Ottawa County, OH
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 41.55, -83.01.
Assembled 2026-10-20. Read the brief.
- 63rd pct · 1,116th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 78th pct · 20th of 88 Ohio counties · median $218,478
- counties in the Sandusky metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Sandusky metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 33rd pct · 2,051st of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 6th pct · 82nd of 88 Ohio counties · median +3.9%
- counties in the Sandusky metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Sandusky metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 52nd pct · 639th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 75th pct · 14th of 55 Ohio counties · median $1,340
- counties in the Sandusky metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Sandusky metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 61st pct · 1,232nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 31st pct · 61st of 88 Ohio counties · median 20,657
- counties in the Sandusky metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Sandusky metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 71st pct · 934th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 67th pct · 29th of 88 Ohio counties · median $1,081
- counties in the Sandusky metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Sandusky metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 56th pct · 1,320th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 77th pct · 21st of 88 Ohio counties · median 3.7
- counties in the Sandusky metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Sandusky 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 $273,705 (Sep 2026), +1.3% over one year, +20.1% over five
- 63rd pct · 1,116th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 78th pct · 20th of 88 Ohio counties · median $218,478
- counties in the Sandusky metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Sandusky metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Ottawa County, OH | $273,705 · +1.3% 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 $1,538/mo (Sep 2026), n/a over one year; price-to-rent 14.8
- 52nd pct · 639th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 75th pct · 14th of 55 Ohio counties · median $1,340
- counties in the Sandusky metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Sandusky metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Ottawa County, OH | $1,538/mo · n/a 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 $1,516 a month on $273,705 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $5,009 a month: 30.3% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $273,705 × 80% = $218,964, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $1,516/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,156 × 52 / 12 = $5,009) = 30% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $273,705 / ($1,156 × 52) = 4.6
- price-to-rent = $273,705 / ($1,538 × 12) = 14.8
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 #
13,175 jobs at 1,211 employers (2026 Q1); +3.1% jobs and +0.4% average weekly wage over the year
- 61st pct · 1,232nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 31st pct · 61st of 88 Ohio counties · median 20,657
- counties in the Sandusky metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Sandusky metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Ottawa County, OH | 13,175 jobs · $1,156/wk · +3.1% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 2,288 | $1,385 | 2.16 | +15.6% |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,665 | $431 | 1.41 | +2.8% |
| Retail trade | 1,375 | $671 | 1.07 | +1.0% |
| Construction | 876 | $1,468 | 1.27 | +8.8% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 453 | $737 | 2.09 | -0.4% |
| Other services | 388 | $646 | 0.99 | -1.3% |
| Finance and insurance | 306 | $1,742 | 0.57 | +8.1% |
| Administrative and waste services | 299 | $764 | 0.40 | +3.8% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 244 | $1,042 | 0.44 | +6.6% |
| Professional and technical services | 208 | $1,461 | 0.23 | -3.3% |
| Real estate and rental | 144 | $876 | 0.71 | +12.5% |
| Mining, oil and gas | 99 | $1,511 | 2.11 | +0.0% |
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 #
51 gauges · 0 flooding · 17 with quality panels averaging 98 % · 23 stale
Sites found: 51, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Bayou Ditch near Oak Harbor OH | flow 0.08 ft³/s · STALE | 15 km |
| Lacarpe Creek near Oak Harbor OH | flow 0.13 ft³/s · STALE | 16 km |
| Portage River near Elmore OH | flow 25.5 ft³/s · no flooding | 19 km |
| USGS-412122083061400 | flow 777.0 ft³/s · quality 88 % (4) · STALE | 22 km |
| Lake Erie near Marblehead | no flooding | 23 km |
| Sandusky River near Fremont OH | flow 73.2 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) · no flooding | 29 km |
| Ground Water near Bellevue | no readings | 31 km |
| Portage River at Woodville OH | flow 21.2 ft³/s · quality 90 % (5) · no flooding | 31 km |
| Wolf Ditch at Oregon OH | flow 0.66 ft³/s · STALE | 33 km |
| Berger Ditch near Oregon OH | flow 5.38 ft³/s · STALE | 33 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 #
26 wells in 2 named aquifers: Silurian-Devonian aquifers, Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions)
Sites found: 26, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Silurian-Devonian aquifers | depth 14.4 ft · 2024-07-18 | 16 km |
| Silurian-Devonian aquifers | depth 17.7 ft · 2024-09-29 | 26 km |
| USGS-413644083201900 | depth 16.6 ft · 1980-01-31 | 28 km |
| Silurian-Devonian aquifers | depth 21.1 ft · 2024-09-29 | 31 km |
| USGS-412703083213600 | depth 24.5 ft · 2007-06-12 | 31 km |
| USGS-411819082493900 | depth 55.3 ft · 2026-10-19 | 31 km |
| USGS-413629083304400 | depth 57.7 ft · 1988-06-08 | 42 km |
| Silurian-Devonian aquifers | depth 21.7 ft · 2024-09-29 | 47 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 (0.01)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.02 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$1.2 bn in deposits at 20 offices of 11 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,787, moderately concentrated. $357.0 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $332.4 m, grants $20.3 m), $27,099 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| The Genoa Banking Company | $351.2 m · 29.0% share · 3 offices | |
| The Huntington National Bank | $274.3 m · 22.7% share · 2 offices | |
| The Croghan Colonial Bank | $189.0 m · 15.6% share · 3 offices | |
| Ottawa, OH | $357.0 m FY2026 · $27,099/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $325.6 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Genoa Banking Company | $351,183,000 | 29.0% | 3 |
| The Huntington National Bank | $274,307,000 | 22.7% | 2 |
| The Croghan Colonial Bank | $189,015,000 | 15.6% | 3 |
| The First National Bank of Bellevue | $93,975,000 | 7.8% | 3 |
| U.S. Bank National Association | $92,281,000 | 7.6% | 1 |
| WesBanco Bank, Inc. | $63,495,000 | 5.3% | 1 |
| The State Bank and Trust Company | $47,468,000 | 3.9% | 3 |
| KeyBank National Association | $43,050,000 | 3.6% | 1 |
| First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Lorain | $32,872,000 | 2.7% | 1 |
| Civista Bank | $18,244,000 | 1.5% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,787 across 11 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 11 banks with deposits in the county = 29.0² + 22.7² + 15.6² + … (8 more) = 1,787
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 | $293,276,981 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $25,745,481 |
| Department of Transportation | $19,195,029 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $6,612,315 |
| Department of Agriculture | $6,316,464 |
| Department of the Interior | $2,385,638 |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | $967,685 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $887,169 |
| Department of Education | $644,395 |
| Department of Defense | $429,142 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $393,701 |
| Department of Homeland Security | $325,155 |
That is $27,099 per covered job, against 13,175 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $357.0 m / 13,175 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $27,099
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 #
Ottawa County, OH: 9 findings, 2 at a watch level and 7 noted
watchOttawa County, OH's typical asking rent rose 13.6% from $1,353 in August 2026 to $1,538 in September 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- +13.6% = (1537.5 - 1352.9588018045424) / 1352.9588018045424 × 100
- 1537.5 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-09
- 1352.9588018045424 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
watchOttawa County, OH's covered employment of 13,175 scores 62 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 31 across Ohio counties, a gap of 31 points.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 31 = |62 across US counties - 31 across Ohio counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteOttawa County, OH's covered employment was 3.1% 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
- +3.1 % = 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
noteOttawa County, OH's average weekly wage was 0.4% 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
- +0.4 % = 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
noteOttawa County, OH's typical home value of +1.3% ranks 82nd of 88 Ohio counties, against a median of +3.9%.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 7 on the 0-to-100 scale across 88 Ohio 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.