Clayton County, IA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 42.84, -91.32.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 70th pct · 917th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 92nd pct · 8th of 99 Iowa counties · median $194,976
- 98th pct · 34th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 100th pct · 1st of 99 Iowa counties · median +4.6%
- US counties: not published this period
- Iowa counties: not published this period
- 41st pct · 1,885th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 53rd pct · 47th of 99 Iowa counties · median 5,685
- 41st pct · 1,876th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 25th pct · 74th of 99 Iowa counties · median $1,057
- 76th pct · 718th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 95th pct · 5th 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 $302,217 (Aug 2026), +13.6% over one year, +42.4% over five
- 70th pct · 917th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 92nd pct · 8th of 99 Iowa counties · median $194,976
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Clayton County, IA | $302,217 · +13.6% 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 $1,654 a month on $302,217 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,342 a month: 38.1% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $302,217 × 80% = $241,774, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,654/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,002 × 52 / 12 = $4,342) = 38% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $302,217 / ($1,002 × 52) = 5.8
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 #
5,874 jobs at 620 employers (2026 Q1); -2.0% jobs and +5.4% average weekly wage over the year
- 41st pct · 1,885th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 53rd pct · 47th of 99 Iowa counties · median 5,685
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Clayton County, IA | 5,874 jobs · $1,002/wk · -2.0% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 910 | $1,196 | 1.93 | +0.3% |
| Retail trade | 629 | $685 | 1.10 | -6.8% |
| Construction | 402 | $1,354 | 1.31 | -10.9% |
| Wholesale trade | 273 | $1,302 | 1.21 | +3.4% |
| Accommodation and food services | 237 | $214 | 0.45 | -25.0% |
| Finance and insurance | 189 | $1,249 | 0.79 | +3.3% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 164 | $775 | 1.70 | +24.2% |
| Professional and technical services | 127 | $1,198 | 0.31 | -2.3% |
| Other services | 101 | $891 | 0.58 | -7.3% |
| Information | 75 | $1,371 | 0.69 | -10.7% |
| Real estate and rental | 20 | $1,027 | 0.22 | -13.0% |
| 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 #
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 · 2 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 16 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Roberts Creek near Elkader (IFC) | no flooding | 6 km |
| USGS-05412020 | flow 1,720 ft³/s · no flooding | 6 km |
| USGS-05412400 | flow 906.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 10 km |
| USGS-05412100 | flow 1.70 ft³/s · STALE | 11 km |
| USGS-05412500 | flow 3,890 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) · no flooding | 12 km |
| USGS-05411500 | stage 11.5 ft · no flooding | 16 km |
| USGS-05411400 | flow 9.60 ft³/s · STALE | 16 km |
| Volga River at Volga (IFC) | no flooding | 18 km |
| Turkey River at Osterdock (IFC) | no readings | 18 km |
| Turkey River near Elgin (IFC) | no flooding | 19 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 #
15 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 15, 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-425433091285001 | depth 12.7 ft · 1992-07-06 | 15 km |
| USGS-425433091285002 | depth 3.28 ft · 1992-04-19 | 15 km |
| USGS-425736091260302 | depth 153.8 ft · 1991-09-29 | 16 km |
| USGS-425736091260303 | depth 184.5 ft · 1991-09-29 | 16 km |
| USGS-430145091253002 | depth 167.8 ft · 1990-01-10 | 22 km |
| USGS-430145091253004 | depth 15.2 ft · 1990-12-23 | 22 km |
| USGS-430145091253003 | depth 68.2 ft · 1990-06-17 | 22 km |
| USGS-430040091325402 | depth 4.77 ft · 1991-09-29 | 26 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 #
$1.9 bn in deposits at 14 offices of 8 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 4,357, highly concentrated. $135.4 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $125.1 m, contracts $5.8 m), $23,046 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Luana Savings Bank | $1.2 bn · 64.3% share · 1 office | |
| FreedomBank | $191.2 m · 9.9% share · 2 offices | |
| Central State Bank | $154.4 m · 8.0% share · 3 offices | |
| Clayton, IA | $135.4 m FY2026 · $23,046/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $115.0 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luana Savings Bank | $1,237,339,000 | 64.3% | 1 |
| FreedomBank | $191,152,000 | 9.9% | 2 |
| Central State Bank | $154,380,000 | 8.0% | 3 |
| Fidelity Bank & Trust | $95,039,000 | 4.9% | 1 |
| Peoples State Bank | $66,168,000 | 3.4% | 2 |
| Citizens State Bank | $65,473,000 | 3.4% | 1 |
| Farmers Savings Bank | $62,201,000 | 3.2% | 2 |
| Community Savings Bank | $54,035,000 | 2.8% | 2 |
Deposit concentration is 4,357 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 = 64.3² + 9.9² + 8.0² + … (5 more) = 4,357
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 | $104,017,942 |
| Department of Agriculture | $9,838,561 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $9,791,078 |
| Department of Defense | $5,762,699 |
| Department of Transportation | $4,394,205 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $1,192,989 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $201,438 |
| Department of Education | $139,143 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $28,246 |
| Department of the Interior | $4,800 |
That is $23,046 per covered job, against 5,874 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $135.4 m / 5,874 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $23,046
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 #
Clayton County, IA: 9 findings, 1 at a watch level and 8 noted
watchClayton County, IA's covered employment is -2.0% 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 = -2 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteClayton County, IA's average weekly wage was 5.4% 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
- +5.4 % = 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
noteClayton County, IA's covered employment was 2.0% 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
- -2 % = 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
noteClayton County, IA's typical home value rose 1.3% from $298,335 in July 2026 to $302,217 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +1.3% = (302216.94245509844 - 298335.4133763548) / 298335.4133763548 × 100
- 302216.94245509844 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 298335.4133763548 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
noteClayton County, IA's typical home value of +13.6% ranks 1st of 99 Iowa counties, against a median of +4.6%.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 100 on the 0-to-100 scale across 99 Iowa counties that published home.yoyPct
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
Read all 9 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.