Howard County, IA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 43.37, -92.32.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 40th pct · 1,831st of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 59th pct · 41st of 99 Iowa counties · median $194,976
- 93rd pct · 201st of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 89th pct · 11th of 99 Iowa counties · median +4.6%
- US counties: not published this period
- Iowa counties: not published this period
- 33rd pct · 2,141st of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 35th pct · 64th of 99 Iowa counties · median 5,685
- 34th pct · 2,119th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 14th pct · 85th of 99 Iowa counties · median $1,057
- 47th pct · 1,605th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 72nd pct · 28th 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 $209,374 (Aug 2026), +9.0% over one year, +41.6% over five
- 40th pct · 1,831st of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 59th pct · 41st of 99 Iowa counties · median $194,976
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Howard County, IA | $209,374 · +9.0% 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 #
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 $1,146 a month on $209,374 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,195 a month: 27.3% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $209,374 × 80% = $167,499, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,146/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $968 × 52 / 12 = $4,195) = 27% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $209,374 / ($968 × 52) = 4.2
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 #
4,356 jobs at 337 employers (2026 Q1); +1.7% jobs and +5.7% average weekly wage over the year
- 33rd pct · 2,141st of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 35th pct · 64th of 99 Iowa counties · median 5,685
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Howard County, IA | 4,356 jobs · $968/wk · +1.7% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 1,230 | $1,108 | 3.51 | +2.8% |
| Retail trade | 433 | $599 | 1.02 | -2.3% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 355 | $1,100 | 11.28 | +23.7% |
| Construction | 198 | $1,134 | 0.87 | +5.9% |
| Wholesale trade | 156 | $1,212 | 0.93 | +7.6% |
| Finance and insurance | 154 | $1,466 | 0.87 | -3.8% |
| Other services | 99 | $1,339 | 0.76 | -2.9% |
| Professional and technical services | 70 | $1,043 | 0.23 | -6.7% |
| Administrative and waste services | 44 | $767 | 0.18 | -29.0% |
| Management of companies | 30 | $1,036 | 0.41 | +3.4% |
| Information | 21 | $762 | 0.26 | -22.2% |
| Real estate and rental | 7 | $667 | 0.10 | -50.0% |
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 #
123 gauges · 0 flooding · 40 with quality panels averaging 99 % · 46 stale
Sites found: 123, 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-05387320 | stage 4.81 ft · STALE | 11 km |
| Turkey River near Cresco (IFC) | no flooding | 20 km |
| USGS-433244092255002 | temp 8.80 °C · quality 100 % (1) · STALE | 22 km |
| USGS-433245092254904 | temp 13.4 °C · quality 100 % (1) · STALE | 22 km |
| USGS-433245092254905 | temp 12.5 °C · quality 100 % (1) · STALE | 22 km |
| USGS-433240092260501 | temp 15.4 °C · quality 100 % (1) · STALE | 22 km |
| USGS-433246092254801 | temp 14.0 °C · quality 100 % (1) · STALE | 22 km |
| USGS-05420560 | flow 12.0 ft³/s · STALE | 22 km |
| USGS-433246092255001 | temp 12.8 °C · quality 100 % (1) · STALE | 22 km |
| USGS-433243092260601 | temp 11.4 °C · quality 100 % (1) · STALE | 22 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 #
51 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 51, 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-433244092255002 | depth 19.4 ft · 2018-10-09 | 22 km |
| USGS-433245092254904 | depth 8.65 ft · 2018-10-29 | 22 km |
| USGS-433245092254905 | depth 11.4 ft · 2018-10-29 | 22 km |
| USGS-433240092260601 | depth 3.89 ft · 2018-10-29 | 22 km |
| USGS-433240092260501 | depth 2.65 ft · 2018-09-23 | 22 km |
| USGS-433246092254801 | depth 7.00 ft · 2018-10-29 | 22 km |
| USGS-433246092255001 | depth 6.52 ft · 2018-10-29 | 22 km |
| USGS-433243092260601 | depth 5.01 ft · 2018-10-30 | 22 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 + 0.2×0.01 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$593.8 m in deposits at 5 offices of 4 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 5,103, highly concentrated. $74.7 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $71.5 m, grants $3.0 m), $17,141 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| CUSB Bank | $397.3 m · 66.9% share · 2 offices | |
| Decorah Bank & Trust Company | $142.1 m · 23.9% share · 1 office | |
| Security State Bank | $41.0 m · 6.9% share · 1 office | |
| Howard, IA | $74.7 m FY2026 · $17,141/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $54.8 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| CUSB Bank | $397,335,000 | 66.9% | 2 |
| Decorah Bank & Trust Company | $142,100,000 | 23.9% | 1 |
| Security State Bank | $41,014,000 | 6.9% | 1 |
| Citizens Savings Bank | $13,349,000 | 2.2% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 5,103 across 4 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 4 banks with deposits in the county = 66.9² + 23.9² + 6.9² + … (1 more) = 5,103
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 | $50,124,885 |
| Department of Agriculture | $16,567,862 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $4,576,644 |
| Department of Transportation | $2,935,854 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $140,999 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $113,525 |
| Department of Education | $89,679 |
| Department of the Interior | $65,148 |
| Department of Commerce | $51,284 |
That is $17,141 per covered job, against 4,356 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $74.7 m / 4,356 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $17,141
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 #
Howard County, IA: 7 findings, 7 noted
noteHoward County, IA's average weekly wage was 5.7% 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
- +5.7 % = 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
noteHoward County, IA's covered employment was 1.7% 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
- +1.7 % = 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
noteHoward County, IA's typical home value rose 0.8% from $207,799 in July 2026 to $209,374 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.8% = (209373.8427896436 - 207798.5828882729) / 207798.5828882729 × 100
- 209373.8427896436 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 207798.5828882729 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
noteHoward County, IA's momentum index of 0.80 ranks 97th of 3,221 US counties, against a median of 0.23.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 97 on the 0-to-100 scale across 3221 US counties that published momentum
- momentum = Σ wᵢ · clip(changeᵢ / scaleᵢ, −1, 1) / Σ wᵢ over the terms present; weights and scales: home value 1-yr change 0.3 (±10%), rent 1-yr change 0.15 (±10%), jobs over-the-year change 0.3 (±3%), avg weekly wage over-the-year change 0.25 (±6%)
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteHoward County, IA's momentum index of 0.80 ranks 5th of 99 Iowa counties, against a median of 0.24.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 96 on the 0-to-100 scale across 99 Iowa counties that published momentum
- momentum = Σ wᵢ · clip(changeᵢ / scaleᵢ, −1, 1) / Σ wᵢ over the terms present; weights and scales: home value 1-yr change 0.3 (±10%), rent 1-yr change 0.15 (±10%), jobs over-the-year change 0.3 (±3%), avg weekly wage over-the-year change 0.25 (±6%)
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
Read all 7 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.