Dickinson County, IA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 43.39, -95.20.
Assembled 2026-10-07. Read the brief.
- 84th pct · 486th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 100th pct · 1st of 99 Iowa counties · median $194,976
- 38th pct · 1,876th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 14th pct · 85th of 99 Iowa counties · median +4.6%
- 36th pct · 892nd of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 92nd pct · 3rd of 29 Iowa counties · median $1,006
- 52nd pct · 1,523rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 72nd pct · 28th of 99 Iowa counties · median 5,685
- 33rd pct · 2,128th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 13th pct · 86th of 99 Iowa counties · median $1,057
- 91st pct · 248th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 100th pct · 1st 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 $386,055 (Aug 2026), +2.0% over one year, +29.2% over five
- 84th pct · 486th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 100th pct · 1st of 99 Iowa counties · median $194,976
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Dickinson County, IA | $386,055 · +2.0% 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 $1,350/mo (Aug 2026), n/a over one year; price-to-rent 23.8
- 36th pct · 892nd of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 92nd pct · 3rd of 29 Iowa counties · median $1,006
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Dickinson County, IA | $1,350/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 $2,113 a month on $386,055 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,190 a month: 50.4% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $386,055 × 80% = $308,844, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $2,113/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $967 × 52 / 12 = $4,190) = 50% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $386,055 / ($967 × 52) = 7.7
- price-to-rent = $386,055 / ($1,350 × 12) = 23.8
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 #
9,161 jobs at 949 employers (2026 Q1); +1.6% jobs and +3.3% average weekly wage over the year
- 52nd pct · 1,523rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 72nd pct · 28th of 99 Iowa counties · median 5,685
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Dickinson County, IA | 9,161 jobs · $967/wk · +1.6% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 1,528 | $1,358 | 2.07 | +3.7% |
| Retail trade | 1,400 | $692 | 1.57 | +2.8% |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,043 | $441 | 1.27 | +5.1% |
| Health care and social assistance | 808 | $917 | 0.59 | +4.5% |
| Administrative and waste services | 737 | $756 | 1.42 | +0.5% |
| Construction | 503 | $1,082 | 1.05 | -3.6% |
| Wholesale trade | 261 | $1,507 | 0.74 | -7.1% |
| Finance and insurance | 239 | $2,086 | 0.64 | +0.0% |
| Professional and technical services | 237 | $1,283 | 0.38 | -6.3% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 230 | $606 | 1.53 | +6.0% |
| Other services | 178 | $818 | 0.65 | -6.8% |
| Information | 108 | $1,065 | 0.64 | +2.9% |
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.
Water #
Banks & federal dollars #
$1.3 bn in deposits at 16 offices of 8 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,741, moderately concentrated. $164.4 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $162.5 m, grants $1.9 m), $17,947 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Northwest Bank | $339.0 m · 25.4% share · 3 offices | |
| Bank Midwest | $312.9 m · 23.4% share · 2 offices | |
| Central Bank | $195.9 m · 14.7% share · 2 offices | |
| Dickinson, IA | $164.4 m FY2026 · $17,947/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $142.7 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest Bank | $338,986,000 | 25.4% | 3 |
| Bank Midwest | $312,944,000 | 23.4% | 2 |
| Central Bank | $195,863,000 | 14.7% | 2 |
| United Community Bank | $178,031,000 | 13.3% | 3 |
| Farmers Savings Bank | $118,929,000 | 8.9% | 2 |
| The State Bank | $80,260,000 | 6.0% | 2 |
| Savings Bank | $78,915,000 | 5.9% | 1 |
| Liberty National Bank | $31,991,000 | 2.4% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,741 across 8 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 8 banks with deposits in the county = 25.4² + 23.4² + 14.7² + … (5 more) = 1,741
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 | $132,277,533 |
| Department of Agriculture | $18,844,438 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $9,764,051 |
| Department of Transportation | $1,221,723 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $677,630 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $649,025 |
| National Science Foundation | $304,950 |
| Department of Justice | $302,528 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $242,643 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $75,000 |
| Department of Education | $42,692 |
| Department of Defense | $10,670 |
That is $17,947 per covered job, against 9,161 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $164.4 m / 9,161 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $17,947
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 #
Dickinson County, IA: 11 findings, 3 at a watch level and 8 noted
watchDickinson County, IA's years of wages of 7.7 ranks 248th of 3,063 US counties, a watch level here: years of wages in the top tenth of US counties (position among the counties that published both a ZHVI value and a QCEW average weekly wage; 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: yearsOfWages percentile = 91.93337687785761 >= 90
- typical home value / (average weekly wage × 52); one average covered job, not a household
position among the counties that published both a ZHVI value and a QCEW average weekly wage; not an official level
watchDickinson County, IA's price-to-rent ratio of 23.8 ranks 132nd 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 = 90.62947067238912 >= 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
watchDickinson County, IA's typical asking rent of $1,350 scores 36 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 93 across Iowa counties, a gap of 57 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 57 = |36 across US counties - 93 across Iowa counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteDickinson 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
noteDickinson County, IA's covered employment was 1.6% 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
- +1.6 % = 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
Read all 11 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.