Wetzel County, WV
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 39.60, -80.64.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 5th pct · 2,904th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 16th pct · 46th of 55 West Virginia counties · median $151,294
- 36th pct · 1,948th of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 37th pct · 35th of 55 West Virginia counties · median +2.6%
- US counties: not published this period
- West Virginia counties: not published this period
- 34th pct · 2,122nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 44th pct · 31st of 55 West Virginia counties · median 5,555
- 49th pct · 1,619th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 44th pct · 31st of 55 West Virginia counties · median $1,076
- 5th pct · 2,903rd of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 18th pct · 45th of 55 West Virginia counties · median 2.7
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 $112,058 (Sep 2026), +1.7% over one year, +13.6% over five
- 5th pct · 2,904th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 16th pct · 46th of 55 West Virginia counties · median $151,294
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Wetzel County, WV | $112,058 · +1.7% 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
- West Virginia 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 $621 a month on $112,058 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,498 a month: 13.8% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $112,058 × 80% = $89,647, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $621/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,038 × 52 / 12 = $4,498) = 14% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $112,058 / ($1,038 × 52) = 2.1
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 #
4,453 jobs at 443 employers (2026 Q1); -0.9% jobs and +2.2% average weekly wage over the year
- 34th pct · 2,122nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 44th pct · 31st of 55 West Virginia counties · median 5,555
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Wetzel County, WV | 4,453 jobs · $1,038/wk · -0.9% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 791 | $617 | 1.82 | -2.6% |
| Accommodation and food services | 410 | $379 | 1.02 | -5.3% |
| Construction | 184 | $1,197 | 0.79 | -27.3% |
| Administrative and waste services | 118 | $935 | 0.47 | +32.6% |
| Manufacturing | 114 | $574 | 0.32 | -1.7% |
| Other services | 106 | $361 | 0.80 | -10.9% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 79 | $1,963 | 0.42 | -9.2% |
| Finance and insurance | 77 | $1,004 | 0.42 | -11.5% |
| Real estate and rental | 70 | $1,498 | 1.03 | +40.0% |
| Information | 48 | $1,309 | 0.58 | -20.0% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 27 | $439 | 0.37 | +58.8% |
| Unclassified | 4 | $609 | 0.42 | +100.0% |
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 #
4 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 4, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| DEEP CREEK LAKE NEAR THAYERVILLE, MD | 2,458 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 115 km |
| SAVAGE RIVER RESERVOIR NEAR BLOOMINGTON, MD | 1,447 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 129 km |
| JENNINGS RANDOLPH LAKE NEAR ELK GARDEN, WV | 1,459 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 131 km |
| Loyalhanna Creek Lake, PA | 3,652 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 139 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 #
65 gauges · 0 flooding · 16 with quality panels averaging 97 % · 14 stale
Sites found: 65, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Stillwater Creek above Piedmont Lake OH | stage 1.50 ft · quality 50 % (2) | 68 km |
| SOUTH FORK FISHING CREEK AT SMITHFIELD, WV | flow 15.4 ft³/s | 13 km |
| WV FORK FISH CREEK NEAR HUNDRED, WV | flow 7.33 ft³/s | 18 km |
| OHIO RIVER ABOVE SARDIS, OH | flow -3,260 ft³/s | 21 km |
| OHIO RIVER AT HANNIBAL LOCK AND DAM (LOWER), OH | stage 13.3 ft | 21 km |
| OHIO RIVER AT HANNIBAL LOCK AND DAM (UPPER), OH | stage 13.2 ft | 21 km |
| MIDDLE ISLAND CREEK AT HWY 18 NR MIDDLEBOURNE, WV | stage 11.4 ft | 24 km |
| Herod Run near New Freeport, PA | flow 1.64 ft³/s · STALE | 26 km |
| South Fork Dunkard Fork at Aleppo, PA | flow 5.57 ft³/s · STALE | 30 km |
| Sunfish Creek at Cameron OH | flow 6.21 ft³/s · STALE | 32 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 #
50 wells in 2 named aquifers: Pennsylvanian aquifers, Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions)
Sites found: 50, 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-394943080342601 | depth 67.2 ft · 2020-10-05 | 26 km |
| USGS-394343080195201 | depth 8.29 ft · 1986-07-04 | 30 km |
| USGS-393057080161901 | depth 47.2 ft · 1985-11-10 | 32 km |
| USGS-394908080211001 | depth 350.6 ft · 1982-06-25 | 34 km |
| USGS-394908080211002 | depth 48.0 ft · 1985-10-17 | 34 km |
| USGS-393211081021201 | depth 18.9 ft · 1995-10-01 | 35 km |
| USGS-395259080270601 | depth 13.6 ft · 1987-02-25 | 35 km |
| USGS-395502080252001 | depth 126.2 ft · 1982-05-26 | 40 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 + 0.2×0.03 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$617.3 m in deposits at 9 offices of 6 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 3,035, highly concentrated. $103.0 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $98.9 m, grants $4.1 m), $23,136 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| WesBanco Bank, Inc. | $297.3 m · 48.2% share · 3 offices | |
| Peoples Bank | $133.6 m · 21.6% share · 1 office | |
| First Exchange Bank | $61.8 m · 10.0% share · 1 office | |
| Wetzel, WV | $103.0 m FY2026 · $23,136/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $98.3 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| WesBanco Bank, Inc. | $297,340,000 | 48.2% | 3 |
| Peoples Bank | $133,599,000 | 21.6% | 1 |
| First Exchange Bank | $61,788,000 | 10.0% | 1 |
| Citizens Bank of West Virginia, Inc. | $54,361,000 | 8.8% | 1 |
| First Mutual Bank, FSB | $43,683,000 | 7.1% | 1 |
| First Community Bank | $26,528,000 | 4.3% | 2 |
Deposit concentration is 3,035 across 6 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 6 banks with deposits in the county = 48.2² + 21.6² + 10.0² + … (3 more) = 3,035
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 | $87,621,841 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $10,075,622 |
| Department of Transportation | $3,658,498 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $631,249 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $437,569 |
| Department of Agriculture | $331,712 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $274,026 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $6,849 |
| Small Business Administration | $2,663 |
| Department of Defense | -$16,465 |
That is $23,136 per covered job, against 4,453 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $103.0 m / 4,453 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $23,136
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 #
Wetzel County, WV: 8 findings, 1 at a watch level and 7 noted
watchWetzel County, WV's covered employment is -0.9% 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 = -0.9 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteWetzel County, WV's average weekly wage was 2.2% 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
- +2.2 % = 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
noteWetzel County, WV's covered employment was 0.9% 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
- -0.9 % = 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
noteWetzel County, WV's typical home value fell 0.5% from $112,608 in August 2026 to $112,058 in September 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- -0.5% = (112058.4679559988 - 112607.67211949053) / 112607.67211949053 × 100
- 112058.4679559988 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-09
- 112607.67211949053 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
noteWetzel County, WV's typical home value of $112,058 ranks 2,904th of 3,063 US counties, against a median of $230,451.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 5 on the 0-to-100 scale across 3063 US counties that published home.latest
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
Read all 8 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.