Pocahontas County, IA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 42.73, -94.68.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 2nd pct · 2,973rd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 0th pct · 99th of 99 Iowa counties · median $194,976
- 2nd pct · 2,987th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 0th pct · 99th of 99 Iowa counties · median +4.6%
- US counties: not published this period
- Iowa counties: not published this period
- 20th pct · 2,577th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 11th pct · 88th of 99 Iowa counties · median 5,685
- 67th pct · 1,039th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 72nd pct · 28th of 99 Iowa counties · median $1,057
- 1st pct · 3,007th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 0th pct · 99th 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 $101,899 (Aug 2026), -7.5% over one year, +2.4% over five
- 2nd pct · 2,973rd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 0th pct · 99th of 99 Iowa counties · median $194,976
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Pocahontas County, IA | $101,899 · -7.5% 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 $558 a month on $101,899 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,901 a month: 11.4% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $101,899 × 80% = $81,519, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $558/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,131 × 52 / 12 = $4,901) = 11% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $101,899 / ($1,131 × 52) = 1.7
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 #
2,444 jobs at 245 employers (2026 Q1); -3.4% jobs and +5.6% average weekly wage over the year
- 20th pct · 2,577th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 11th pct · 88th of 99 Iowa counties · median 5,685
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Pocahontas County, IA | 2,444 jobs · $1,131/wk · -3.4% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 377 | $1,215 | 1.92 | -6.9% |
| Wholesale trade | 234 | $1,420 | 2.50 | -4.5% |
| Retail trade | 220 | $928 | 0.92 | +0.0% |
| Accommodation and food services | 87 | $242 | 0.40 | +20.8% |
| Professional and technical services | 34 | $1,169 | 0.20 | -10.5% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 10 | $92 | 0.25 | -41.2% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | withheld | |||
| Mining, oil and gas | withheld | |||
| Utilities | withheld | |||
| Construction | withheld | |||
| Transportation and warehousing | withheld | |||
| Information | 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 #
30 gauges · 0 flooding · 2 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 6 stale
Sites found: 30, 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-05482170 | flow 80.0 ft³/s · STALE | 11 km |
| USGS-05476735 | stage 3.76 ft | 19 km |
| USGS-05482135 | flow 402.0 ft³/s · STALE | 33 km |
| USGS-05476750 | flow 762.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 37 km |
| USGS-05479000 | flow 485.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 40 km |
| North Raccoon River near Sac City 230th St--IFC | no readings | 41 km |
| USGS-05480080 | stage 6.27 ft | 41 km |
| USGS-05482140 | stage 13.4 ft · quality 100 % (1) | 42 km |
| Des Moines River near Fort Dodge Hwy D14--IFC | no readings | 43 km |
| East Fork Des Moines River near Algona Hwy B63--IFC | no readings | 44 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 0 named aquifers:
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-424539094152401 | depth 0.48 ft · 2004-05-23 | 35 km |
| USGS-424539094152405 | depth 37.8 ft · 2004-05-25 | 35 km |
| USGS-424539094152402 | depth 37.9 ft · 2004-06-15 | 35 km |
| USGS-424539094152403 | depth 42.1 ft · 2004-05-17 | 35 km |
| USGS-425603095250401 | depth 18.0 ft · 2014-10-05 | 64 km |
| USGS-431316095135201 | depth 11.9 ft · 2014-10-06 | 70 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 #
$349.2 m in deposits at 9 offices of 6 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,185, highly concentrated. $55.3 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $52.4 m, grants $2.9 m), $22,609 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Availa Bank | $104.4 m · 29.9% share · 2 offices | |
| Pocahontas State Bank | $83.1 m · 23.8% share · 2 offices | |
| United Bank of Iowa | $75.4 m · 21.6% share · 2 offices | |
| Pocahontas, IA | $55.3 m FY2026 · $22,609/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $44.3 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Availa Bank | $104,404,000 | 29.9% | 2 |
| Pocahontas State Bank | $83,053,000 | 23.8% | 2 |
| United Bank of Iowa | $75,387,000 | 21.6% | 2 |
| Community State Bank | $49,962,000 | 14.3% | 1 |
| West Iowa Bank | $20,162,000 | 5.8% | 1 |
| First Community Bank | $16,259,000 | 4.7% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,185 across 6 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 6 banks with deposits in the county = 29.9² + 23.8² + 21.6² + … (3 more) = 2,185
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 | $41,145,494 |
| Department of Agriculture | $7,984,629 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $2,886,554 |
| Department of Transportation | $2,882,460 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $251,699 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $105,699 |
| Department of the Interior | $0 |
That is $22,609 per covered job, against 2,444 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $55.3 m / 2,444 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $22,609
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 #
Pocahontas County, IA: 19 findings, 2 at an alert level, 4 at a watch level and 13 noted
alertPocahontas County, IA's typical home value is -7.5% against a year earlier, an alert level here: typical home value at least 5 percent below a year ago (arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; 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 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- test: home.yoyPct = -7.5240847894132195 <= -5
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
alertPocahontas County, IA's covered employment is -3.4% against a year earlier, an alert level here: covered employment at least 3 percent below the same quarter a year earlier (BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; 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.emp = -3.4 <= -3
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchPocahontas County, IA's typical home value is -7.5% against a year earlier, a watch level here: typical home value below a year ago (arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; not an official level). The previous published period is not in this table, so this is a standing level rather than a change.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- test: home.yoyPct = -7.5240847894132195 < 0
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; not an official level
watchPocahontas County, IA's covered employment is -3.4% 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 = -3.4 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchPocahontas County, IA's typical home value is -1.3% against the previous month, a watch level here: typical home value at least 1 percent below the previous month (arithmetic on the Zillow ZHVI month columns; 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 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- test: home.momPct = -1.3451105100899357 <= -1
- month-over-month percent change = (newest month − previous month) / |previous month| × 100, from Zillow's own published month columns
arithmetic on the Zillow ZHVI month columns; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
Read all 12 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.