Kent County, MI
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 43.03, -85.55.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 80th pct · 608th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 89th pct · 10th of 83 Michigan counties · median $225,043
- 75th pct · 2nd of 5 counties in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro · median $301,131
- 69th pct · 939th of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 36th pct · 53rd of 83 Michigan counties · median +5.3%
- 0th pct · 5th of 5 counties in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro · median +5.0%
- 57th pct · 573rd of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 71st pct · 12th of 40 Michigan counties · median $1,387
- counties in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro: only 4 of counties in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro published this metric; fewer than 5 is too few to rank
- 97th pct · 67th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 97th pct · 3rd of 83 Michigan counties · median 12,414
- 100th pct · 1st of 5 counties in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro · median 19,841
- 84th pct · 486th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 87th pct · 11th of 83 Michigan counties · median $1,045
- 100th pct · 1st of 5 counties in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro · median $1,022
- 68th pct · 955th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 81st pct · 16th of 83 Michigan counties · median 4.0
- 25th pct · 4th of 5 counties in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro · median 5.5
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 $353,407 (Sep 2026), +4.5% over one year, +29.2% over five
- 80th pct · 608th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 89th pct · 10th of 83 Michigan counties · median $225,043
- 75th pct · 2nd of 5 counties in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro · median $301,131
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Kent County, MI | $353,407 · +4.5% 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 $1,602/mo (Sep 2026), +4.4% over one year; price-to-rent 18.4
- 57th pct · 573rd of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 71st pct · 12th of 40 Michigan counties · median $1,387
- counties in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro: only 4 of counties in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro published this metric; fewer than 5 is too few to rank
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Kent County, MI | $1,602/mo · +4.4% 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 $1,958 a month on $353,407 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $5,638 a month: 34.7% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $353,407 × 80% = $282,726, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $1,958/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,301 × 52 / 12 = $5,638) = 35% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $353,407 / ($1,301 × 52) = 5.2
- price-to-rent = $353,407 / ($1,602 × 12) = 18.4
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 #
415,932 jobs at 18,385 employers (2026 Q1); -0.5% jobs and +3.5% average weekly wage over the year
- 97th pct · 67th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 97th pct · 3rd of 83 Michigan counties · median 12,414
- 100th pct · 1st of 5 counties in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro · median 19,841
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Kent County, MI | 415,932 jobs · $1,301/wk · -0.5% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 67,823 | $1,399 | 1.08 | -1.7% |
| Manufacturing | 61,460 | $1,714 | 1.84 | -1.4% |
| Administrative and waste services | 50,391 | $612 | 2.13 | -0.1% |
| Retail trade | 35,836 | $845 | 0.88 | -1.2% |
| Accommodation and food services | 30,190 | $515 | 0.81 | +2.7% |
| Wholesale trade | 26,025 | $1,687 | 1.63 | -5.3% |
| Construction | 20,006 | $1,605 | 0.92 | +0.7% |
| Professional and technical services | 19,632 | $1,865 | 0.68 | -1.7% |
| Finance and insurance | 15,882 | $2,518 | 0.94 | +6.0% |
| Other services | 13,584 | $963 | 1.09 | +2.5% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 13,336 | $1,183 | 0.76 | -1.5% |
| Educational services | 11,135 | $787 | 1.24 | +3.2% |
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 #
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 #
low (0.00)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 / 0.35
Banks & federal dollars #
$26.0 bn in deposits at 148 offices of 24 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,296, moderately concentrated. $7.4 bn federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $7.0 bn, grants $244.9 m), $17,856 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Northpointe Bank | $5.3 bn · 20.2% share · 1 office | |
| Fifth Third Bank, National Association | $5.2 bn · 19.9% share · 32 offices | |
| The Huntington National Bank | $4.2 bn · 16.0% share · 19 offices | |
| Kent, MI | $7.4 bn FY2026 · $17,856/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $6.9 bn · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northpointe Bank | $5,253,877,000 | 20.2% | 1 |
| Fifth Third Bank, National Association | $5,180,901,000 | 19.9% | 32 |
| The Huntington National Bank | $4,152,051,000 | 16.0% | 19 |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $2,457,108,000 | 9.5% | 19 |
| Mercantile Bank | $2,091,616,000 | 8.1% | 6 |
| Macatawa Bank, National Association | $1,582,621,000 | 6.1% | 11 |
| ChoiceOne Bank | $807,438,000 | 3.1% | 7 |
| Independent Bank | $797,636,000 | 3.1% | 9 |
| Bank of America, National Association | $766,058,000 | 2.9% | 6 |
| PNC Bank, National Association | $511,620,000 | 2.0% | 9 |
Deposit concentration is 1,296 across 24 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 24 banks with deposits in the county = 20.2² + 19.9² + 16.0² + … (21 more) = 1,296
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 |
|---|---|
| Department of Health and Human Services | $3,768,279,373 |
| Social Security Administration | $2,954,140,877 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $260,489,972 |
| Department of Transportation | $121,039,942 |
| Department of Defense | $79,924,027 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $77,577,679 |
| Department of Education | $52,330,015 |
| Department of Agriculture | $51,793,164 |
| Department of Justice | $20,081,875 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $11,009,616 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $10,238,718 |
| Department of Labor | $7,477,591 |
That is $17,856 per covered job, against 415,932 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $7.4 bn / 415,932 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $17,856
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 #
Kent County, MI: 15 findings, 3 at a watch level and 12 noted
watchKent County, MI's covered employment is -0.5% 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 = -0.5 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchKent County, MI's typical home value of +4.5% scores 69 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 37 across Michigan counties, a gap of 33 points.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 33 = |69 across US counties - 37 across Michigan counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchKent County, MI's momentum index of 0.30 scores 60 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 28 across Michigan counties, a gap of 32 points.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 32 = |60 across US counties - 28 across Michigan counties|
- momentum = Σ wᵢ · clip(changeᵢ / scaleᵢ, −1, 1) / Σ wᵢ over the terms present; weights and scales: home value 1-yr change 0.3 (±10%), rent 1-yr change 0.15 (±10%), jobs over-the-year change 0.3 (±3%), avg weekly wage over-the-year change 0.25 (±6%)
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteKent County, MI's average weekly wage was 3.5% 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
- +3.5 % = 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
noteKent County, MI's covered employment was 0.5% 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
- -0.5 % = 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.