Hancock County, IA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 43.08, -93.74.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 31st pct · 2,090th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 42nd pct · 57th of 99 Iowa counties · median $194,976
- 54th pct · 1,393rd of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 35th pct · 64th of 99 Iowa counties · median +4.6%
- US counties: not published this period
- Iowa counties: not published this period
- 40th pct · 1,902nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 51st pct · 49th of 99 Iowa counties · median 5,685
- 82nd pct · 553rd of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 91st pct · 9th of 99 Iowa counties · median $1,057
- 16th pct · 2,564th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 14th pct · 85th 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 $188,107 (Aug 2026), +3.3% over one year, +30.9% over five
- 31st pct · 2,090th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 42nd pct · 57th of 99 Iowa counties · median $194,976
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Hancock County, IA | $188,107 · +3.3% 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 $1,030 a month on $188,107 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $5,521 a month: 18.7% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $188,107 × 80% = $150,486, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,030/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,274 × 52 / 12 = $5,521) = 19% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $188,107 / ($1,274 × 52) = 2.8
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 #
5,741 jobs at 375 employers (2026 Q1); +0.1% jobs and +7.1% average weekly wage over the year
- 40th pct · 1,902nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 51st pct · 49th of 99 Iowa counties · median 5,685
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Hancock County, IA | 5,741 jobs · $1,274/wk · +0.1% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 2,595 | $1,469 | 5.62 | +0.9% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 414 | $1,435 | 1.71 | +7.3% |
| Retail trade | 329 | $1,048 | 0.59 | -2.7% |
| Professional and technical services | 224 | $1,410 | 0.57 | +17.3% |
| Wholesale trade | 220 | $1,750 | 1.00 | +2.3% |
| Construction | 143 | $1,179 | 0.48 | -5.9% |
| Other services | 134 | $825 | 0.78 | -16.2% |
| Accommodation and food services | 122 | $264 | 0.24 | +8.0% |
| Finance and insurance | 76 | $1,084 | 0.32 | +0.0% |
| Utilities | 66 | $2,644 | 2.91 | +8.2% |
| Information | 28 | $1,195 | 0.26 | -6.7% |
| Real estate and rental | 15 | $912 | 0.17 | +7.1% |
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 #
D0 abnormally dry
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 #
44 gauges · 0 flooding · 1 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 3 stale
Sites found: 44, 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-05448400 | stage 76.3 ft | 4 km |
| USGS-05449000 | flow 65.0 ft³/s · STALE | 12 km |
| Winnebago River near Forest City Hwy B14--IFC | no readings | 21 km |
| USGS-05460000 | stage 4.71 ft | 30 km |
| Winnebago River at Leland Hwy A38--IFC | no readings | 31 km |
| Winnebago River at Fertile S 1st St--IFC | no readings | 34 km |
| USGS-05449500 | flow 127.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 36 km |
| USGS-05480930 | stage 85.3 ft | 38 km |
| USGS-05460100 | stage 85.9 ft | 39 km |
| Winnebago River near Mason City Killdeer Ave--IFC | no readings | 39 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 #
8 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 8, 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-430510093425101 | depth 3.30 ft · 2026-10-05 | 3 km |
| USGS-430159093403201 | depth 11.0 ft · 2017-10-10 | 7 km |
| USGS-424539094152401 | depth 0.48 ft · 2004-05-23 | 54 km |
| USGS-424539094152405 | depth 37.8 ft · 2004-05-25 | 54 km |
| USGS-424539094152402 | depth 37.9 ft · 2004-06-15 | 54 km |
| USGS-424539094152403 | depth 42.1 ft · 2004-05-17 | 54 km |
| USGS-422610093474203 | depth 63.3 ft · 2004-06-15 | 71 km |
| USGS-422610093474202 | depth 52.0 ft · 2004-06-15 | 71 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 #
$381.2 m in deposits at 6 offices of 5 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,548, highly concentrated. $106.5 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $80.5 m, contracts $24.6 m), $18,550 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Reliance State Bank | $133.8 m · 35.1% share · 1 office | |
| First State Bank | $102.8 m · 27.0% share · 2 offices | |
| Farmers Trust and Savings Bank | $65.4 m · 17.2% share · 1 office | |
| Hancock, IA | $106.5 m FY2026 · $18,550/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $62.8 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reliance State Bank | $133,782,000 | 35.1% | 1 |
| First State Bank | $102,783,000 | 27.0% | 2 |
| Farmers Trust and Savings Bank | $65,404,000 | 17.2% | 1 |
| Clear Lake Bank and Trust Company | $63,528,000 | 16.7% | 1 |
| Iowa State Bank | $15,712,000 | 4.1% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,548 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 = 35.1² + 27.0² + 17.2² + … (2 more) = 2,548
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 | $58,481,229 |
| Department of Transportation | $25,754,736 |
| Department of Agriculture | $17,595,376 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $4,250,047 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $252,385 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $59,454 |
| Department of Education | $51,066 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $49,581 |
That is $18,550 per covered job, against 5,741 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $106.5 m / 5,741 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $18,550
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 | 2026-10-06 | +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 | -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 #
Hancock County, IA: 5 findings, 5 noted
noteHancock County, IA's average weekly wage was 7.1% 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
- +7.1 % = 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
noteHancock County, IA's typical home value rose 0.3% from $187,609 in July 2026 to $188,107 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.3% = (188107.45594045418 - 187609.37648740454) / 187609.37648740454 × 100
- 188107.45594045418 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 187609.37648740454 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
noteHancock County, IA's covered employment was 0.1% 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
- +0.1 % = 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
noteHancock County, IA's average weekly wage of $1,274 ranks 9th of 99 Iowa counties, against a median of $1,057.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 92 on the 0-to-100 scale across 99 Iowa counties that published jobs.avgWeeklyWage
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteThe next Zillow ZHVI typical home value (monthly) covering Hancock 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.