Mercer County, WV: 13 findings, 4 at a watch level and 9 noted

13 findings fired for Mercer County, WV this run, against a typical home value of $145,481 in September 2026 and covered employment of 19,186 in 2026 Q1. 1 further finding is not listed here.

This is the real estate lens: Agents, investors, appraisers, relocation It keeps the findings whose subject matches that interest and drops the rest, so it is a subset of the full brief and never a different set of numbers. The full brief is the canonical version of this page.

12 findings #

currentretrieved 2026-10-20

  1. watchMercer County, WV's covered employment is -2.1% 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 = -2.1 < 0

    BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level

  2. watchMercer County, WV's typical asking rent is -1.2% against the previous month, a watch level here: typical asking rent at least 1 percent below the previous month (arithmetic on the Zillow ZORI month columns; 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: rent.momPct = -1.2105815660891295 <= -1
    • month-over-month percent change = (newest month − previous month) / |previous month| × 100, from Zillow's own published month columns

    arithmetic on the Zillow ZORI month columns; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level

  3. watchMercer County, WV's years of wages of 2.8 scores 17 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 54 across West Virginia counties, a gap of 37 points.

    Period 2026-09.
    Show the arithmetic
    • 37 = |17 across US counties - 54 across West Virginia counties|
    • typical home value / (average weekly wage × 52); one average covered job, not a household

    position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level

  4. watchMercer County, WV's price-to-rent ratio of 15.7 scores 37 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 73 across West Virginia counties, a gap of 36 points.

    Period 2026-09.
    Show the arithmetic
    • 36 = |37 across US counties - 73 across West Virginia counties|
    • typical home value / (typical rent × 12); Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month

    position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level

  5. noteMercer County, WV's average weekly wage was 3.9% 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
    • +3.9 % = 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

  6. noteMercer County, WV's covered employment was 2.1% 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
    • -2.1 % = 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

  7. noteMercer County, WV's typical asking rent fell 1.2% from $781 in August 2026 to $772 in September 2026, on Zillow ZORI.

    Period 2026-09.
    Show the arithmetic
    • -1.2% = (771.6369047619047 - 781.0926686223202) / 781.0926686223202 × 100
    • 771.6369047619047 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-09
    • 781.0926686223202 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08

  8. noteMercer County, WV's typical home value fell 0.5% from $146,231 in August 2026 to $145,481 in September 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.

    Period 2026-09.
    Show the arithmetic
    • -0.5% = (145480.7535671713 - 146231.29580612248) / 146231.29580612248 × 100
    • 145480.7535671713 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-09
    • 146231.29580612248 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08

  9. noteMercer County, WV's typical asking rent of $772 ranks 16th of 16 West Virginia counties, against a median of $1,066.

    Period 2026-09.
    Show the arithmetic
    • 0 on the 0-to-100 scale across 16 West Virginia counties that published rent.latest

    position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level

  10. noteMercer County, WV's typical asking rent of $772 ranks 1,350th of 1,358 US counties, against a median of $1,506.

    Period 2026-09.
    Show the arithmetic
    • 1 on the 0-to-100 scale across 1358 US counties that published rent.latest

    position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level

  11. noteThe next Unemployment rate (BLS Employment Situation, monthly) covering Mercer County, WV is due between 2026-10-30 and 2026-11-13, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern.

    Show the arithmetic
    • window = 2026-10-30 to 2026-11-13, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern

    estimated from the publisher's past release pattern; not an announced date

  12. noteThe next Zillow ZHVI typical home value (monthly) covering Mercer County, WV is due between 2026-11-14 and 2026-11-21, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern.

    Show the arithmetic
    • window = 2026-11-14 to 2026-11-21, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern

    estimated from the publisher's past release pattern; not an announced date

A lens narrows which numbers are shown, not which holes are admitted to: a withheld figure or a pending release survives every lens, because a gap is a fact about the place rather than about one reader's subject.

Subscribe to this lens #

currentretrieved 2026-10-20

The same narrowed findings as a feed.

Sources #

  • publishedQuarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statisticsopen the source
    area 54055, all ownerships, all industries · period 2026-Q1 · retrieved 2026-10-20
  • estimateZillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI)Zillow Researchopen the source
    · retrieved 2026-10-20 · month-over-month percent change = (newest month − previous month) / |previous month| × 100, from Zillow's own published month columns
  • estimateQuarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statisticsopen the source
    · retrieved 2026-10-20 · typical home value / (average weekly wage × 52); one average covered job, not a household
  • estimateZillow Home Value Index (ZHVI)Zillow Researchopen the source
    · retrieved 2026-10-20 · typical home value / (typical rent × 12); Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month
  • publishedZillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI)Zillow Researchopen the source
    County_zori_uc_sfrcondomfr_sm_month.csv · period 2026-09 · retrieved 2026-10-20
  • publishedZillow Home Value Index (ZHVI)Zillow Researchopen the source
    County_zhvi_uc_sfrcondo_tier_0.33_0.67_sm_sa_month.csv · period 2026-09 · retrieved 2026-10-20
  • estimateZillow Home Value Index (ZHVI)Zillow Researchopen the source
    · retrieved 2026-10-20 · month-over-month percent change = (newest month − previous month) / |previous month| × 100, from Zillow's own published month columns
  • estimateZillow Home Value Index (ZHVI)Zillow Researchopen the source
    · retrieved 2026-10-20 · 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%)

Citations

  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. series area 54055, all ownerships, all industries. period 2026-Q1. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2026/1/area/54055.csv. accessed 2026-10-20.
  • Zillow Research. Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI). https://www.zillow.com/research/data/. accessed 2026-10-20. estimate computed by Embedding Atlas: month-over-month percent change = (newest month − previous month) / |previous month| × 100, from Zillow's own published month columns.
  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. https://www.bls.gov/cew/. accessed 2026-10-20. estimate computed by Embedding Atlas: typical home value / (average weekly wage × 52); one average covered job, not a household.
  • Zillow Research. Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI). https://www.zillow.com/research/data/. accessed 2026-10-20. estimate computed by Embedding Atlas: typical home value / (typical rent × 12); Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month.
  • Zillow Research. Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI). series County_zori_uc_sfrcondomfr_sm_month.csv. period 2026-09. https://files.zillowstatic.com/research/public_csvs/zori/County_zori_uc_sfrcondomfr_sm_month.csv. accessed 2026-10-20.
  • Zillow Research. Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI). series County_zhvi_uc_sfrcondo_tier_0.33_0.67_sm_sa_month.csv. period 2026-09. https://files.zillowstatic.com/research/public_csvs/zhvi/County_zhvi_uc_sfrcondo_tier_0.33_0.67_sm_sa_month.csv. accessed 2026-10-20.
  • Zillow Research. Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI). https://www.zillow.com/research/data/. accessed 2026-10-20. estimate computed by Embedding Atlas: month-over-month percent change = (newest month − previous month) / |previous month| × 100, from Zillow's own published month columns.
  • Zillow Research. Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI). https://www.zillow.com/research/data/. accessed 2026-10-20. estimate computed by Embedding Atlas: 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%).

What these numbers are not

  • The newest BLS QCEW file carries no year-earlier level, only the over-the-year percent change BLS publishes itself. Every employment and wage comparison here states that published change; none of them is a move from one level to another, because the two levels are not both in the file.
  • A percentile here is a min-max scaling of average rank across the entities that published the metric this period: the smallest published value scores 0 and the largest scores 100. It is not the share of entities below the value, and entities that did not publish the metric are counted in neither the rank nor its denominator.
  • The named indicators shown beside this brief are national or basin-level series, not measurements of Mercer County, WV; 30-year fixed mortgage rate (watch) is at a watch or alert level. They are context.
  • Water rows are everything within 75 km of this place's internal point (150 km for reservoirs), not everything inside its boundary: lib/water searches discs, and every row prints its own distance.
  • Server report: satellite turbidity is only computed in a browser, so that term is absent here.
  • USGS gauges did not answer.
  • USGS wells did not answer.
  • Stress uses 1 of 4 terms (drought); missing terms are left out, not assumed.
  • Groundwater has no trend term: one latest level cannot say whether an aquifer is being drawn down.
  • Obligations are what agencies committed in FY2026 by place of performance: not outlays, and not the recipient's own location.
  • FY2026 closed 20 days ago; agencies report with up to a 45-day lag, so totals are still filling in.
  • The indicator block is the NATIONAL set, filtered only by lens. None of these series is keyed to this place: they are United States, gauge, single-state or port series and they are shown as context, not as this place's own readings.

Page assembled 2026-10-20T12:33:53.100Z. Place identity tables pulled 2026-10-01.