Audubon County, IA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 41.68, -94.90.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 20th pct · 2,421st of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 20th pct · 79th of 99 Iowa counties · median $194,976
- 87th pct · 369th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 80th pct · 20th of 99 Iowa counties · median +4.6%
- US counties: not published this period
- Iowa counties: not published this period
- 14th pct · 2,745th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 2nd pct · 97th of 99 Iowa counties · median 5,685
- 63rd pct · 1,182nd of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 69th pct · 31st of 99 Iowa counties · median $1,057
- 16th pct · 2,557th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 15th pct · 84th of 99 Iowa counties · median 3.5
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 $163,685 (Aug 2026), +7.4% over one year, +38.9% over five
- 20th pct · 2,421st of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 20th pct · 79th of 99 Iowa counties · median $194,976
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Audubon County, IA | $163,685 · +7.4% 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
- Iowa 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 $896 a month on $163,685 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,784 a month: 18.7% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $163,685 × 80% = $130,948, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $896/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,104 × 52 / 12 = $4,784) = 19% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $163,685 / ($1,104 × 52) = 2.9
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 #
1,834 jobs at 229 employers (2026 Q1); +0.1% jobs and +10.8% average weekly wage over the year
- 14th pct · 2,745th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 2nd pct · 97th of 99 Iowa counties · median 5,685
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Audubon County, IA | 1,834 jobs · $1,104/wk · +0.1% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 278 | $1,074 | 20.99 | +0.7% |
| Manufacturing | 193 | $1,387 | 1.31 | -3.0% |
| Professional and technical services | 159 | $1,735 | 1.26 | +98.8% |
| Retail trade | 140 | $528 | 0.78 | -10.8% |
| Wholesale trade | 133 | $1,262 | 1.89 | +0.0% |
| Construction | 68 | $1,210 | 0.71 | -13.9% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 47 | $1,292 | 0.61 | +27.0% |
| Finance and insurance | 43 | $1,728 | 0.58 | -10.4% |
| Other services | 41 | $998 | 0.75 | -29.3% |
| Utilities | 22 | $2,540 | 3.04 | +15.8% |
| Real estate and rental | 8 | $651 | 0.28 | +14.3% |
| Information | 7 | $1,871 | 0.21 | -22.2% |
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 #
39 gauges · 0 flooding · 1 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 2 stale
Sites found: 39, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| East Nishnabotna River near Brayton 345th St--IFC | no readings | 19 km |
| Troublesome Creek near Lorah Troublesome Creek Rd--IFC | no readings | 24 km |
| Brushy Fork Creek near Dedham IA 141--IFC | no readings | 25 km |
| West Nishnabotna River at Irwin (IFC) | out of service | 27 km |
| Middle Raccoon River near Coon Rapids Hwy E63--IFC | no readings | 29 km |
| Brushy Fork Creek near Templeton, IA | stage 67.5 ft | 30 km |
| Middle Raccoon River near Bayard, IA | flow 1,190 ft³/s · ACTION stage | 36 km |
| East Nishnabotna River near Atlantic, IA | flow 1,030 ft³/s · no flooding | 40 km |
| Middle Raccoon River Tributary at Carroll, IA | stage 15.4 ft | 40 km |
| East Branch West Nishnabotna River near Avoca (IFC) | no flooding | 42 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 #
2 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 2, 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-420212095235701 | depth 23.0 ft · 2026-10-05 | 57 km |
| USGS-413836095465502 | depth 13.1 ft · 1983-12-19 | 73 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 (0.00)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.00 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$268.0 m in deposits at 4 offices of 3 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 3,792, highly concentrated. $54.1 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $51.2 m, grants $2.8 m), $29,474 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Audubon State Bank | $131.0 m · 48.9% share · 1 office | |
| Crawford County Trust and Savings Bank | $87.1 m · 32.5% share · 2 offices | |
| Exchange State Bank | $49.9 m · 18.6% share · 1 office | |
| Audubon, IA | $54.1 m FY2026 · $29,474/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $36.5 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audubon State Bank | $130,983,000 | 48.9% | 1 |
| Crawford County Trust and Savings Bank | $87,068,000 | 32.5% | 2 |
| Exchange State Bank | $49,926,000 | 18.6% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 3,792 across 3 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 3 banks with deposits in the county = 48.9² + 32.5² + 18.6² = 3,792
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 | $33,516,341 |
| Department of Agriculture | $14,493,157 |
| Department of Transportation | $2,926,999 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $2,876,531 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $155,053 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $147,094 |
| Department of Education | $48,718 |
| Department of Energy | $0 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | -$108,319 |
That is $29,474 per covered job, against 1,834 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $54.1 m / 1,834 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $29,474
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 #
Audubon County, IA: 5 findings, 5 noted
noteAudubon County, IA's average weekly wage was 10.8% 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
- +10.8 % = 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
noteAudubon County, IA's typical home value rose 0.8% from $162,353 in July 2026 to $163,685 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.8% = (163684.61860470148 - 162353.04157209967) / 162353.04157209967 × 100
- 163684.61860470148 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 162353.04157209967 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
noteAudubon County, IA's covered employment was 0.1% 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
- +0.1 % = 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
noteAudubon County, IA's covered employment of 1,834 ranks 97th of 99 Iowa counties, against a median of 5,685.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 2 on the 0-to-100 scale across 99 Iowa counties that published jobs.emp
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteThe next Zillow ZHVI typical home value (monthly) covering Audubon County, IA is due between 2026-10-14 and 2026-10-21, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern.
Show the arithmetic
- window = 2026-10-14 to 2026-10-21, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern
estimated from the publisher's past release pattern; not an announced date
Every finding is produced by a fixed rule table and a fixed sentence for each rule. Nothing here is generated prose.