Jefferson County, KS
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 39.24, -95.38.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 68th pct · 966th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 95th pct · 6th of 105 Kansas counties · median $153,214
- 100th pct · 1st of 5 counties in the Topeka metro · median $256,484
- 93rd pct · 192nd of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 91st pct · 10th of 105 Kansas counties · median +4.4%
- 100th pct · 1st of 5 counties in the Topeka metro · median +3.8%
- US counties: not published this period
- Kansas counties: not published this period
- counties in the Topeka metro: not published this period
- 30th pct · 2,253rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 61st pct · 41st of 105 Kansas counties · median 2,554
- 50th pct · 3rd of 5 counties in the Topeka metro · median 3,757
- 54th pct · 1,459th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 83rd pct · 18th of 105 Kansas counties · median $943
- 75th pct · 2nd of 5 counties in the Topeka metro · median $918
- 70th pct · 914th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 92nd pct · 9th of 105 Kansas counties · median 3.2
- 25th pct · 4th of 5 counties in the Topeka metro · median 5.4
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 $295,428 (Aug 2026), +9.1% over one year, +35.8% over five
- 68th pct · 966th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 95th pct · 6th of 105 Kansas counties · median $153,214
- 100th pct · 1st of 5 counties in the Topeka metro · median $256,484
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County, KS | $295,428 · +9.1% 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
- counties in the Topeka metro: 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 $1,617 a month on $295,428 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,593 a month: 35.2% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $295,428 × 80% = $236,342, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,617/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,060 × 52 / 12 = $4,593) = 35% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $295,428 / ($1,060 × 52) = 5.4
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 #
3,757 jobs at 436 employers (2026 Q1); -4.7% jobs and -8.9% average weekly wage over the year
- 30th pct · 2,253rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 61st pct · 41st of 105 Kansas counties · median 2,554
- 50th pct · 3rd of 5 counties in the Topeka metro · median 3,757
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County, KS | 3,757 jobs · $1,060/wk · -4.7% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | 918 | $1,485 | 4.66 | -8.1% |
| Health care and social assistance | 314 | $970 | 0.56 | -1.3% |
| Manufacturing | 304 | $1,131 | 1.01 | +7.4% |
| Retail trade | 261 | $461 | 0.71 | +2.4% |
| Accommodation and food services | 153 | $264 | 0.45 | +8.5% |
| Professional and technical services | 125 | $1,463 | 0.48 | -6.7% |
| Other services | 88 | $1,061 | 0.78 | +14.3% |
| Wholesale trade | 75 | $1,787 | 0.52 | +11.9% |
| Finance and insurance | 55 | $1,265 | 0.36 | +0.0% |
| Real estate and rental | 30 | $1,028 | 0.52 | +0.0% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 20 | $672 | 0.32 | +17.6% |
| Information | 18 | $1,393 | 0.26 | +12.5% |
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 #
Surface water layer not loaded
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 #
Surface water layer not loaded
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 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 #
$300.7 m in deposits at 7 offices of 5 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,265, highly concentrated. $146.8 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $129.4 m, grants $16.9 m), $39,062 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| The Union State Bank of Everest | $94.6 m · 31.5% share · 2 offices | |
| The Denison State Bank | $74.1 m · 24.6% share · 1 office | |
| First State Bank and Trust | $51.5 m · 17.1% share · 1 office | |
| Jefferson, KS | $146.8 m FY2026 · $39,062/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $127.7 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Union State Bank of Everest | $94,642,000 | 31.5% | 2 |
| The Denison State Bank | $74,077,000 | 24.6% | 1 |
| First State Bank and Trust | $51,536,000 | 17.1% | 1 |
| Kendall Bank | $48,677,000 | 16.2% | 2 |
| Mutual Savings Association | $31,767,000 | 10.6% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,265 across 5 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 5 banks with deposits in the county = 31.5² + 24.6² + 17.1² + … (2 more) = 2,265
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 | $105,938,172 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $17,432,800 |
| Department of Transportation | $16,390,433 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $4,261,372 |
| Department of Agriculture | $1,360,572 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $408,730 |
| Department of Defense | $355,922 |
| Department of Education | $283,015 |
| Department of Justice | $163,500 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $94,784 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $66,743 |
| Department of the Interior | $0 |
That is $39,062 per covered job, against 3,757 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $146.8 m / 3,757 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $39,062
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 | 12.69 | 2026-10-05 | +3.3% |
| 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 | 2026-10-06 | +0.0% |
| 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 | 3.00 | 2026-10-06 | -50.0% |
| Shanghai to Los Angeles container rate · $ per 40 ft box | 7,848.00 | 2026-09-01 | +14.9% |
| 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 | -105,572.00 | 2026-08-01 | -13.7% |
| 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 #
Jefferson County, KS: 21 findings, 1 at an alert level, 4 at a watch level and 16 noted
alertJefferson County, KS' covered employment is -4.7% 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 = -4.7 <= -3
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchJefferson County, KS' average weekly wage is -8.9% 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 = -8.9 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published, nominal dollars; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchJefferson County, KS' covered employment is -4.7% 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 = -4.7 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchJefferson County, KS' momentum index is -0.33, 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 = -0.32660655195216143 <= -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
watchJefferson County, KS' covered employment of 3,757 scores 30 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 62 across Kansas counties, a gap of 31 points.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 31 = |30 across US counties - 62 across Kansas counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; 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.