Boone County, IA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 42.04, -93.94.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 49th pct · 1,539th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 70th pct · 30th of 99 Iowa counties · median $194,976
- counties in the Ames metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Ames metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 52nd pct · 1,450th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 34th pct · 65th of 99 Iowa counties · median +4.6%
- counties in the Ames metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Ames metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 1st pct · 1,372nd of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 21st pct · 23rd of 29 Iowa counties · median $1,006
- counties in the Ames metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Ames metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 51st pct · 1,575th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 71st pct · 29th of 99 Iowa counties · median 5,685
- counties in the Ames metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Ames metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 49th pct · 1,625th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 42nd pct · 57th of 99 Iowa counties · median $1,057
- counties in the Ames metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Ames metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 51st pct · 1,497th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 76th pct · 24th of 99 Iowa counties · median 3.5
- counties in the Ames metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Ames metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
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 $233,752 (Aug 2026), +3.2% over one year, +26.9% over five
- 49th pct · 1,539th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 70th pct · 30th of 99 Iowa counties · median $194,976
- counties in the Ames metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Ames metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Boone County, IA | $233,752 · +3.2% 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 $820/mo (Aug 2026), n/a over one year; price-to-rent 23.7
- 1st pct · 1,372nd of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 21st pct · 23rd of 29 Iowa counties · median $1,006
- counties in the Ames metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Ames metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Boone County, IA | $820/mo · n/a 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 $1,279 a month on $233,752 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,494 a month: 28.5% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $233,752 × 80% = $187,001, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,279/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,037 × 52 / 12 = $4,494) = 28% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $233,752 / ($1,037 × 52) = 4.3
- price-to-rent = $233,752 / ($820 × 12) = 23.7
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 #
8,546 jobs at 741 employers (2026 Q1); -1.9% jobs and -0.3% average weekly wage over the year
- 51st pct · 1,575th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 71st pct · 29th of 99 Iowa counties · median 5,685
- counties in the Ames metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 2 counties in the Ames metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Boone County, IA | 8,546 jobs · $1,037/wk · -1.9% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 1,053 | $786 | 0.82 | +1.8% |
| Retail trade | 954 | $672 | 1.15 | -3.1% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 710 | $1,145 | 1.97 | -4.2% |
| Construction | 594 | $1,492 | 1.33 | -2.1% |
| Accommodation and food services | 512 | $394 | 0.67 | +0.4% |
| Manufacturing | 466 | $1,222 | 0.68 | +2.4% |
| Wholesale trade | 332 | $1,367 | 1.01 | +11.8% |
| Professional and technical services | 298 | $1,690 | 0.51 | -6.6% |
| Finance and insurance | 214 | $1,594 | 0.61 | -3.2% |
| Information | 196 | $1,055 | 1.24 | +3.7% |
| Other services | 128 | $1,049 | 0.50 | -9.9% |
| Utilities | 115 | $2,526 | 3.41 | -1.7% |
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 #
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 #
$722.2 m in deposits at 11 offices of 8 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,812, highly concentrated. $181.6 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $179.6 m, grants $2.0 m), $21,255 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| VISIONBANK OF IOWA | $198.2 m · 27.4% share · 3 offices | |
| U.S. Bank National Association | $148.4 m · 20.5% share · 1 office | |
| Boone Bank & Trust Co. | $143.0 m · 19.8% share · 2 offices | |
| Boone, IA | $181.6 m FY2026 · $21,255/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $169.6 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| VISIONBANK OF IOWA | $198,219,000 | 27.4% | 3 |
| U.S. Bank National Association | $148,365,000 | 20.5% | 1 |
| Boone Bank & Trust Co. | $142,974,000 | 19.8% | 2 |
| City State Bank | $72,375,000 | 10.0% | 1 |
| Peoples Bank | $56,309,000 | 7.8% | 1 |
| United Bank of Iowa | $45,886,000 | 6.4% | 1 |
| BMO Bank National Association | $45,836,000 | 6.3% | 1 |
| Security Savings Bank | $12,237,000 | 1.7% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,812 across 8 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 8 banks with deposits in the county = 27.4² + 20.5² + 19.8² + … (5 more) = 1,812
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 | $143,854,190 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $17,672,833 |
| Department of Agriculture | $9,765,778 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $8,105,930 |
| Department of Transportation | $1,814,253 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $344,098 |
| Department of Education | $89,306 |
| Department of the Interior | $0 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
That is $21,255 per covered job, against 8,546 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $181.6 m / 8,546 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $21,255
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 #
Boone County, IA: 10 findings, 3 at a watch level and 7 noted
watchBoone County, IA's covered employment is -1.9% 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 = -1.9 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchBoone County, IA's average weekly wage is -0.3% against a year earlier, a watch level here: average weekly wage below the same quarter a year earlier, before inflation (BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published, nominal dollars; 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 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- test: jobs.yoy.avgWeeklyWage = -0.3 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published, nominal dollars; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchBoone County, IA's price-to-rent ratio of 23.7 ranks 137th of 1,399 US counties, a watch level here: price-to-rent in the top tenth of US counties (position among the counties that published both ZHVI and ZORI this month; not an official level). The previous published period is not in this table, so this is a standing level rather than a change.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- test: priceToRent percentile = 90.27181688125894 >= 90
- typical home value / (typical rent × 12); Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month
position among the counties that published both ZHVI and ZORI this month; not an official level
noteBoone County, IA's covered employment was 1.9% 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
- -1.9 % = 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
noteBoone County, IA's typical asking rent fell 0.7% from $826 in July 2026 to $820 in August 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- -0.7% = (820.25 - 825.8471354339334) / 825.8471354339334 × 100
- 820.25 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
- 825.8471354339334 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-07
Read all 10 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.