Santa Clara County, CA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 37.22, -121.69.
Assembled 2026-10-20. Read the brief.
- 99th pct · 6th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 98th pct · 2nd of 58 California counties · median $494,569
- counties in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 23rd pct · 2,333rd of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 49th pct · 30th of 58 California counties · median +0.4%
- counties in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 99th pct · 9th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 93rd pct · 4th of 48 California counties · median $2,448
- counties in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 99th pct · 12th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 94th pct · 4th of 58 California counties · median 74,865
- counties in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 99th pct · 3rd of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 98th pct · 2nd of 58 California counties · median $1,206
- counties in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 86th pct · 405th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 36th pct · 37th of 58 California counties · median 7.2
- counties in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
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 $1.6 m (Sep 2026), +0.3% over one year, +16.8% over five
- 99th pct · 6th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 98th pct · 2nd of 58 California counties · median $494,569
- counties in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara County, CA | $1.6 m · +0.3% 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 $3,817/mo (Sep 2026), +8.4% over one year; price-to-rent 34.1
- 99th pct · 9th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 93rd pct · 4th of 48 California counties · median $2,448
- counties in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara County, CA | $3,817/mo · +8.4% 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 $8,656 a month on $1,562,682 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $19,266 a month: 44.9% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $1.6 m × 80% = $1.3 m, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $8,656/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $4,446 × 52 / 12 = $19,266) = 45% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $1.6 m / ($4,446 × 52) = 6.8
- price-to-rent = $1.6 m / ($3,817 × 12) = 34.1
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 #
1.13 m jobs at 89,281 employers (2026 Q1); +1.2% jobs and +8.4% average weekly wage over the year
- 99th pct · 12th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 94th pct · 4th of 58 California counties · median 74,865
- counties in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara County, CA | 1.13 m jobs · $4,446/wk · +1.2% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 161,719 | $1,707 | 0.95 | +3.2% |
| Professional and technical services | 153,673 | $6,959 | 1.98 | -0.6% |
| Manufacturing | 124,467 | $8,120 | 1.37 | +0.6% |
| Information | 88,997 | $13,422 | 4.29 | -5.7% |
| Accommodation and food services | 82,849 | $775 | 0.82 | -0.2% |
| Retail trade | 69,272 | $1,429 | 0.63 | -0.4% |
| Management of companies | 62,583 | $6,351 | 3.32 | +8.8% |
| Administrative and waste services | 58,417 | $1,486 | 0.91 | +5.0% |
| Construction | 50,892 | $2,295 | 0.86 | +3.6% |
| Educational services | 45,135 | $2,093 | 1.86 | -1.2% |
| Wholesale trade | 26,820 | $4,073 | 0.62 | +0.0% |
| Other services | 26,496 | $1,193 | 0.79 | +1.2% |
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 #
2 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 2, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| TULLOCH RES NR KNIGHTS FERRY CA | 54,350 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 120 km |
| DON PEDRO RES NR LA GRANGE CA | 1,494,000 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 124 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 #
265 gauges · 0 flooding · 37 with quality panels averaging 84 % · 17 stale
Sites found: 265, 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-372525121584701 | turb. 38.4 FNU · quality 50 % (3) · STALE | 34 km |
| MT EDEN C NR UNION CITY CA | turb. 118.0 FNU · quality 60 % (5) · STALE | 58 km |
| ARROYO DE LA LAGUNA A VERONA CA | flow 6.74 ft³/s · quality 67 % (3) · no flooding | 48 km |
| SF BAY A SAN MATEO BRIDGE NR FOSTER CITY CA | turb. 7.30 FNU · quality 67 % (3) | 64 km |
| USGS-372750122012701 | stage 3.74 ft · quality 33 % (3) | 40 km |
| ALVISO SLOUGH NR ALVISO CA | turb. 114.0 FNU · quality 33 % (3) · STALE | 37 km |
| USGS-373751122143601 | turb. 5.30 FNU · quality 80 % (5) · STALE | 67 km |
| USGS-373015122071000 | turb. 7.20 FNU · quality 50 % (4) | 49 km |
| USGS-372507121594801 | DO 4.00 mg/l · quality 50 % (3) | 35 km |
| Las Animas Creek at O'Connell Ranch | no readings | 3 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 #
5 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 5, 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-374004122092105 | depth 14.0 ft · 2026-08-06 | 64 km |
| USGS-374004122092104 | depth 7.33 ft · 2026-08-06 | 64 km |
| USGS-374004122092106 | depth 3.28 ft · 2026-08-06 | 64 km |
| USGS-374004122092102 | depth 15.7 ft · 2026-08-06 | 64 km |
| USGS-374004122092103 | depth 14.5 ft · 2026-08-06 | 64 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 (0.06)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.16 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$174.1 bn in deposits at 286 offices of 42 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,529, moderately concentrated. $13.2 bn federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $8.3 bn, contracts $3.9 bn), $11,743 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company | $43.6 bn · 25.0% share · 3 offices | |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $36.8 bn · 21.1% share · 45 offices | |
| Bank of America, National Association | $25.7 bn · 14.7% share · 43 offices | |
| Santa Clara, CA | $13.2 bn FY2026 · $11,743/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $7.4 bn · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company | $43,601,042,000 | 25.0% | 3 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $36,787,449,000 | 21.1% | 45 |
| Bank of America, National Association | $25,658,555,000 | 14.7% | 43 |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $22,517,936,000 | 12.9% | 49 |
| Citibank, National Association | $7,807,000,000 | 4.5% | 22 |
| Western Alliance Bank | $7,640,467,000 | 4.4% | 1 |
| U.S. Bank National Association | $5,846,225,000 | 3.4% | 28 |
| Fifth Third Bank, National Association | $5,367,356,000 | 3.1% | 12 |
| BMO Bank National Association | $3,111,383,000 | 1.8% | 23 |
| East West Bank | $2,753,983,000 | 1.6% | 4 |
Deposit concentration is 1,529 across 41 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 41 banks with deposits in the county = 25.0² + 21.1² + 14.7² + … (38 more) = 1,529
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 | $6,868,615,023 |
| Department of Defense | $2,589,241,447 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $1,095,450,645 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $685,867,665 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $612,450,671 |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | $412,176,606 |
| Department of Energy | $298,245,063 |
| Department of Transportation | $196,465,013 |
| Department of Education | $192,256,433 |
| Department of State | $76,600,793 |
| National Science Foundation | $61,742,057 |
| General Services Administration | $36,287,953 |
That is $11,743 per covered job, against 1,126,059 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $13.2 bn / 1.13 m covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $11,743
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.
Public companies #
134 public companies file with the SEC from a business address here (Apple Inc., Alphabet Inc., NVIDIA CORP, and 131 more). The snapshot was pulled 2026-10-20; 133 of 134 carry financial facts. The county's jobs mix maps to 10 GICS sectors, led by Communication Services.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Inc. | AAPL · Nasdaq · Information Technology · CUPERTINO, CA 95014 | |
| Alphabet Inc. | GOOGL · Nasdaq · Information Technology · MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA 94043 | |
| NVIDIA CORP | NVDA · Nasdaq · Information Technology · SANTA CLARA, CA 95051 | |
| Broadcom Inc. | AVGO · Nasdaq · Information Technology · PALO ALTO, CA 94304 | |
| CISCO SYSTEMS, INC. | CSCO · Nasdaq · Information Technology · SAN JOSE, CA 95134 | |
| HP INC | HPQ · NYSE · Information Technology · PALO ALTO, CA 94304 | |
| INTEL CORP | INTC · Nasdaq · Information Technology · SANTA CLARA, CA 95054 | |
| NETFLIX INC | NFLX · Nasdaq · Communication Services · LOS GATOS, CA 95032 | |
| ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES INC | AMD · Nasdaq · Information Technology · SANTA CLARA, CA 95054 | |
| PayPal Holdings, Inc. | PYPL · Nasdaq · Industrials · SAN JOSE, CA 95131 |
Snapshot pulled 2026-10-20: 134 filers, 133 with financial facts.
Public filers whose registered business address with the SEC falls in this county, from a committed snapshot of EDGAR's company_tickers_exchange file. A position is the centroid of the address's ZIP code (Census ZCTA) or, where the snapshot says so, of its city: it is not a building. Legal entities only - no officer, insider or shareholder data is read, and Forms 3, 4 and 5 are excluded everywhere. Sector exposure is the county's BLS QCEW jobs mix bridged to GICS sectors by a convention documented in lib/companies/sectors.ts; a jobs mix is not a portfolio.
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 #
Santa Clara County, CA: 19 findings, 4 at a watch level and 15 noted
watchSanta Clara County, CA's price-to-rent ratio of 34.1 ranks 6th 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 = 99.63154016212233 >= 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
watchSanta Clara County, CA's price-to-rent ratio is 34.1, 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 = 34.11446502913939 >= 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
watchSanta Clara County, CA's typical asking rent is +8.4% against a year earlier, a watch level here: typical asking rent at least 8 percent above a year ago (arithmetic on Zillow ZORI; 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: rent.yoyPct = 8.385275654983184 >= 8
arithmetic on Zillow ZORI; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchSanta Clara County, CA's years of wages of 6.8 scores 87 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 37 across California counties, a gap of 50 points.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 50 = |87 across US counties - 37 across California counties|
- typical home value / (average weekly wage × 52); one average covered job, not a household
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteSanta Clara County, CA's average weekly wage was 8.4% 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
- +8.4 % = 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
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.