Arenac County, MI
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 44.04, -83.74.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 24th pct · 2,298th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 8th pct · 76th of 83 Michigan counties · median $225,043
- 93rd pct · 188th of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 85th pct · 13th of 83 Michigan counties · median +5.3%
- US counties: not published this period
- Michigan counties: not published this period
- 30th pct · 2,254th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 17th pct · 69th of 83 Michigan counties · median 12,414
- 22nd pct · 2,485th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 19th pct · 67th of 83 Michigan counties · median $1,045
- 34th pct · 1,997th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 28th pct · 60th of 83 Michigan counties · median 4.0
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 $170,538 (Sep 2026), +8.7% over one year, +29.1% over five
- 24th pct · 2,298th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 8th pct · 76th of 83 Michigan counties · median $225,043
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Arenac County, MI | $170,538 · +8.7% 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
- Michigan 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 $945 a month on $170,538 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $3,982 a month: 23.7% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $170,538 × 80% = $136,430, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $945/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $919 × 52 / 12 = $3,982) = 24% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $170,538 / ($919 × 52) = 3.6
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 #
3,754 jobs at 359 employers (2026 Q1); -1.9% jobs and +1.7% average weekly wage over the year
- 30th pct · 2,254th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 17th pct · 69th of 83 Michigan counties · median 12,414
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Arenac County, MI | 3,754 jobs · $919/wk · -1.9% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 727 | $1,205 | 2.41 | -11.9% |
| Retail trade | 592 | $636 | 1.62 | -7.8% |
| Accommodation and food services | 338 | $355 | 1.00 | +0.0% |
| Administrative and waste services | 208 | $1,040 | 0.97 | -1.0% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 163 | $1,127 | 1.03 | +53.8% |
| Professional and technical services | 124 | $1,621 | 0.48 | -10.8% |
| Construction | 120 | $939 | 0.61 | +41.2% |
| Other services | 68 | $457 | 0.61 | -8.1% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 5 | $995 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | withheld | |||
| Mining, oil and gas | withheld | |||
| Utilities | 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 #
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 #
38 gauges · 0 flooding · 8 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 3 stale
Sites found: 38, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| AU GRES RIVER AT S MACKINAW RD NR AU GRES, MI | flow 46.1 ft³/s | 7 km |
| PINE RIVER AT PINE RIVER RD NR STANDISH, MI | flow -3.48 ft³/s | 12 km |
| E BR AU GRES R AT E ANDREWS RD NR ALABASTER, MI | flow 42.6 ft³/s | 17 km |
| RIFLE RIVER NEAR STERLING, MI | flow 336.0 ft³/s · quality 100 % (3) · no flooding | 23 km |
| SEBEWAING RIVER AT CENTER ST AT SEBEWAING, MI | flow -13.4 ft³/s | 41 km |
| PIGEON RIVER NEAR CASEVILLE, MI | flow 47.6 ft³/s · STALE | 41 km |
| PIGEON RIVER AT LIMERICK ROAD NEAR CASEVILLE, MI | flow 1.28 ft³/s | 42 km |
| COLUMBIA DRAIN AT GETTEL ROAD NEAR SEBEWAING, MI | flow 4.40 ft³/s · STALE | 44 km |
| KAWKAWLIN RIVER AT STATE PARK DR AT BAY CITY, MI | stage 11.9 ft | 45 km |
| Saginaw River at Essexville Tidal Gauge | no flooding | 45 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 #
7 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 7, 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-435128083582401 | depth 3.70 ft · 1979-10-15 | 27 km |
| USGS-434947083233301 | depth 2.89 ft · 2009-12-31 | 36 km |
| USGS-435736083094801 | depth 7.39 ft · 2009-12-31 | 47 km |
| USGS-442700083312801 | depth 21.7 ft · 1990-09-18 | 49 km |
| USGS-442659083212901 | depth 21.6 ft · 1992-04-06 | 55 km |
| USGS-434103083130301 | depth 36.1 ft · 2026-10-19 | 57 km |
| USGS-434323082561901 | depth 11.6 ft · 2003-12-31 | 73 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 (0.00)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.00 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$283.5 m in deposits at 6 offices of 4 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 3,006, highly concentrated. $145.3 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $138.7 m, grants $6.6 m), $38,711 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| The Huntington National Bank | $105.3 m · 37.1% share · 2 offices | |
| Independent Bank | $80.9 m · 28.5% share · 1 office | |
| Horizon Bank | $78.6 m · 27.7% share · 2 offices | |
| Arenac, MI | $145.3 m FY2026 · $38,711/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $134.0 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Huntington National Bank | $105,258,000 | 37.1% | 2 |
| Independent Bank | $80,933,000 | 28.5% | 1 |
| Horizon Bank | $78,609,000 | 27.7% | 2 |
| Huron Community Bank | $18,710,000 | 6.6% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 3,006 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 = 37.1² + 28.5² + 27.7² + … (1 more) = 3,006
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 | $118,811,581 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $14,214,338 |
| Department of Agriculture | $4,084,855 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $3,243,021 |
| Department of Transportation | $2,408,776 |
| Environmental Protection Agency | $1,000,000 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $785,856 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $664,589 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $107,793 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
| Department of the Interior | $0 |
That is $38,711 per covered job, against 3,754 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $145.3 m / 3,754 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $38,711
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 #
Arenac County, MI: 9 findings, 1 at a watch level and 8 noted
watchArenac County, MI's covered employment is -1.9% 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 = -1.9 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteArenac County, MI's covered employment was 1.9% lower 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
- -1.9 % = 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
noteArenac County, MI's average weekly wage was 1.7% 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
- +1.7 % = 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
noteArenac County, MI's typical home value rose 0.5% from $169,756 in August 2026 to $170,538 in September 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- +0.5% = (170538.0281686239 - 169755.8310293792) / 169755.8310293792 × 100
- 170538.0281686239 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-09
- 169755.8310293792 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
noteArenac County, MI's typical home value of +8.7% ranks 188th of 3,062 US counties, against a median of +2.9%.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 94 on the 0-to-100 scale across 3062 US counties that published home.yoyPct
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
Read all 9 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.