La Plata County, CO
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 37.29, -107.84.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 97th pct · 77th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 80th pct · 13th of 62 Colorado counties · median $448,803
- 50th pct · 1,515th of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 80th pct · 13th of 62 Colorado counties · median -0.4%
- 82nd pct · 242nd of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 59th pct · 14th of 33 Colorado counties · median $1,931
- 76th pct · 770th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 77th pct · 15th of 64 Colorado counties · median 4,853
- 80th pct · 635th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 68th pct · 21st of 64 Colorado counties · median $1,075
- 97th pct · 64th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 80th pct · 13th of 62 Colorado counties · median 6.4
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 $678,547 (Sep 2026), +2.9% over one year, +32.5% over five
- 97th pct · 77th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 80th pct · 13th of 62 Colorado counties · median $448,803
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| La Plata County, CO | $678,547 · +2.9% 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 $1,979/mo (Sep 2026), +1.1% over one year; price-to-rent 28.6
- 82nd pct · 242nd of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 59th pct · 14th of 33 Colorado counties · median $1,931
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| La Plata County, CO | $1,979/mo · +1.1% 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 $3,758 a month on $678,547 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $5,373 a month: 69.9% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $678,547 × 80% = $542,838, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $3,758/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,240 × 52 / 12 = $5,373) = 70% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $678,547 / ($1,240 × 52) = 10.5
- price-to-rent = $678,547 / ($1,979 × 12) = 28.6
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 #
26,653 jobs at 3,214 employers (2026 Q1); -0.8% jobs and +5.1% average weekly wage over the year
- 76th pct · 770th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 77th pct · 15th of 64 Colorado counties · median 4,853
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| La Plata County, CO | 26,653 jobs · $1,240/wk · -0.8% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 3,779 | $1,309 | 0.94 | +10.1% |
| Retail trade | 3,273 | $769 | 1.26 | -3.3% |
| Accommodation and food services | 3,225 | $574 | 1.35 | -6.1% |
| Construction | 2,055 | $1,380 | 1.47 | +9.6% |
| Professional and technical services | 1,543 | $2,166 | 0.84 | -3.5% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 1,093 | $652 | 2.49 | -5.8% |
| Administrative and waste services | 826 | $965 | 0.55 | +4.7% |
| Manufacturing | 802 | $1,303 | 0.37 | +1.1% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 770 | $1,297 | 0.69 | -2.8% |
| Other services | 738 | $833 | 0.93 | -1.9% |
| Finance and insurance | 679 | $3,366 | 0.63 | -4.8% |
| Wholesale trade | 558 | $1,866 | 0.55 | -0.2% |
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 #
D2 severe 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 #
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 #
high (0.50)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.50 / 0.35
Banks & federal dollars #
$2.1 bn in deposits at 20 offices of 10 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,491, moderately concentrated. $464.0 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $341.2 m, grants $89.6 m), $17,409 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Bank of Colorado | $420.8 m · 20.1% share · 2 offices | |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $393.3 m · 18.8% share · 2 offices | |
| TBK BANK, SSB | $372.0 m · 17.8% share · 5 offices | |
| La Plata, CO | $464.0 m FY2026 · $17,409/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $327.0 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank of Colorado | $420,831,000 | 20.1% | 2 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $393,341,000 | 18.8% | 2 |
| TBK BANK, SSB | $371,992,000 | 17.8% | 5 |
| Alpine Bank | $308,075,000 | 14.7% | 2 |
| Glacier Bank | $229,753,000 | 11.0% | 2 |
| NBH Bank | $122,744,000 | 5.9% | 2 |
| First Southwest Bank | $93,183,000 | 4.5% | 1 |
| Zions Bancorporation, N.A. | $91,018,000 | 4.4% | 2 |
| The Central Trust Bank | $33,805,000 | 1.6% | 1 |
| Four Corners Community Bank | $26,087,000 | 1.2% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,491 across 10 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 10 banks with deposits in the county = 20.1² + 18.8² + 17.8² + … (7 more) = 1,491
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 | $296,915,845 |
| Department of Transportation | $67,385,568 |
| Department of Agriculture | $32,313,437 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $31,866,070 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $13,639,245 |
| Department of Education | $13,131,732 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $4,002,707 |
| Department of the Interior | $3,039,157 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $909,088 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $572,898 |
| Department of Defense | $147,661 |
| Institute of Museum and Library Services | $66,079 |
That is $17,409 per covered job, against 26,653 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $464.0 m / 26,653 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $17,409
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 Plata County, CO: 13 findings, 7 at a watch level and 6 noted
watchLa Plata County, CO's years of wages of 10.5 ranks 64th 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 = 97.94252122795558 >= 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
watchLa Plata County, CO's price-to-rent ratio of 28.6 ranks 30th 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 = 97.8629329403095 >= 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 Plata County, CO's price-to-rent ratio is 28.6, 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 = 28.570380716266946 >= 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 Plata County, CO's covered employment is -0.8% 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 = -0.8 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchLa Plata County, CO's years of wages is 10.5, a watch level here: typical home value worth 10 or more years of one average covered wage (typical home value / (average weekly wage × 52), one average covered job rather than a household; 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: yearsOfWages = 10.523375717439539 >= 10
- typical home value / (average weekly wage × 52); one average covered job, not a household
typical home value / (average weekly wage × 52), one average covered job rather than a household; convention chosen for this dashboard, 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.