Monroe County, IA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 41.03, -92.87.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 26th pct · 2,265th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 31st pct · 68th of 99 Iowa counties · median $194,976
- 66th pct · 1,015th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 46th pct · 53rd of 99 Iowa counties · median +4.6%
- US counties: not published this period
- Iowa counties: not published this period
- 28th pct · 2,315th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 23rd pct · 76th of 99 Iowa counties · median 5,685
- 88th pct · 370th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 94th pct · 6th of 99 Iowa counties · median $1,057
- 9th pct · 2,767th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 6th pct · 93rd 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 $175,518 (Aug 2026), +4.5% over one year, +32.9% over five
- 26th pct · 2,265th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 31st pct · 68th of 99 Iowa counties · median $194,976
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Monroe County, IA | $175,518 · +4.5% 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 $961 a month on $175,518 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $5,958 a month: 16.1% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $175,518 × 80% = $140,414, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $961/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,375 × 52 / 12 = $5,958) = 16% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $175,518 / ($1,375 × 52) = 2.5
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 #
3,487 jobs at 243 employers (2026 Q1); -0.3% jobs and -3.2% average weekly wage over the year
- 28th pct · 2,315th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 23rd pct · 76th of 99 Iowa counties · median 5,685
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Monroe County, IA | 3,487 jobs · $1,375/wk · -0.3% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 1,180 | $1,711 | 4.21 | -5.8% |
| Administrative and waste services | 334 | $1,206 | 1.69 | +4.4% |
| Retail trade | 228 | $521 | 0.67 | -1.3% |
| Wholesale trade | 157 | $1,294 | 1.18 | +0.0% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | withheld | |||
| Mining, oil and gas | withheld | |||
| Utilities | withheld | |||
| Construction | withheld | |||
| Transportation and warehousing | withheld | |||
| Information | withheld | |||
| Finance and insurance | withheld | |||
| Real estate and rental | 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 #
26 gauges · 0 flooding · 4 with quality panels averaging 88 % · 6 stale
Sites found: 26, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Cedar Creek near Bussey, IA | flow 274.0 ft³/s | 21 km |
| Chariton River near Rathbun, IA | flow 1,110 ft³/s | 23 km |
| Des Moines River at Eddyville, IA | flow 25,800 ft³/s | 24 km |
| Des Moines River near Tracy, IA | flow 25,100 ft³/s | 28 km |
| Cooper Creek at Centerville, IA | flow 8.33 ft³/s | 31 km |
| English Creek near Knoxville, IA | flow 72.1 ft³/s | 34 km |
| Chariton River near Chariton, IA | flow 58.4 ft³/s | 34 km |
| Bear Creek at Ottumwa, IA | stage 79.7 ft | 34 km |
| South Fork Chariton River near Promise City, IA | flow 51.3 ft³/s | 37 km |
| Chariton River near Moulton, IA | flow 1,100 ft³/s | 38 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 #
6 wells in 1 named aquifer: Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions)
Sites found: 6, 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-412023092471201 | depth 76.8 ft · 1992-11-03 | 35 km |
| Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions) | depth 6.61 ft · 2014-09-30 | 47 km |
| USGS-411912092273601 | depth 102.6 ft · 1992-09-29 | 47 km |
| USGS-412927092575201 | depth 8.10 ft · 2017-09-24 | 52 km |
| Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions) | depth 14.4 ft · 2026-10-05 | 59 km |
| USGS-411843092105101 | depth 13.2 ft · 2018-09-30 | 66 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 (0.05)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.13 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$274.8 m in deposits at 5 offices of 3 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 5,549, highly concentrated. $63.2 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $49.3 m, grants $14.0 m), $18,111 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| First Iowa State Bank | $190.2 m · 69.2% share · 2 offices | |
| South Ottumwa Savings Bank | $75.3 m · 27.4% share · 2 offices | |
| Twin Cedars Bank | $9.4 m · 3.4% share · 1 office | |
| Monroe, IA | $63.2 m FY2026 · $18,111/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $48.4 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Iowa State Bank | $190,154,000 | 69.2% | 2 |
| South Ottumwa Savings Bank | $75,290,000 | 27.4% | 2 |
| Twin Cedars Bank | $9,398,000 | 3.4% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 5,549 across 3 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 3 banks with deposits in the county = 69.2² + 27.4² + 3.4² = 5,549
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 | $41,787,198 |
| Department of Transportation | $13,802,602 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $5,769,302 |
| Department of Agriculture | $1,021,748 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $851,084 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $527,870 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $13,097 |
| Environmental Protection Agency | -$620,000 |
That is $18,111 per covered job, against 3,487 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $63.2 m / 3,487 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $18,111
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 #
Monroe County, IA: 9 findings, 2 at a watch level and 7 noted
watchMonroe County, IA's average weekly wage is -3.2% against a year earlier, a watch level here: average weekly wage below the same quarter a year earlier, before inflation (BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published, nominal dollars; convention chosen for this dashboard, 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.avgWeeklyWage = -3.2 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published, nominal dollars; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchMonroe County, IA's covered employment is -0.3% 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 = -0.3 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteMonroe County, IA's average weekly wage was 3.2% 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
- -3.2 % = 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
noteMonroe County, IA's typical home value rose 0.4% from $174,774 in July 2026 to $175,518 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.4% = (175517.68969045184 - 174773.75112726403) / 174773.75112726403 × 100
- 175517.68969045184 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 174773.75112726403 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
noteMonroe County, IA's covered employment was 0.3% 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
- -0.3 % = 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
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.