Ellis County, KS
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 38.91, -99.32.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 54th pct · 1,397th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 87th pct · 14th of 105 Kansas counties · median $153,214
- 57th pct · 1,314th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 36th pct · 67th of 105 Kansas counties · median +4.4%
- US counties: not published this period
- Kansas counties: not published this period
- 65th pct · 1,125th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 86th pct · 15th of 105 Kansas counties · median 2,554
- 30th pct · 2,228th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 55th pct · 47th of 105 Kansas counties · median $943
- 63rd pct · 1,108th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 90th pct · 11th 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 $246,020 (Aug 2026), +3.6% over one year, +26.5% over five
- 54th pct · 1,397th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 87th pct · 14th of 105 Kansas counties · median $153,214
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Ellis County, KS | $246,020 · +3.6% 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 $1,347 a month on $246,020 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,143 a month: 32.5% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $246,020 × 80% = $196,816, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,347/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $956 × 52 / 12 = $4,143) = 33% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $246,020 / ($956 × 52) = 4.9
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 #
15,281 jobs at 1,121 employers (2026 Q1); +0.6% jobs and +1.6% average weekly wage over the year
- 65th pct · 1,125th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 86th pct · 15th of 105 Kansas counties · median 2,554
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Ellis County, KS | 15,281 jobs · $956/wk · +0.6% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 3,410 | $1,055 | 1.48 | +6.1% |
| Retail trade | 2,068 | $660 | 1.39 | -0.7% |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,425 | $361 | 1.04 | -5.5% |
| Manufacturing | 898 | $1,039 | 0.73 | +18.3% |
| Wholesale trade | 487 | $1,222 | 0.83 | -3.8% |
| Other services | 460 | $648 | 1.01 | -3.4% |
| Finance and insurance | 421 | $1,762 | 0.68 | +11.7% |
| Professional and technical services | 369 | $1,106 | 0.35 | -2.1% |
| Mining, oil and gas | 361 | $1,134 | 6.63 | +0.0% |
| Management of companies | 326 | $2,245 | 1.27 | +5.8% |
| Administrative and waste services | 267 | $609 | 0.31 | +20.8% |
| Real estate and rental | 145 | $719 | 0.62 | -48.9% |
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 #
D0 abnormally dry
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 |
|---|---|---|
| CEDAR BLUFF RE NR ELLIS, KS | 54,710 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 38 km |
| WILSON LK NR WILSON, KS | 197,400 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 72 km |
| HORSETHIEF RE NR JETMORE, KS | 5,391 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 114 km |
| KANOPOLIS LK NR KANOPOLIS, KS | 60,160 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 122 km |
| Harlan County Lake Near Republican City, Nebr. | 169,900 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 129 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 #
27 gauges · 0 flooding · 0 with quality panels · 5 stale
Sites found: 27, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| near Yocemento | out of service | 5 km |
| BIG C NR HAYS, KS | flow 27.3 ft³/s · no flooding | 7 km |
| Big Creek at Ellis | observation not current | 21 km |
| SMOKY HILL R BL SCHOENCHEN, KS | flow 43.4 ft³/s · no flooding | 23 km |
| SMOKY HILL R NR SCHOENCHEN, KS | flow 46.2 ft³/s | 23 km |
| SMOKY HILL R AT PFEIFER, KS | flow 98.8 ft³/s | 26 km |
| SMOKY HILL R NR ELLIS, KS | stage 3.49 ft · STALE | 27 km |
| BIG C NR ELLIS, KS | flow 1.69 ft³/s | 29 km |
| Smoky Hill River at Cedar Bluff Reservoir | no readings | 37 km |
| SALINE R NR RUSSELL, KS | flow 48.3 ft³/s · no flooding | 40 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 #
5 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 5, 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-384259099195801 | level 1,903 ft · 2026-10-05 | 22 km |
| USGS-384253099185201 | level 1,895 ft · 2026-10-05 | 22 km |
| USGS-384253099180701 | level 1,891 ft · 2026-10-05 | 22 km |
| USGS-384242099165201 | level 1,884 ft · 2026-10-05 | 23 km |
| USGS-384226099203801 | level 1,910 ft · 2026-10-05 | 23 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 / 0.35
Banks & federal dollars #
$1.3 bn in deposits at 14 offices of 10 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,369, moderately concentrated. $215.7 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $193.2 m, grants $22.3 m), $14,115 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Sunflower Bank, National Association | $234.2 m · 17.8% share · 3 offices | |
| Bank of Hays | $230.1 m · 17.5% share · 1 office | |
| Golden Belt Bank, FSA | $195.2 m · 14.9% share · 2 offices | |
| Ellis, KS | $215.7 m FY2026 · $14,115/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $148.1 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunflower Bank, National Association | $234,210,000 | 17.8% | 3 |
| Bank of Hays | $230,123,000 | 17.5% | 1 |
| Golden Belt Bank, FSA | $195,190,000 | 14.9% | 2 |
| Commerce Bank | $168,397,000 | 12.8% | 1 |
| Equity Bank | $168,235,000 | 12.8% | 2 |
| Emprise Bank | $144,070,000 | 11.0% | 1 |
| Astra Bank | $100,339,000 | 7.6% | 1 |
| First Kansas Bank | $52,622,000 | 4.0% | 1 |
| The Bank | $10,673,000 | 0.8% | 1 |
| Central National Bank | $10,269,000 | 0.8% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,369 across 10 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 10 banks with deposits in the county = 17.8² + 17.5² + 14.9² + … (7 more) = 1,369
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 | $136,353,137 |
| Department of Transportation | $24,745,661 |
| Department of Agriculture | $20,093,906 |
| Department of Education | $16,789,865 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $11,235,680 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $2,669,819 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $2,271,107 |
| National Science Foundation | $588,375 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $390,627 |
| Small Business Administration | $377,832 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $154,205 |
| Department of the Interior | $21,041 |
That is $14,115 per covered job, against 15,281 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $215.7 m / 15,281 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $14,115
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 #
Ellis County, KS: 6 findings, 1 at a watch level and 5 noted
watchEllis County, KS' typical home value of $246,020 scores 54 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 88 across Kansas counties, a gap of 33 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 33 = |54 across US counties - 88 across Kansas counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteEllis 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
noteEllis County, KS' typical home value rose 0.9% from $243,927 in July 2026 to $246,020 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.9% = (246019.96815310908 - 243927.31000823225) / 243927.31000823225 × 100
- 246019.96815310908 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 243927.31000823225 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
noteEllis County, KS' covered employment was 0.6% 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
- +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
noteEllis County, KS' years of wages of 4.9 ranks 11th of 105 Kansas counties, against a median of 3.2.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 90 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 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.