Cedar County, IA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 41.77, -91.13.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 58th pct · 1,260th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 80th pct · 20th of 99 Iowa counties · median $194,976
- 74th pct · 769th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 62nd pct · 38th of 99 Iowa counties · median +4.6%
- US counties: not published this period
- Iowa counties: not published this period
- 37th pct · 2,008th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 42nd pct · 57th of 99 Iowa counties · median 5,685
- 35th pct · 2,060th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 18th pct · 81st of 99 Iowa counties · median $1,057
- 66th pct · 1,040th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 90th pct · 10th 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 $259,108 (Aug 2026), +5.3% over one year, +30.8% over five
- 58th pct · 1,260th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 80th pct · 20th of 99 Iowa counties · median $194,976
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Cedar County, IA | $259,108 · +5.3% 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 $1,418 a month on $259,108 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,229 a month: 33.5% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $259,108 × 80% = $207,286, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,418/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $976 × 52 / 12 = $4,229) = 34% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $259,108 / ($976 × 52) = 5.1
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 #
5,095 jobs at 603 employers (2026 Q1); -1.5% jobs and +3.1% average weekly wage over the year
- 37th pct · 2,008th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 42nd pct · 57th of 99 Iowa counties · median 5,685
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Cedar County, IA | 5,095 jobs · $976/wk · -1.5% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 610 | $693 | 0.80 | -2.1% |
| Retail trade | 583 | $648 | 1.17 | +2.8% |
| Manufacturing | 566 | $1,121 | 1.38 | -6.9% |
| Wholesale trade | 393 | $1,520 | 2.01 | -7.1% |
| Construction | 254 | $1,061 | 0.95 | -5.6% |
| Accommodation and food services | 220 | $331 | 0.48 | -3.5% |
| Professional and technical services | 197 | $1,229 | 0.56 | +6.5% |
| Other services | 147 | $734 | 0.97 | -4.5% |
| Finance and insurance | 99 | $1,715 | 0.48 | -2.9% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 54 | $176 | 0.64 | +3.8% |
| Information | 36 | $1,759 | 0.38 | -7.7% |
| Real estate and rental | 30 | $496 | 0.38 | +11.1% |
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 #
61 gauges · 4 flooding · 13 with quality panels averaging 98 % · 19 stale
Sites found: 61, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Cedar River near Conesville, IA | flow 26,200 ft³/s · MINOR flooding | 42 km |
| Wapsipinicon River near De Witt, IA | flow 7,800 ft³/s · MODERATE flooding | 50 km |
| Iowa River at Wapello, IA | flow 41,100 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) · MINOR flooding | 66 km |
| Iowa River at Oakville, IA | flow 42,100 ft³/s · MINOR flooding | 75 km |
| Cedar River at Cedar Bluff, IA | flow 26,000 ft³/s · ACTION stage | 15 km |
| Unnamed Trb to WB Wapsinonoc Cr at West Branch, IA | stage 3.63 ft · STALE | 20 km |
| WB Wapsinonoc Cr abv Baker Ave at West Branch, IA | stage 4.27 ft · STALE | 20 km |
| WB Wapsinonoc Cr at College St at West Branch, IA | flow 9.69 ft³/s | 21 km |
| Hoover Cr at Hoover Nat Hist Site, West Branch, IA | flow 3.71 ft³/s · STALE | 21 km |
| Wapsipinicon River at Oxford Mills, IA | flow 268.0 ft³/s · out of service · STALE | 26 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 #
55 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 55, 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-414315091252002 | depth 13.6 ft · 2026-10-05 | 25 km |
| USGS-415216091400202 | depth 795.8 ft · 1990-11-28 | 46 km |
| USGS-415216091400208 | level 796.2 ft · 1992-12-21 | 46 km |
| USGS-415216091400203 | depth 829.8 ft · 1990-10-23 | 46 km |
| USGS-415216091400207 | level 655.1 ft · 1992-05-31 | 46 km |
| USGS-415216091400205 | depth 826.8 ft · 1991-06-04 | 46 km |
| USGS-415216091400209 | level 810.5 ft · 1992-12-21 | 46 km |
| USGS-415216091400210 | level 813.9 ft · 1992-12-21 | 46 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 (0.01)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.02 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$443.7 m in deposits at 9 offices of 5 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 3,075, highly concentrated. $150.6 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $122.6 m, grants $27.0 m), $29,566 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Fidelity Bank & Trust | $198.7 m · 44.8% share · 4 offices | |
| Liberty Trust & Savings Bank | $124.0 m · 27.9% share · 2 offices | |
| Bridge Community Bank | $62.3 m · 14.1% share · 1 office | |
| Cedar, IA | $150.6 m FY2026 · $29,566/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $112.5 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fidelity Bank & Trust | $198,727,000 | 44.8% | 4 |
| Liberty Trust & Savings Bank | $123,994,000 | 27.9% | 2 |
| Bridge Community Bank | $62,342,000 | 14.1% | 1 |
| Citizens Savings Bank | $35,450,000 | 8.0% | 1 |
| American Trust and Savings Bank | $23,190,000 | 5.2% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 3,075 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 = 44.8² + 27.9² + 14.1² + … (2 more) = 3,075
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 | $103,591,552 |
| Department of Transportation | $26,896,392 |
| Department of Agriculture | $9,783,279 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $8,364,847 |
| National Archives and Records Administration | $991,150 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $514,200 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $318,519 |
| Department of the Interior | $66,958 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $59,304 |
| Department of Education | $52,001 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
That is $29,566 per covered job, against 5,095 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $150.6 m / 5,095 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $29,566
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 #
Cedar County, IA: 6 findings, 1 at a watch level and 5 noted
watchCedar County, IA's covered employment is -1.5% 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 = -1.5 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteCedar County, IA's average weekly wage was 3.1% 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
- +3.1 % = 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
noteCedar County, IA's covered employment was 1.5% 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
- -1.5 % = 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
noteCedar County, IA's typical home value rose 0.5% from $257,756 in July 2026 to $259,108 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.5% = (259107.9734792542 - 257755.64184277318) / 257755.64184277318 × 100
- 259107.9734792542 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 257755.64184277318 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
noteCedar County, IA's years of wages of 5.1 ranks 10th of 99 Iowa counties, against a median of 3.5.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 91 on the 0-to-100 scale across 99 Iowa counties that published yearsOfWages
- typical home value / (average weekly wage × 52); one average covered job, not a household
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
Read all 6 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.