O'Brien County, IA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 43.08, -95.63.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 35th pct · 1,970th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 52nd pct · 48th of 99 Iowa counties · median $194,976
- 91st pct · 249th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 86th pct · 14th of 99 Iowa counties · median +4.6%
- US counties: not published this period
- Iowa counties: not published this period
- 43rd pct · 1,807th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 60th pct · 40th of 99 Iowa counties · median 5,685
- 32nd pct · 2,158th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 11th pct · 87th of 99 Iowa counties · median $1,057
- 42nd pct · 1,759th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 67th pct · 33rd 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 $196,765 (Aug 2026), +8.3% over one year, +37.7% over five
- 35th pct · 1,970th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 52nd pct · 48th of 99 Iowa counties · median $194,976
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| O'Brien County, IA | $196,765 · +8.3% 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 $1,077 a month on $196,765 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,177 a month: 25.8% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $196,765 × 80% = $157,412, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,077/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $964 × 52 / 12 = $4,177) = 26% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $196,765 / ($964 × 52) = 3.9
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 #
6,400 jobs at 607 employers (2026 Q1); -1.3% jobs and +2.8% average weekly wage over the year
- 43rd pct · 1,807th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 60th pct · 40th of 99 Iowa counties · median 5,685
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| O'Brien County, IA | 6,400 jobs · $964/wk · -1.3% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 1,068 | $913 | 1.11 | -5.4% |
| Manufacturing | 813 | $1,370 | 1.58 | +3.2% |
| Retail trade | 708 | $526 | 1.14 | -3.7% |
| Wholesale trade | 520 | $1,364 | 2.12 | -6.1% |
| Accommodation and food services | 343 | $301 | 0.60 | -3.9% |
| Finance and insurance | 255 | $1,567 | 0.98 | -3.4% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 243 | $1,095 | 5.26 | -4.0% |
| Other services | 199 | $973 | 1.04 | +6.4% |
| Professional and technical services | 190 | $1,297 | 0.43 | -4.0% |
| Construction | 186 | $1,100 | 0.55 | -7.9% |
| Educational services | 100 | $544 | 0.73 | +17.6% |
| Information | 74 | $862 | 0.63 | +4.2% |
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 #
19 gauges · 0 flooding · 2 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 3 stale
Sites found: 19, 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-06600030 | stage 83.2 ft | 14 km |
| USGS-06600100 | flow 90.8 ft³/s | 32 km |
| USGS-06605000 | flow 160.0 ft³/s | 34 km |
| USGS-06604440 | flow 135.0 ft³/s · STALE | 34 km |
| USGS-06605850 | flow 432.0 ft³/s | 37 km |
| USGS-06605750 | stage 82.0 ft | 40 km |
| USGS-06600300 | flow 159.0 ft³/s · STALE | 48 km |
| USGS-06483495 | stage 10.3 ft | 48 km |
| USGS-06604200 | stage 4.22 ft · quality 100 % (1) | 49 km |
| USGS-06483500 | flow 715.0 ft³/s | 56 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 #
2 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 2, 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-425603095250401 | depth 18.0 ft · 2014-10-05 | 24 km |
| USGS-431316095135201 | depth 11.9 ft · 2014-10-06 | 36 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 #
$1.0 bn in deposits at 13 offices of 9 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,546, moderately concentrated. $99.1 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $89.1 m, contracts $9.7 m), $15,489 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Security State Bank | $264.2 m · 25.9% share · 2 offices | |
| Savings Bank | $163.2 m · 16.0% share · 2 offices | |
| Citizens State Bank | $141.5 m · 13.9% share · 1 office | |
| O'Brien, IA | $99.1 m FY2026 · $15,489/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $79.5 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security State Bank | $264,234,000 | 25.9% | 2 |
| Savings Bank | $163,221,000 | 16.0% | 2 |
| Citizens State Bank | $141,459,000 | 13.9% | 1 |
| Iowa State Bank | $138,015,000 | 13.5% | 3 |
| Peoples Bank | $124,810,000 | 12.2% | 1 |
| Sanborn Savings Bank | $66,623,000 | 6.5% | 1 |
| The Security National Bank of Sioux City, Iowa | $60,732,000 | 5.9% | 1 |
| United Community Bank | $32,014,000 | 3.1% | 1 |
| The First National Bank of Primghar | $29,914,000 | 2.9% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,546 across 9 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 9 banks with deposits in the county = 25.9² + 16.0² + 13.9² + … (6 more) = 1,546
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 | $74,460,452 |
| Department of Agriculture | $19,067,542 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $5,429,395 |
| Department of Transportation | $53,210 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $51,700 |
| Department of Education | $46,327 |
| Small Business Administration | $14,400 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $7,914 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $1,247 |
That is $15,489 per covered job, against 6,400 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $99.1 m / 6,400 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $15,489
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 | 2026-10-05 | +0.1% |
| 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 #
O'Brien County, IA: 6 findings, 1 at a watch level and 5 noted
watchO'Brien County, IA's covered employment is -1.3% 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 = -1.3 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteO'Brien County, IA's average weekly wage was 2.8% 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
- +2.8 % = 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
noteO'Brien County, IA's covered employment was 1.3% 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
- -1.3 % = 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
noteO'Brien County, IA's typical home value rose 0.6% from $195,646 in July 2026 to $196,765 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.6% = (196764.6227696581 - 195646.21250045983) / 195646.21250045983 × 100
- 196764.6227696581 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 195646.21250045983 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
noteO'Brien County, IA's typical home value of +8.3% ranks 249th of 3,063 US counties, against a median of +2.9%.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 92 on the 0-to-100 scale across 3063 US counties that published home.yoyPct
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
Read all 6 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.