Lorain County, OH
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 41.44, -82.18.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 60th pct · 1,222nd of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 72nd pct · 25th of 88 Ohio counties · median $218,478
- 60th pct · 3rd of 6 counties in the Cleveland metro · median $255,286
- 72nd pct · 857th of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 73rd pct · 24th of 88 Ohio counties · median +3.9%
- 60th pct · 3rd of 6 counties in the Cleveland metro · median +4.4%
- 49th pct · 690th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 72nd pct · 16th of 55 Ohio counties · median $1,340
- 60th pct · 3rd of 6 counties in the Cleveland metro · median $1,461
- 90th pct · 307th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 87th pct · 12th of 88 Ohio counties · median 20,657
- 60th pct · 3rd of 6 counties in the Cleveland metro · median 79,942
- 70th pct · 957th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 65th pct · 31st of 88 Ohio counties · median $1,081
- 20th pct · 5th of 6 counties in the Cleveland metro · median $1,186
- 53rd pct · 1,436th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 71st pct · 26th of 88 Ohio counties · median 3.7
- 60th pct · 3rd of 6 counties in the Cleveland metro · median 4.2
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 $260,654 (Sep 2026), +4.8% over one year, +33.5% over five
- 60th pct · 1,222nd of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 72nd pct · 25th of 88 Ohio counties · median $218,478
- 60th pct · 3rd of 6 counties in the Cleveland metro · median $255,286
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Lorain County, OH | $260,654 · +4.8% 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 $1,499/mo (Sep 2026), +3.8% over one year; price-to-rent 14.5
- 49th pct · 690th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 72nd pct · 16th of 55 Ohio counties · median $1,340
- 60th pct · 3rd of 6 counties in the Cleveland metro · median $1,461
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Lorain County, OH | $1,499/mo · +3.8% 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 $1,444 a month on $260,654 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,983 a month: 29.0% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $260,654 × 80% = $208,523, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $1,444/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,150 × 52 / 12 = $4,983) = 29% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $260,654 / ($1,150 × 52) = 4.4
- price-to-rent = $260,654 / ($1,499 × 12) = 14.5
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 #
97,778 jobs at 6,849 employers (2026 Q1); -0.6% jobs and +2.7% average weekly wage over the year
- 90th pct · 307th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 87th pct · 12th of 88 Ohio counties · median 20,657
- 60th pct · 3rd of 6 counties in the Cleveland metro · median 79,942
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Lorain County, OH | 97,778 jobs · $1,150/wk · -0.6% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 16,225 | $1,174 | 1.10 | +1.0% |
| Manufacturing | 15,165 | $1,555 | 1.93 | -1.6% |
| Retail trade | 12,786 | $672 | 1.34 | +1.7% |
| Accommodation and food services | 9,860 | $414 | 1.12 | +2.9% |
| Administrative and waste services | 4,315 | $1,004 | 0.78 | -8.6% |
| Wholesale trade | 4,096 | $1,791 | 1.09 | -5.2% |
| Other services | 2,862 | $791 | 0.98 | -4.2% |
| Professional and technical services | 2,416 | $1,523 | 0.36 | -4.3% |
| Educational services | 2,298 | $1,085 | 1.09 | -3.6% |
| Finance and insurance | 2,031 | $1,885 | 0.51 | +4.0% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 1,693 | $1,332 | 0.41 | -15.0% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 1,070 | $530 | 0.66 | +3.7% |
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 #
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pymatuning Reservoir at Pymatuning Dam, PA | 1,008 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 143 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 #
80 gauges · 0 flooding · 7 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 29 stale
Sites found: 80, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Black River at Elyria OH | flow 134.0 ft³/s · quality 100 % (5) | 9 km |
| East Branch Black River at Elyria OH | flow 9.40 ft³/s · STALE | 12 km |
| Vermilion River near Vermilion OH | flow 62.2 ft³/s · quality 100 % (5) | 13 km |
| West Branch Black River above Elyria OH | flow 4.70 ft³/s · STALE | 14 km |
| Plum Creek near Olmsted Falls OH | flow 1.57 ft³/s | 23 km |
| Unnamed Trib to W B Rocky R near Olmsted Falls OH | stage 0.93 ft | 23 km |
| Rocky River near Berea OH | flow 88.1 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 25 km |
| West Branch Rocky River at West View OH | flow 44.0 ft³/s | 25 km |
| Baker Creek at Olmsted Falls OH | stage 1.11 ft | 25 km |
| Unnamed Tributary to W B Rocky R near Berea OH | stage 1.84 ft | 26 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 #
45 wells in 4 named aquifers: Mississippian aquifers, Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions), Pennsylvanian aquifers…
Sites found: 45, 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-411545082072400 | depth 7.06 ft · 1982-10-06 | 20 km |
| Mississippian aquifers | depth 28.3 ft · 2024-09-10 | 41 km |
| USGS-412750081382200 | depth 10.3 ft · 2018-05-17 | 45 km |
| USGS-412738081381400 | depth 7.28 ft · 2020-02-02 | 45 km |
| USGS-412743081381401 | depth 11.7 ft · 2020-02-02 | 45 km |
| USGS-412740081381200 | depth 5.85 ft · 2020-02-02 | 45 km |
| USGS-412740081381100 | depth 7.32 ft · 2020-02-02 | 45 km |
| USGS-412742081380700 | depth 9.14 ft · 2019-09-25 | 45 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 #
$6.4 bn in deposits at 62 offices of 17 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,684, moderately concentrated. $2.1 bn federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $2.0 bn, grants $73.0 m), $21,635 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| The Huntington National Bank | $2.2 bn · 34.7% share · 13 offices | |
| Fifth Third Bank, National Association | $858.9 m · 13.3% share · 7 offices | |
| Northwest Bank | $703.6 m · 10.9% share · 10 offices | |
| Lorain, OH | $2.1 bn FY2026 · $21,635/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $2.0 bn · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Huntington National Bank | $2,232,519,000 | 34.7% | 13 |
| Fifth Third Bank, National Association | $858,862,000 | 13.3% | 7 |
| Northwest Bank | $703,584,000 | 10.9% | 10 |
| PNC Bank, National Association | $424,281,000 | 6.6% | 3 |
| First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Lorain | $399,189,000 | 6.2% | 4 |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $298,909,000 | 4.6% | 4 |
| Third Federal Savings and Loan Association of Cleveland | $294,700,000 | 4.6% | 1 |
| KeyBank National Association | $291,632,000 | 4.5% | 5 |
| First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Lakewood | $252,949,000 | 3.9% | 3 |
| Buckeye Community Bank | $206,595,000 | 3.2% | 2 |
Deposit concentration is 1,684 across 17 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 17 banks with deposits in the county = 34.7² + 13.3² + 10.9² + … (14 more) = 1,684
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 | $1,772,510,641 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $172,924,204 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $51,263,067 |
| Department of Transportation | $50,872,196 |
| Department of Education | $19,967,063 |
| Department of Defense | $16,684,713 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $13,467,359 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $10,125,643 |
| Department of Agriculture | $5,039,656 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $2,012,875 |
| Environmental Protection Agency | $371,016 |
| Department of Homeland Security | $173,719 |
That is $21,635 per covered job, against 97,778 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $2.1 bn / 97,778 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $21,635
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 #
Lorain County, OH: 9 findings, 1 at a watch level and 8 noted
watchLorain County, OH's covered employment is -0.6% 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 = -0.6 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteLorain County, OH's average weekly wage was 2.7% 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
- +2.7 % = 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
noteLorain County, OH's typical asking rent rose 0.6% from $1,490 in August 2026 to $1,499 in September 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- +0.6% = (1499.0676767676769 - 1489.6563156290088) / 1489.6563156290088 × 100
- 1499.0676767676769 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-09
- 1489.6563156290088 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
noteLorain County, OH's covered employment was 0.6% 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
- -0.6 % = 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
noteLorain County, OH's typical home value rose 0.3% from $259,769 in August 2026 to $260,654 in September 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- +0.3% = (260653.5158803249 - 259768.77583978442) / 259768.77583978442 × 100
- 260653.5158803249 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-09
- 259768.77583978442 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
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.