Sitka City and Borough, AK
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 57.19, -135.37.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 92nd pct · 226th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 100th pct · 1st of 13 Alaska counties · median $383,220
- 3rd pct · 2,949th of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 0th pct · 13th of 13 Alaska counties · median +5.4%
- US counties: not published this period
- Alaska counties: not published this period
- 30th pct · 2,237th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 65th pct · 11th of 30 Alaska counties · median 2,486
- 82nd pct · 568th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 48th pct · 16th of 30 Alaska counties · median $1,272
- 90th pct · 286th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 100th pct · 1st of 13 Alaska counties · median 5.6
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 $481,818 (Sep 2026), -5.4% over one year, -10.1% over five
- 92nd pct · 226th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 100th pct · 1st of 13 Alaska counties · median $383,220
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Sitka City and Borough, AK | $481,818 · -5.4% 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
- Alaska 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 $2,669 a month on $481,818 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $5,503 a month: 48.5% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $481,818 × 80% = $385,454, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $2,669/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,270 × 52 / 12 = $5,503) = 48% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $481,818 / ($1,270 × 52) = 7.3
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 #
3,844 jobs at 416 employers (2026 Q1); -5.0% jobs and +12.7% average weekly wage over the year
- 30th pct · 2,237th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 65th pct · 11th of 30 Alaska counties · median 2,486
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Sitka City and Borough, AK | 3,844 jobs · $1,270/wk · -5.0% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 868 | $1,852 | 1.50 | +4.2% |
| Accommodation and food services | 457 | $613 | 1.32 | -5.4% |
| Retail trade | 424 | $775 | 1.13 | +1.2% |
| Manufacturing | 303 | $828 | 0.98 | -29.4% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 223 | $1,331 | 1.38 | -8.2% |
| Construction | 218 | $1,836 | 1.08 | +19.1% |
| Other services | 97 | $803 | 0.84 | +0.0% |
| Educational services | 69 | $913 | 0.83 | -13.8% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 66 | $1,023 | 2.38 | -7.0% |
| Professional and technical services | 64 | $1,032 | 0.24 | -5.9% |
| Real estate and rental | 42 | $877 | 0.71 | +13.5% |
| Finance and insurance | 40 | $1,499 | 0.26 | +8.1% |
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 #
12 gauges · 0 flooding · 3 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 11 stale
Sites found: 12, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| STARRIGAVAN C AT UPPER BRIDGE NR SITKA AK | flow 1,160 ft³/s · STALE | 8 km |
| INDIAN R NR SITKA AK | flow 18.0 ft³/s · STALE | 15 km |
| INDIAN R DIV TO SJC AT SAWMILL C RD AT SITKA AK | flow 31.0 ft³/s · STALE | 16 km |
| INDIAN R AT SITKA AK | flow 138.0 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) · STALE | 16 km |
| INDIAN R DIV RETURN FLOW FROM SJC AT SITKA AK | flow 21.0 ft³/s · STALE | 16 km |
| SAWMILL C BL U TAILRACE NR SITKA AK | flow 440.0 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 17 km |
| SILVER BAY TR AT BEAR COVE NR SITKA AK | flow 1.20 ft³/s · STALE | 23 km |
| TAKATZ C AT TAKATZ LAKE OUTLET NR BARANOF AK | flow 29.1 ft³/s · STALE | 30 km |
| TAKATZ C NR BARANOF AK | flow 45.9 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) · STALE | 31 km |
| KADASHAN R AB HOOK C NR TENAKEE AK | flow 42.0 ft³/s · STALE | 53 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 (0.00)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.00 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$334.3 m in deposits at 4 offices of 4 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,581, highly concentrated. $73.0 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $45.2 m, contracts $18.3 m), $18,982 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $99.6 m · 29.8% share · 1 office | |
| First National Bank Alaska | $91.5 m · 27.4% share · 1 office | |
| First Bank | $84.0 m · 25.1% share · 1 office | |
| Sitka, AK | $73.0 m FY2026 · $18,982/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $41.5 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $99,622,000 | 29.8% | 1 |
| First National Bank Alaska | $91,482,000 | 27.4% | 1 |
| First Bank | $83,950,000 | 25.1% | 1 |
| Northrim Bank | $59,284,000 | 17.7% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,581 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 = 29.8² + 27.4² + 25.1² + … (1 more) = 2,581
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 | $35,874,079 |
| Department of Homeland Security | $8,115,784 |
| Department of Transportation | $6,824,653 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $4,523,442 |
| Department of Defense | $3,782,991 |
| Department of the Interior | $3,558,583 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $3,132,643 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $2,368,018 |
| National Science Foundation | $1,385,610 |
| Denali Commission | $897,750 |
| Department of Education | $815,985 |
| Department of Agriculture | $772,982 |
That is $18,982 per covered job, against 3,844 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $73.0 m / 3,844 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $18,982
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 #
Sitka City and Borough, AK: 18 findings, 2 at an alert level, 5 at a watch level and 11 noted
alertSitka City and Borough, AK's covered employment is -5.0% against a year earlier, an alert level here: covered employment at least 3 percent below the same quarter a year earlier (BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; 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.emp = -5 <= -3
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
alertSitka City and Borough, AK's typical home value is -5.4% against a year earlier, an alert level here: typical home value at least 5 percent below a year ago (arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; 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: home.yoyPct = -5.362670185432574 <= -5
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchSitka City and Borough, AK's typical home value is -5.4% 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 = -5.362670185432574 < 0
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; not an official level
watchSitka City and Borough, AK's covered employment is -5.0% 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 = -5 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchSitka City and Borough, AK's years of wages of 7.3 ranks 286th 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 = 90.69235793598955 >= 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
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.