Graham County, KS
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 39.35, -99.88.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 5th pct · 2,906th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 18th pct · 86th of 105 Kansas counties · median $153,214
- 72nd pct · 854th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 55th pct · 47th of 105 Kansas counties · median +4.4%
- US counties: not published this period
- Kansas counties: not published this period
- 4th pct · 3,067th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 10th pct · 94th of 105 Kansas counties · median 2,554
- 11th pct · 2,836th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 21st pct · 83rd of 105 Kansas counties · median $943
- 11th pct · 2,706th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 25th pct · 79th 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 $114,106 (Aug 2026), +5.0% over one year, +40.6% over five
- 5th pct · 2,906th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 18th pct · 86th of 105 Kansas counties · median $153,214
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Graham County, KS | $114,106 · +5.0% 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 $625 a month on $114,106 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $3,692 a month: 16.9% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $114,106 × 80% = $91,285, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $625/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $852 × 52 / 12 = $3,692) = 17% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $114,106 / ($852 × 52) = 2.6
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 #
761 jobs at 119 employers (2026 Q1); -3.9% jobs and -7.7% average weekly wage over the year
- 4th pct · 3,067th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 10th pct · 94th of 105 Kansas counties · median 2,554
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Graham County, KS | 761 jobs · $852/wk · -3.9% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 84 | $674 | 0.73 | -2.3% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 46 | $1,754 | 1.43 | +0.0% |
| Retail trade | 44 | $508 | 0.59 | +0.0% |
| Mining, oil and gas | 41 | $882 | 15.13 | +7.9% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 20 | $1,032 | 3.64 | +11.1% |
| Other services | 20 | $815 | 0.88 | -28.6% |
| Accommodation and food services | 12 | $249 | 0.18 | -42.9% |
| Utilities | withheld | |||
| Construction | withheld | |||
| Manufacturing | withheld | |||
| Wholesale trade | 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 #
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 #
4 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 4, 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) | 64 km |
| Harlan County Lake Near Republican City, Nebr. | 169,900 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 98 km |
| WILSON LK NR WILSON, KS | 197,400 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 127 km |
| HORSETHIEF RE NR JETMORE, KS | 5,391 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 145 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 #
15 gauges · 0 flooding · 0 with quality panels · 4 stale
Sites found: 15, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| SF SOLOMON R AB WEBSTER RE, KS | flow 0.16 ft³/s | 26 km |
| SALINE R NR WAKEENEY, KS | flow 0.29 ft³/s | 28 km |
| SF SOLOMON R BL WEBSTER RE, KS | flow 0.00 ft³/s · STALE | 40 km |
| PRAIRIE DOG C AB KEITH SEBELIUS LAKE, KS | flow 0.30 ft³/s | 50 km |
| PRAIRIE DOG C AT NORTON, KS | flow 0.05 ft³/s · STALE | 51 km |
| BIG C NR ELLIS, KS | flow 1.69 ft³/s | 52 km |
| BOW C NR STOCKTON, KS | flow 5.28 ft³/s | 56 km |
| HACKBERRY C NR TREGO CENTER, KS | flow 0.05 ft³/s | 59 km |
| NF SOLOMON R AT GLADE, KS | flow 0.00 ft³/s | 60 km |
| SMOKY HILL R NR ARNOLD, KS | flow 0.83 ft³/s | 62 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 #
No USGS monitoring wells within 75 km (or above 1,500 km)
Sites found: 0, 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.
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 #
$148.0 m in deposits at 3 offices of 3 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 4,097, highly concentrated. $39.1 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $34.9 m, grants $4.1 m), $51,358 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| The First State Bank | $74.4 m · 50.3% share · 1 office | |
| SOLUTIONS NORTH BANK | $55.8 m · 37.7% share · 1 office | |
| Outdoor Bank | $17.7 m · 12.0% share · 1 office | |
| Graham, KS | $39.1 m FY2026 · $51,358/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $17.6 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| The First State Bank | $74,433,000 | 50.3% | 1 |
| SOLUTIONS NORTH BANK | $55,826,000 | 37.7% | 1 |
| Outdoor Bank | $17,705,000 | 12.0% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 4,097 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 = 50.3² + 37.7² + 12.0² = 4,097
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 |
|---|---|
| Department of Agriculture | $17,045,322 |
| Social Security Administration | $16,329,740 |
| Department of Transportation | $3,921,910 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $1,254,648 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $196,424 |
| Department of the Interior | $151,693 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $103,641 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $50,422 |
| Department of Education | $29,993 |
That is $51,358 per covered job, against 761 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $39.1 m / 761 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $51,358
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 #
Graham County, KS: 13 findings, 1 at an alert level, 3 at a watch level and 9 noted
alertGraham County, KS' covered employment is -3.9% 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 = -3.9 <= -3
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchGraham County, KS' average weekly wage is -7.7% 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 = -7.7 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published, nominal dollars; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchGraham County, KS' covered employment is -3.9% 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 = -3.9 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchGraham County, KS' momentum index is -0.47, a watch level here: momentum index in the cooling band (the cooling band of the momentum index computed here, score at or below -0.25; 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: momentum = -0.4707360889817362 <= -0.25
- momentum = Σ wᵢ · clip(changeᵢ / scaleᵢ, −1, 1) / Σ wᵢ over the terms present; weights and scales: home value 1-yr change 0.3 (±10%), rent 1-yr change 0.15 (±10%), jobs over-the-year change 0.3 (±3%), avg weekly wage over-the-year change 0.25 (±6%)
the cooling band of the momentum index computed here, score at or below -0.25; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
noteGraham County, KS' average weekly wage was 7.7% 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
- -7.7 % = 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 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.