La Paz County, AZ
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 33.73, -114.04.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 60th pct · 1,217th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 14th pct · 13th of 15 Arizona counties · median $335,772
- 14th pct · 2,628th of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 21st pct · 12th of 15 Arizona counties · median -0.2%
- 0th pct · 1,354th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 0th pct · 13th of 13 Arizona counties · median $1,715
- 44th pct · 1,778th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 7th pct · 14th of 15 Arizona counties · median 33,459
- 31st pct · 2,214th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 0th pct · 15th of 15 Arizona counties · median $1,176
- 69th pct · 946th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 42nd pct · 9th of 15 Arizona counties · median 5.4
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 $261,246 (Sep 2026), -1.1% over one year, +18.2% over five
- 60th pct · 1,217th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 14th pct · 13th of 15 Arizona counties · median $335,772
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| La Paz County, AZ | $261,246 · -1.1% 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 $757/mo (Sep 2026), n/a over one year; price-to-rent 28.8
- 0th pct · 1,354th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 0th pct · 13th of 13 Arizona counties · median $1,715
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| La Paz County, AZ | $757/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 $1,447 a month on $261,246 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,147 a month: 34.9% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $261,246 × 80% = $208,997, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $1,447/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $957 × 52 / 12 = $4,147) = 35% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $261,246 / ($957 × 52) = 5.2
- price-to-rent = $261,246 / ($757 × 12) = 28.8
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 #
6,656 jobs at 428 employers (2026 Q1); -3.8% jobs and +1.2% average weekly wage over the year
- 44th pct · 1,778th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 7th pct · 14th of 15 Arizona counties · median 33,459
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| La Paz County, AZ | 6,656 jobs · $957/wk · -3.8% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 1,683 | $810 | 2.59 | -3.8% |
| Administrative and waste services | 157 | $1,203 | 0.41 | -11.8% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 73 | $1,274 | 0.26 | +0.0% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | withheld | |||
| Mining, oil and gas | withheld | |||
| Utilities | withheld | |||
| Construction | withheld | |||
| Manufacturing | withheld | |||
| Wholesale trade | withheld | |||
| Information | withheld | |||
| Finance and insurance | withheld | |||
| Real estate and rental | 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 #
D1 moderate drought
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 #
1 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 1, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| LAKE HAVASU NEAR PARKER DAM, AZ-CA | 587,400 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 66 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 #
18 gauges · 0 flooding · 2 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 7 stale
Sites found: 18, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| CRIR LOWER MAIN DRAIN NEAR PARKER, AZ | flow 168.0 ft³/s · STALE | 41 km |
| CRIR LWR MAIN DRAIN BLW TYSON WW, NR EHRENBERG, AZ | flow 184.0 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 42 km |
| COLORADO RIVER BELOW PALO VERDE DAM, AZ-CA | flow 7,470 ft³/s | 42 km |
| PALO VERDE DRAIN NEAR PARKER, AZ | flow 15.4 ft³/s | 43 km |
| COLORADO RIVER AT PALO VERDE DAM, CA-AZ | flow 11,600 ft³/s · STALE | 44 km |
| PALO VERDE CANAL NEAR BLYTHE, CA | flow 651.0 ft³/s | 44 km |
| UPPER MAIN DRAIN NEAR POSTON, AZ | flow 66.0 ft³/s · STALE | 48 km |
| POSTON WASTEWAY SPILL GATES (CRIR STA. NO. 11) | flow 0.00 ft³/s · STALE | 48 km |
| POSTON WASTEWAY NEAR POSTON, AZ | flow 83.8 ft³/s · STALE | 49 km |
| GARDNER LATERAL SPILL NEAR PARKER, AZ | flow 17.1 ft³/s | 49 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 #
12 wells in 0 named aquifers:
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 |
|---|---|---|
| USGS-333859114291701 | depth 41.9 ft · 2026-09-14 | 43 km |
| USGS-340828114125401 | depth 237.7 ft · 2010-08-02 | 49 km |
| USGS-333117114322801 | depth 11.0 ft · 2026-09-14 | 52 km |
| USGS-341509114002001 | depth 8.32 ft · 2026-09-22 | 58 km |
| USGS-341539114013501 | depth 11.1 ft · 2026-09-22 | 59 km |
| USGS-341540114014301 | depth 10.4 ft · 2026-10-18 | 59 km |
| USGS-341618114024701 | depth 17.7 ft · 2026-09-23 | 61 km |
| USGS-333939114411501 | depth 145.4 ft · 2026-09-14 | 61 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 (0.16)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.25 + 0.2×0.00 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$211.8 m in deposits at 2 offices of 2 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 5,031, highly concentrated. $258.2 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $167.8 m, grants $53.7 m), $38,788 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Zions Bancorporation, N.A. | $114.2 m · 53.9% share · 1 office | |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $97.5 m · 46.1% share · 1 office | |
| La Paz, AZ | $258.2 m FY2026 · $38,788/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $158.7 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zions Bancorporation, N.A. | $114,221,000 | 53.9% | 1 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $97,529,000 | 46.1% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 5,031 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 = 53.9² + 46.1² = 5,031
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 | $137,567,048 |
| Department of Transportation | $37,473,183 |
| Department of the Interior | $30,836,810 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $20,062,787 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $13,873,773 |
| Department of Education | $9,501,179 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $3,874,952 |
| Department of Agriculture | $2,182,243 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $979,291 |
| Department of Homeland Security | $751,855 |
| Department of Energy | $549,280 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $474,674 |
That is $38,788 per covered job, against 6,656 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $258.2 m / 6,656 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $38,788
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 #
La Paz County, AZ: 22 findings, 1 at an alert level, 8 at a watch level and 13 noted
alertLa Paz County, AZ's covered employment is -3.8% 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 = -3.8 <= -3
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchLa Paz County, AZ's price-to-rent ratio of 28.8 ranks 28th of 1,358 US counties, a watch level here: price-to-rent in the top tenth of US counties (position among the counties that published both ZHVI and ZORI this month; 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: priceToRent percentile = 98.01031687546057 >= 90
- typical home value / (typical rent × 12); Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month
position among the counties that published both ZHVI and ZORI this month; not an official level
watchLa Paz County, AZ's covered employment is -3.8% 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 = -3.8 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchLa Paz County, AZ's price-to-rent ratio is 28.8, a watch level here: typical home value worth 25 or more years of typical rent (typical home value / (typical rent × 12), Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month; 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: priceToRent = 28.77159889005202 >= 25
- typical home value / (typical rent × 12); Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month
typical home value / (typical rent × 12), Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchLa Paz County, AZ's typical home value is -1.1% 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 = -1.074502566919471 < 0
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; 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.