Marion County, IA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 41.33, -93.09.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 63rd pct · 1,133rd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 84th pct · 16th of 99 Iowa counties · median $194,976
- 48th pct · 1,582nd of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 24th pct · 75th of 99 Iowa counties · median +4.6%
- 9th pct · 1,267th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 57th pct · 13th of 29 Iowa counties · median $1,006
- 70th pct · 958th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 85th pct · 15th of 99 Iowa counties · median 5,685
- 92nd pct · 227th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 96th pct · 4th of 99 Iowa counties · median $1,057
- 31st pct · 2,084th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 50th pct · 50th 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 $275,372 (Aug 2026), +2.8% over one year, +26.0% over five
- 63rd pct · 1,133rd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 84th pct · 16th of 99 Iowa counties · median $194,976
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Marion County, IA | $275,372 · +2.8% 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 $1,019/mo (Aug 2026), +0.8% over one year; price-to-rent 22.5
- 9th pct · 1,267th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 57th pct · 13th of 29 Iowa counties · median $1,006
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Marion County, IA | $1,019/mo · +0.8% 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 $1,507 a month on $275,372 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $6,530 a month: 23.1% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $275,372 × 80% = $220,298, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,507/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,507 × 52 / 12 = $6,530) = 23% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $275,372 / ($1,507 × 52) = 3.5
- price-to-rent = $275,372 / ($1,019 × 12) = 22.5
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 #
19,090 jobs at 1,073 employers (2026 Q1); -0.6% jobs and +14.0% average weekly wage over the year
- 70th pct · 958th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 85th pct · 15th of 99 Iowa counties · median 5,685
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Marion County, IA | 19,090 jobs · $1,507/wk · -0.6% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 8,364 | $2,197 | 5.45 | -0.1% |
| Retail trade | 1,632 | $599 | 0.88 | +0.3% |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,076 | $332 | 0.63 | -7.2% |
| Construction | 549 | $1,245 | 0.55 | +13.2% |
| Wholesale trade | 497 | $1,837 | 0.68 | +1.4% |
| Other services | 413 | $759 | 0.72 | +0.7% |
| Professional and technical services | 357 | $1,330 | 0.27 | -10.3% |
| Administrative and waste services | 333 | $1,160 | 0.31 | +0.9% |
| Finance and insurance | 302 | $1,962 | 0.39 | -2.9% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 197 | $1,115 | 0.24 | -2.5% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 133 | $359 | 0.42 | -0.7% |
| Information | 112 | $1,411 | 0.32 | -13.2% |
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 #
41 gauges · 0 flooding · 7 with quality panels averaging 93 % · 8 stale
Sites found: 41, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| English Creek near Knoxville, IA | flow 74.2 ft³/s | 5 km |
| Des Moines River near Pella, IA | flow 24,800 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 11 km |
| White Breast Creek near Dallas, IA | flow 215.0 ft³/s | 19 km |
| Cedar Creek near Bussey, IA | flow 285.0 ft³/s | 20 km |
| Des Moines River near Tracy, IA | flow 25,100 ft³/s | 20 km |
| Des Moines River near Swan, IA | flow 31,300 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 23 km |
| Walnut Creek near Vandalia, IA | flow 0.04 ft³/s · STALE | 27 km |
| Des Moines River near Runnells, IA | flow 1,060 ft³/s · STALE | 27 km |
| South River near Ackworth, IA | flow 441.0 ft³/s | 33 km |
| Walnut Creek near Prairie City, IA | flow 0.00 ft³/s · STALE | 34 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 #
13 wells in 1 named aquifer: Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions)
Sites found: 13, 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-412927092575201 | depth 8.10 ft · 2017-09-24 | 21 km |
| USGS-412023092471201 | depth 76.8 ft · 1992-11-03 | 26 km |
| Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions) | depth 6.61 ft · 2014-09-30 | 49 km |
| USGS-411912092273601 | depth 102.6 ft · 1992-09-29 | 53 km |
| USGS-413713093380201 | depth 4.54 ft · 2023-10-31 | 55 km |
| USGS-413835093384601 | depth 8.63 ft · 2023-10-31 | 58 km |
| USGS-413849093391401 | depth 10.8 ft · 2023-10-31 | 58 km |
| USGS-413909093391501 | depth 11.3 ft · 2023-10-31 | 59 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 (0.03)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.07 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$1.2 bn in deposits at 17 offices of 10 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,619, highly concentrated. $213.8 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $208.5 m, grants $4.6 m), $11,198 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Marion County State Bank | $546.6 m · 46.6% share · 5 offices | |
| Leighton State Bank | $165.9 m · 14.1% share · 2 offices | |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $117.2 m · 10.0% share · 1 office | |
| Marion, IA | $213.8 m FY2026 · $11,198/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $202.5 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marion County State Bank | $546,564,000 | 46.6% | 5 |
| Leighton State Bank | $165,886,000 | 14.1% | 2 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $117,225,000 | 10.0% | 1 |
| U.S. Bank National Association | $87,506,000 | 7.5% | 1 |
| Peoples Savings Bank | $68,486,000 | 5.8% | 2 |
| Nicolet National Bank | $60,477,000 | 5.2% | 2 |
| Bank Iowa | $43,953,000 | 3.7% | 1 |
| Twin Cedars Bank | $34,721,000 | 3.0% | 1 |
| Washington State Bank | $24,257,000 | 2.1% | 1 |
| Great Southern Bank | $23,756,000 | 2.0% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,619 across 10 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 10 banks with deposits in the county = 46.6² + 14.1² + 10.0² + … (7 more) = 2,619
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 | $182,940,764 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $19,070,485 |
| Department of Education | $3,451,335 |
| Department of Transportation | $2,943,148 |
| Department of Agriculture | $2,337,062 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $1,761,442 |
| Department of Defense | $599,340 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $558,979 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $111,962 |
| Department of the Interior | $0 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
That is $11,198 per covered job, against 19,090 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $213.8 m / 19,090 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $11,198
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 | -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 #
Marion County, IA: 10 findings, 2 at a watch level and 8 noted
watchMarion County, IA's covered employment is -0.6% 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 = -0.6 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchMarion County, IA's typical asking rent of $1,019 scores 9 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 57 across Iowa counties, a gap of 48 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 48 = |9 across US counties - 57 across Iowa counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteMarion County, IA's average weekly wage was 14.0% 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
- +14 % = 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
noteMarion County, IA's covered employment was 0.6% 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
- -0.6 % = 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
noteMarion County, IA's typical home value rose 0.3% from $274,654 in July 2026 to $275,372 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.3% = (275372.3868138401 - 274653.70592069003) / 274653.70592069003 × 100
- 275372.3868138401 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 274653.70592069003 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
Read all 10 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.