Polk County, AR
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 34.49, -94.23.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 34th pct · 1,995th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 69th pct · 23rd of 74 Arkansas counties · median $169,663
- 50th pct · 1,521st of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 47th pct · 39th of 74 Arkansas counties · median +3.0%
- US counties: not published this period
- Arkansas counties: not published this period
- 41st pct · 1,898th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 51st pct · 37th of 75 Arkansas counties · median 5,609
- 7th pct · 2,977th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 18th pct · 61st of 75 Arkansas counties · median $912
- 57th pct · 1,315th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 76th pct · 18th of 74 Arkansas counties · median 3.6
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 $194,609 (Aug 2026), +2.9% over one year, +30.9% over five
- 34th pct · 1,995th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 69th pct · 23rd of 74 Arkansas counties · median $169,663
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Polk County, AR | $194,609 · +2.9% 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
- Arkansas 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 $1,065 a month on $194,609 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $3,514 a month: 30.3% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $194,609 × 80% = $155,687, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,065/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $811 × 52 / 12 = $3,514) = 30% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $194,609 / ($811 × 52) = 4.6
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 #
5,751 jobs at 511 employers (2026 Q1); -0.6% jobs and +4.1% average weekly wage over the year
- 41st pct · 1,898th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 51st pct · 37th of 75 Arkansas counties · median 5,609
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Polk County, AR | 5,751 jobs · $811/wk · -0.6% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 1,170 | $867 | 2.53 | -5.1% |
| Retail trade | 887 | $565 | 1.58 | -0.1% |
| Accommodation and food services | 424 | $325 | 0.82 | +7.9% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 217 | $912 | 0.90 | +16.7% |
| Construction | 187 | $1,068 | 0.62 | +0.5% |
| Finance and insurance | 175 | $1,145 | 0.75 | -3.8% |
| Other services | 137 | $828 | 0.80 | -6.2% |
| Administrative and waste services | 96 | $628 | 0.29 | +0.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 49 | $1,477 | 0.22 | +19.5% |
| Utilities | 45 | $1,954 | 1.98 | +2.3% |
| Real estate and rental | 40 | $784 | 0.45 | -4.8% |
| Information | 21 | $598 | 0.20 | -8.7% |
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 #
D2 severe drought
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 #
95 % of conservation capacity, weighted over 3 TWDB reservoirs
Sites found: 3, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Wright Patman Lake | 100 % full · 123k ac-ft | 132 km |
| Pat Mayse Lake | 91 % full · 114k ac-ft | 140 km |
| Lake Crook | 85 % full · 9k ac-ft | 149 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 #
22 gauges · 0 flooding · 6 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 2 stale
Sites found: 22, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Board Camp Creek nr Nunley, AR | stage 3.35 ft · quality 100 % (3) · STALE | 8 km |
| Gap Cr nr Wolf Pen Gap Rec Area nr Nunley, AR | flow 1.14 ft³/s · quality 100 % (2) | 10 km |
| Board Camp Cr nr Wolf Pen Gap Rec nr Nunley, AR | flow 1.99 ft³/s · quality 100 % (3) | 10 km |
| Cossatot River near Vandervoort, AR | flow 4.19 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 12 km |
| Little Missouri River near Langley, AR | flow 6.37 ft³/s | 36 km |
| Mountain Fork at Smithville, OK | flow 7.65 ft³/s | 37 km |
| Kiamichi River near Big Cedar, OK | flow 0.00 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 39 km |
| Black Fork below Big Creek nr Page, OK | flow 0.00 ft³/s | 41 km |
| Saline River near Dierks, AR | stage 3.47 ft | 46 km |
| Poteau River at Cauthron, AR | flow 6.17 ft³/s | 48 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 #
1 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 1, 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-343726093481801 | depth 49.3 ft · 2026-10-04 | 42 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 (0.22)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.50 + 0.3×0.05 + 0.2×0.00 / 0.85
Banks & federal dollars #
$597.3 m in deposits at 7 offices of 5 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 4,136, highly concentrated. $164.5 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $146.3 m, grants $15.2 m), $28,611 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Union Bank | $362.6 m · 60.7% share · 3 offices | |
| First Financial Bank | $92.8 m · 15.5% share · 1 office | |
| Arvest Bank | $68.0 m · 11.4% share · 1 office | |
| Polk, AR | $164.5 m FY2026 · $28,611/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $142.4 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union Bank | $362,613,000 | 60.7% | 3 |
| First Financial Bank | $92,791,000 | 15.5% | 1 |
| Arvest Bank | $68,018,000 | 11.4% | 1 |
| Chambers Bank | $43,975,000 | 7.4% | 1 |
| Diamond Bank | $29,926,000 | 5.0% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 4,136 across 5 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 5 banks with deposits in the county = 60.7² + 15.5² + 11.4² + … (2 more) = 4,136
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 | $118,351,315 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $22,950,779 |
| Department of Transportation | $7,925,216 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $5,511,987 |
| Department of Agriculture | $4,046,614 |
| Department of Education | $3,250,844 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $1,100,853 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $961,006 |
| Environmental Protection Agency | $356,410 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $94,005 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
| Department of Defense | -$5,100 |
That is $28,611 per covered job, against 5,751 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $164.5 m / 5,751 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $28,611
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 | 12.28 | 2026-10-04 | -0.1% |
| 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 · % | 72.60 | 2026-10-05 | +0.1% |
| 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 | 6.00 | 2026-09-22 | -14.3% |
| Shanghai to Los Angeles container rate · $ per 40 ft box | 6,830.00 | 2026-08-01 | +7.4% |
| US diesel retail price · $ per gallon | unavailable | not published | |
| WTI crude oil, spot · $ per barrel | 96.16 | 2026-09-29 | -3.2% |
| 30-year fixed mortgage rate · % | 7.28 | 2026-10-01 | +3.6% |
| 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 | -88,576.00 | 2026-07-01 | -24.4% |
| Retail sales excluding food services, monthly · $ millions | 646,347.00 | 2026-08-01 | +1.1% |
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 #
Polk County, AR: 7 findings, 2 at a watch level and 5 noted
watchPolk County, AR'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
watchPolk County, AR's typical home value of $194,609 scores 35 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 70 across Arkansas counties, a gap of 35 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 35 = |35 across US counties - 70 across Arkansas counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
notePolk County, AR's average weekly wage was 4.1% 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
- +4.1 % = 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
notePolk County, AR'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
notePolk County, AR's typical home value rose 0.3% from $193,939 in July 2026 to $194,609 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.3% = (194609.17632288416 - 193939.33063936615) / 193939.33063936615 × 100
- 194609.17632288416 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 193939.33063936615 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
Read all 7 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.