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
watchColumbia County, OR's typical home value is -0.6% against a year earlier, a watch level here: typical home value below a year ago (arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; 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: home.yoyPct = -0.6319873296773142 < 0
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; not an official level
watchColumbia County, OR's average weekly wage is -0.3% against a year earlier, a watch level here: average weekly wage below the same quarter a year earlier, before inflation (BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published, nominal dollars; 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 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- test: jobs.yoy.avgWeeklyWage = -0.3 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published, nominal dollars; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchColumbia County, OR's typical home value of $444,644 scores 90 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 60 across Oregon counties, a gap of 30 points.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 30 = |90 across US counties - 60 across Oregon 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.