Clarke County, IA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 41.03, -93.79.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 36th pct · 1,934th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 54th pct · 46th of 99 Iowa counties · median $194,976
- 50th pct · 1,522nd of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 27th pct · 72nd of 99 Iowa counties · median +4.6%
- US counties: not published this period
- Iowa counties: not published this period
- 36th pct · 2,055th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 39th pct · 60th of 99 Iowa counties · median 5,685
- 45th pct · 1,754th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 31st pct · 68th of 99 Iowa counties · median $1,057
- 38th pct · 1,883rd of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 59th pct · 41st 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 $199,707 (Aug 2026), +2.9% over one year, +29.4% over five
- 36th pct · 1,934th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 54th pct · 46th of 99 Iowa counties · median $194,976
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Clarke County, IA | $199,707 · +2.9% 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 $1,093 a month on $199,707 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,420 a month: 24.7% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $199,707 × 80% = $159,766, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,093/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,020 × 52 / 12 = $4,420) = 25% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $199,707 / ($1,020 × 52) = 3.8
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 #
4,819 jobs at 257 employers (2026 Q1); +2.3% jobs and +4.3% average weekly wage over the year
- 36th pct · 2,055th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 39th pct · 60th of 99 Iowa counties · median 5,685
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Clarke County, IA | 4,819 jobs · $1,020/wk · +2.3% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 1,570 | $1,232 | 4.05 | +2.4% |
| Retail trade | 541 | $594 | 1.15 | +1.3% |
| Wholesale trade | 106 | $1,110 | 0.57 | -2.8% |
| Construction | 99 | $928 | 0.39 | +4.2% |
| Finance and insurance | 86 | $2,073 | 0.44 | -6.5% |
| Administrative and waste services | 82 | $738 | 0.30 | +49.1% |
| Professional and technical services | 42 | $1,153 | 0.13 | +61.5% |
| Other services | 29 | $764 | 0.20 | +7.4% |
| Real estate and rental | 9 | $582 | 0.12 | -18.2% |
| Management of companies | 9 | $964 | 0.11 | +12.5% |
| Information | 6 | $1,534 | 0.07 | -14.3% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | withheld |
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 #
1 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 1, 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.
| Site | Reading | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Stanberry Lake near Gentry, MO | 1,357 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 99 km |
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 #
27 gauges · 0 flooding · 5 with quality panels averaging 90 % · 7 stale
Sites found: 27, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Weldon River near Leon, IA | flow 0.15 ft³/s · STALE | 39 km |
| South River near Ackworth, IA | flow 395.0 ft³/s | 42 km |
| Thompson River at Davis City, IA | flow 1,070 ft³/s | 43 km |
| Chariton River near Chariton, IA | flow 53.5 ft³/s | 45 km |
| Middle River near Indianola, IA | flow 962.0 ft³/s | 47 km |
| White Breast Creek near Dallas, IA | flow 196.0 ft³/s | 48 km |
| North River near Norwalk, IA | flow 751.0 ft³/s | 49 km |
| Raccoon River near West Des Moines, IA | flow 1,320 ft³/s | 55 km |
| South Fork Chariton River near Promise City, IA | flow 48.1 ft³/s | 56 km |
| Raccoon River at Van Meter, IA | flow 8,810 ft³/s | 58 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 #
10 wells in 1 named aquifer: Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions)
Sites found: 10, 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-405820093252501 | depth 6.61 ft · 2014-09-30 | 31 km |
| Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions) | depth 14.3 ft · 2026-10-05 | 65 km |
| USGS-413713093380201 | depth 4.54 ft · 2023-10-31 | 67 km |
| USGS-413835093384601 | depth 8.63 ft · 2023-10-31 | 69 km |
| USGS-413849093391401 | depth 10.8 ft · 2023-10-31 | 70 km |
| USGS-413909093391501 | depth 11.3 ft · 2023-10-31 | 70 km |
| USGS-414003093391501 | depth 14.8 ft · 2023-10-31 | 72 km |
| USGS-414034093391801 | depth 19.1 ft · 2022-05-01 | 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 (0.04)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.10 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$312.1 m in deposits at 5 offices of 3 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 4,266, highly concentrated. $88.8 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $53.9 m, contracts $34.4 m), $18,418 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| American State Bank | $173.0 m · 55.4% share · 2 offices | |
| First National Bank, Ames, Iowa | $100.8 m · 32.3% share · 2 offices | |
| First Interstate Bank | $38.3 m · 12.3% share · 1 office | |
| Clarke, IA | $88.8 m FY2026 · $18,418/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $51.4 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| American State Bank | $173,001,000 | 55.4% | 2 |
| First National Bank, Ames, Iowa | $100,807,000 | 32.3% | 2 |
| First Interstate Bank | $38,294,000 | 12.3% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 4,266 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 = 55.4² + 32.3² + 12.3² = 4,266
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 | $45,881,107 |
| General Services Administration | $34,435,496 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $5,026,877 |
| Department of Agriculture | $1,966,733 |
| Department of Transportation | $520,190 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $508,462 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $328,303 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $90,684 |
| Department of Education | $21,900 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
| Department of Homeland Security | -$25,729 |
That is $18,418 per covered job, against 4,819 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $88.8 m / 4,819 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $18,418
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 #
Clarke County, IA: 4 findings, 4 noted
noteClarke County, IA's average weekly wage was 4.3% 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
- +4.3 % = 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
noteClarke County, IA's covered employment was 2.3% 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
- +2.3 % = 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
noteClarke County, IA's covered employment of +2.3% ranks 10th of 99 Iowa counties, against a median of -0.7%.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 91 on the 0-to-100 scale across 99 Iowa counties that published jobs.yoy.emp
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteThe next Zillow ZHVI typical home value (monthly) covering Clarke 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.