Buchanan County, IA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 42.47, -91.84.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 47th pct · 1,619th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 67th pct · 33rd of 99 Iowa counties · median $194,976
- 77th pct · 701st of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 66th pct · 34th of 99 Iowa counties · median +4.6%
- US counties: not published this period
- Iowa counties: not published this period
- 45th pct · 1,771st of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 62nd pct · 38th of 99 Iowa counties · median 5,685
- 45th pct · 1,749th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 33rd pct · 66th of 99 Iowa counties · median $1,057
- 49th pct · 1,537th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 74th pct · 26th 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 $227,449 (Aug 2026), +5.6% over one year, +32.6% over five
- 47th pct · 1,619th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 67th pct · 33rd of 99 Iowa counties · median $194,976
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Buchanan County, IA | $227,449 · +5.6% 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 $1,245 a month on $227,449 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,424 a month: 28.1% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $227,449 × 80% = $181,959, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,245/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,021 × 52 / 12 = $4,424) = 28% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $227,449 / ($1,021 × 52) = 4.3
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 #
6,760 jobs at 633 employers (2026 Q1); +1.5% jobs and +3.3% average weekly wage over the year
- 45th pct · 1,771st of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 62nd pct · 38th of 99 Iowa counties · median 5,685
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Buchanan County, IA | 6,760 jobs · $1,021/wk · +1.5% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 1,524 | $1,315 | 2.80 | +3.4% |
| Retail trade | 888 | $648 | 1.35 | -1.7% |
| Health care and social assistance | 557 | $671 | 0.55 | -1.9% |
| Accommodation and food services | 405 | $266 | 0.67 | +1.2% |
| Construction | 397 | $1,003 | 1.12 | -0.3% |
| Finance and insurance | 250 | $1,765 | 0.91 | +1.2% |
| Wholesale trade | 197 | $1,462 | 0.76 | +0.0% |
| Professional and technical services | 135 | $1,200 | 0.29 | +3.8% |
| Educational services | 101 | $559 | 0.69 | +20.2% |
| Other services | 79 | $671 | 0.39 | +3.9% |
| Administrative and waste services | 69 | $894 | 0.18 | +3.0% |
| Information | 43 | $1,608 | 0.35 | -4.4% |
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 #
64 gauges · 0 flooding · 11 with quality panels averaging 99 % · 9 stale
Sites found: 64, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Wapsipinicon River at Independence, IA | flow 4,820 ft³/s · no flooding | 5 km |
| Wapsipinicon River near Dunkerton Dunkerton Rd--IFC | no readings | 25 km |
| Crane Creek near Dunkerton N Pilot Grove Rd--IFC | no readings | 30 km |
| Little Wapsipinicon River near Oran, IA | stage 83.7 ft · no flooding | 32 km |
| Maquoketa River at Manchester, IA | flow 619.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 32 km |
| Wolf Creek at La Porte City W Main St--IFC | no readings | 34 km |
| Elk Run Creek near Waterloo Independence Ave--IFC | no readings | 34 km |
| Miller Creek near Washburn Miller Creek Rd--IFC | no readings | 35 km |
| Cedar River at Vinton, IA | flow 15,300 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) · no flooding | 37 km |
| Cedar River at Waterloo, IA | flow 9,920 ft³/s · no flooding | 41 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 #
69 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 69, 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-422518092144701 | depth 8.61 ft · 2015-03-28 | 34 km |
| USGS-421115091250501 | depth 13.2 ft · 2018-08-26 | 47 km |
| USGS-420031091443301 | depth 4.21 ft · 2026-08-30 | 52 km |
| USGS-420031091441801 | depth 6.63 ft · 2026-08-30 | 52 km |
| USGS-423510092271801 | level 862.9 ft · 2001-12-02 | 52 km |
| USGS-420032091424901 | depth 2.25 ft · 1999-02-27 | 52 km |
| USGS-420032091424701 | depth 2.27 ft · 1999-02-27 | 52 km |
| USGS-420019091442501 | depth 9.52 ft · 2026-08-30 | 52 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 + 0.2×0.01 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$726.3 m in deposits at 12 offices of 6 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 3,227, highly concentrated. $146.7 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $139.0 m, grants $7.7 m), $21,708 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| BankIowa | $357.8 m · 49.3% share · 6 offices | |
| Farmers State Bank | $146.9 m · 20.2% share · 1 office | |
| Northeast Security Bank | $133.5 m · 18.4% share · 2 offices | |
| Buchanan, IA | $146.7 m FY2026 · $21,708/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $122.8 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| BankIowa | $357,849,000 | 49.3% | 6 |
| Farmers State Bank | $146,909,000 | 20.2% | 1 |
| Northeast Security Bank | $133,452,000 | 18.4% | 2 |
| Citizens State Bank | $39,453,000 | 5.4% | 1 |
| WCF Financial Bank | $27,072,000 | 3.7% | 1 |
| Maynard Savings Bank | $21,530,000 | 3.0% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 3,227 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 = 49.3² + 20.2² + 18.4² + … (3 more) = 3,227
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 | $110,742,318 |
| Department of Agriculture | $15,403,034 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $10,233,861 |
| Department of Transportation | $7,586,910 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $1,861,324 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $634,100 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $177,398 |
| Department of Education | $106,984 |
| Department of Defense | $2,511 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
That is $21,708 per covered job, against 6,760 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $146.7 m / 6,760 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $21,708
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 | 3.00 | 2026-10-06 | -50.0% |
| 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 | 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 #
Buchanan County, IA: 3 findings, 3 noted
noteBuchanan County, IA's average weekly wage was 3.3% 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
- +3.3 % = 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
noteBuchanan County, IA's covered employment was 1.5% 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
- +1.5 % = 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
noteThe next Zillow ZHVI typical home value (monthly) covering Buchanan 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.