Edwards County, KS
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 37.88, -99.30.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 1st pct · 3,023rd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 0th pct · 105th of 105 Kansas counties · median $153,214
- 26th pct · 2,248th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 18th pct · 86th of 105 Kansas counties · median +4.4%
- US counties: not published this period
- Kansas counties: not published this period
- 7th pct · 2,981st of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 22nd pct · 82nd of 105 Kansas counties · median 2,554
- 27th pct · 2,333rd of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 47th pct · 55th of 105 Kansas counties · median $943
- 2nd pct · 2,993rd of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 0th pct · 105th of 105 Kansas counties · median 3.2
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 $86,805 (Aug 2026), +0.7% over one year, +9.5% over five
- 1st pct · 3,023rd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 0th pct · 105th of 105 Kansas counties · median $153,214
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Edwards County, KS | $86,805 · +0.7% 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
- Kansas 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 $475 a month on $86,805 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,078 a month: 11.7% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $86,805 × 80% = $69,444, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $475/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $941 × 52 / 12 = $4,078) = 12% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $86,805 / ($941 × 52) = 1.8
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 #
1,078 jobs at 132 employers (2026 Q1); +13.1% jobs and +1.6% average weekly wage over the year
- 7th pct · 2,981st of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 22nd pct · 82nd of 105 Kansas counties · median 2,554
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Edwards County, KS | 1,078 jobs · $941/wk · +13.1% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 133 | $1,015 | 0.82 | +2.3% |
| Manufacturing | 83 | $862 | 0.96 | +0.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 64 | $1,270 | 1.55 | -13.5% |
| Retail trade | 62 | $399 | 0.59 | -8.8% |
| Other services | 20 | $903 | 0.62 | +0.0% |
| Finance and insurance | 18 | $967 | 0.41 | +0.0% |
| Construction | 14 | $824 | 0.25 | +0.0% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | withheld | |||
| Mining, oil and gas | withheld | |||
| Utilities | withheld | |||
| Transportation and warehousing | withheld | |||
| Professional and technical services | 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 #
D2 severe drought
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 #
5 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 5, 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.
| Site | Reading | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| HORSETHIEF RE NR JETMORE, KS | 5,391 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 68 km |
| CEDAR BLUFF RE NR ELLIS, KS | 54,710 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 107 km |
| CHENEY RE NR CHENEY, KS | 155,800 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 134 km |
| WILSON LK NR WILSON, KS | 197,400 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 139 km |
| KANOPOLIS LK NR KANOPOLIS, KS | 60,160 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 142 km |
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 · 0 with quality panels · 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Arkansas River near Kinsley 2E | observation not current | 8 km |
| ARKANSAS R NR KINSLEY, KS | flow 0.00 ft³/s · STALE | 8 km |
| Pawnee River near Sanford | observation not current | 34 km |
| PAWNEE R AT ROZEL, KS | flow 66.3 ft³/s · no flooding | 37 km |
| RATTLESNAKE C NR MACKSVILLE, KS | flow 0.00 ft³/s · no flooding | 38 km |
| BUCKNER C NR BURDETT, KS | flow 0.00 ft³/s · observation not current · STALE | 43 km |
| ARKANSAS R NR LARNED, KS | flow 247.0 ft³/s | 44 km |
| BUCKNER C AT HANSTON, KS | flow 0.28 ft³/s | 45 km |
| PAWNEE R NR BURDETT, KS | flow 2.72 ft³/s · no flooding | 47 km |
| BUCKNER C NR JETMORE, KS | flow 1.94 ft³/s | 58 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 #
1 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 1, 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-381119098435301 | level 1,863 ft · 2016-07-27 | 61 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 #
high (0.50)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.50 / 0.35
Banks & federal dollars #
$91.7 m in deposits at 3 offices of 3 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 3,841, highly concentrated. $35.2 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $32.9 m, grants $2.3 m), $32,681 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Farmers Bank & Trust | $47.4 m · 51.7% share · 1 office | |
| Bank of Hays | $22.7 m · 24.7% share · 1 office | |
| GNBank, National Association | $21.6 m · 23.5% share · 1 office | |
| Edwards, KS | $35.2 m FY2026 · $32,681/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $17.2 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farmers Bank & Trust | $47,434,000 | 51.7% | 1 |
| Bank of Hays | $22,686,000 | 24.7% | 1 |
| GNBank, National Association | $21,590,000 | 23.5% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 3,841 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 = 51.7² + 24.7² + 23.5² = 3,841
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 | $15,756,201 |
| Department of Agriculture | $15,637,625 |
| Department of Transportation | $2,183,796 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $1,161,190 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $265,567 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $126,714 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $70,321 |
| Department of Education | $29,040 |
That is $32,681 per covered job, against 1,078 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $35.2 m / 1,078 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $32,681
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 #
Edwards County, KS: 10 findings, 10 noted
noteEdwards County, KS' covered employment was 13.1% 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
- +13.1 % = 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
noteEdwards County, KS' average weekly wage was 1.6% 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
- +1.6 % = 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
noteEdwards County, KS' typical home value of $86,805 ranks 105th of 105 Kansas counties, against a median of $153,214.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 0 on the 0-to-100 scale across 105 Kansas counties that published home.latest
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteEdwards County, KS' covered employment of +13.1% ranks 1st of 105 Kansas counties, against a median of -0.3%.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 100 on the 0-to-100 scale across 105 Kansas counties that published jobs.yoy.emp
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteEdwards County, KS' years of wages of 1.8 ranks 105th of 105 Kansas counties, against a median of 3.2.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 0 on the 0-to-100 scale across 105 Kansas counties that published yearsOfWages
- typical home value / (average weekly wage × 52); one average covered job, not a household
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
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.