DeKalb County, IL
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 41.89, -88.77.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 69th pct · 940th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 91st pct · 10th of 102 Illinois counties · median $158,585
- 16th pct · 11th of 13 counties in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro · median $341,570
- 74th pct · 796th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 49th pct · 52nd of 102 Illinois counties · median +5.2%
- 83rd pct · 3rd of 13 counties in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro · median +3.8%
- 42nd pct · 804th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 78th pct · 8th of 34 Illinois counties · median $1,181
- 10th pct · 10th of 11 counties in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro · median $2,122
- 80th pct · 642nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 82nd pct · 19th of 102 Illinois counties · median 7,611
- 33rd pct · 9th of 13 counties in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro · median 94,945
- 70th pct · 952nd of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 69th pct · 32nd of 102 Illinois counties · median $1,061
- 33rd pct · 9th of 13 counties in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro · median $1,235
- 64th pct · 1,083rd of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 92nd pct · 9th of 102 Illinois counties · median 2.8
- 50th pct · 7th of 13 counties in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro · median 5.0
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 $299,128 (Aug 2026), +5.2% over one year, +39.1% over five
- 69th pct · 940th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 91st pct · 10th of 102 Illinois counties · median $158,585
- 16th pct · 11th of 13 counties in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro · median $341,570
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| DeKalb County, IL | $299,128 · +5.2% 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 $1,412/mo (Aug 2026), +6.2% over one year; price-to-rent 17.7
- 42nd pct · 804th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 78th pct · 8th of 34 Illinois counties · median $1,181
- 10th pct · 10th of 11 counties in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro · median $2,122
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| DeKalb County, IL | $1,412/mo · +6.2% 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 $1,637 a month on $299,128 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,988 a month: 32.8% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $299,128 × 80% = $239,302, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,637/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,151 × 52 / 12 = $4,988) = 33% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $299,128 / ($1,151 × 52) = 5.0
- price-to-rent = $299,128 / ($1,412 × 12) = 17.7
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 #
36,369 jobs at 2,006 employers (2026 Q1); +0.3% jobs and +4.2% average weekly wage over the year
- 80th pct · 642nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 82nd pct · 19th of 102 Illinois counties · median 7,611
- 33rd pct · 9th of 13 counties in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro · median 94,945
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| DeKalb County, IL | 36,369 jobs · $1,151/wk · +0.3% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 5,432 | $1,192 | 0.99 | +2.3% |
| Retail trade | 4,866 | $755 | 1.37 | -6.8% |
| Manufacturing | 3,589 | $1,393 | 1.23 | +4.0% |
| Accommodation and food services | 2,671 | $424 | 0.82 | -1.7% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 1,673 | $1,537 | 1.09 | +2.6% |
| Other services | 1,251 | $691 | 1.15 | -1.7% |
| Administrative and waste services | 891 | $884 | 0.43 | -2.3% |
| Professional and technical services | 773 | $1,236 | 0.31 | +7.5% |
| Finance and insurance | 582 | $1,730 | 0.39 | -1.4% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 330 | $1,093 | 1.26 | -1.2% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 284 | $386 | 0.47 | -7.5% |
| Educational services | 269 | $621 | 0.34 | +3.5% |
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 #
Surface water layer not loaded
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 #
Surface water layer not loaded
Sites found: 0, 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.
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 #
No USGS monitoring wells within 75 km (or above 1,500 km)
Sites found: 0, 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.
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 / 0.35
Banks & federal dollars #
$3.0 bn in deposits at 37 offices of 9 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,971, highly concentrated. $548.8 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $537.4 m, grants $9.7 m), $15,088 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| First National Bank of Omaha | $847.9 m · 28.5% share · 9 offices | |
| Resource Bank, National Association | $728.7 m · 24.5% share · 10 offices | |
| Old National Bank | $526.5 m · 17.7% share · 5 offices | |
| DeKalb, IL | $548.8 m FY2026 · $15,088/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $462.4 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| First National Bank of Omaha | $847,937,000 | 28.5% | 9 |
| Resource Bank, National Association | $728,714,000 | 24.5% | 10 |
| Old National Bank | $526,461,000 | 17.7% | 5 |
| Heartland Bank and Trust Company | $397,789,000 | 13.4% | 6 |
| First State Bank | $202,083,000 | 6.8% | 3 |
| Waterman Bank | $97,437,000 | 3.3% | 1 |
| Fifth Third Bank, National Association | $70,977,000 | 2.4% | 1 |
| PNC Bank, National Association | $65,467,000 | 2.2% | 1 |
| Old Second National Bank | $40,218,000 | 1.4% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,971 across 9 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 9 banks with deposits in the county = 28.5² + 24.5² + 17.7² + … (6 more) = 1,971
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 | $417,221,408 |
| Department of Education | $46,348,668 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $41,628,302 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $17,460,489 |
| Department of Agriculture | $13,954,510 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $4,681,240 |
| Department of Transportation | $2,923,997 |
| Department of Energy | $2,098,333 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $1,192,308 |
| Institute of Museum and Library Services | $850,180 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $834,715 |
| Department of Defense | $464,150 |
That is $15,088 per covered job, against 36,369 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $548.8 m / 36,369 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $15,088
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 | 12.69 | 2026-10-05 | +3.3% |
| 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 | 2026-10-06 | +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 | 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 | -105,572.00 | 2026-08-01 | -13.7% |
| 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 #
DeKalb County, IL: 12 findings, 2 at a watch level and 10 noted
watchDeKalb County, IL's typical asking rent of $1,412 scores 43 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 79 across Illinois counties, a gap of 36 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 36 = |43 across US counties - 79 across Illinois counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchDeKalb County, IL's price-to-rent ratio of 17.7 scores 55 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 91 across Illinois counties, a gap of 36 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 36 = |55 across US counties - 91 across Illinois 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
noteDeKalb County, IL's average weekly wage was 4.2% 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
- +4.2 % = 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
noteDeKalb County, IL's typical asking rent rose 0.6% from $1,403 in July 2026 to $1,412 in August 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.6% = (1411.9778554778557 - 1403.1375332475527) / 1403.1375332475527 × 100
- 1411.9778554778557 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
- 1403.1375332475527 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-07
noteDeKalb County, IL's covered employment was 0.3% 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
- +0.3 % = 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
Read all 12 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.