Kearny County, KS
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 37.99, -101.31.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 35th pct · 1,977th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 75th pct · 26th of 105 Kansas counties · median $153,214
- 57th pct · 1,292nd of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 37th pct · 66th of 105 Kansas counties · median +4.4%
- US counties: not published this period
- Kansas counties: not published this period
- 13th pct · 2,800th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 34th pct · 69th of 105 Kansas counties · median 2,554
- 36th pct · 2,051st of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 64th pct · 37th of 105 Kansas counties · median $943
- 40th pct · 1,818th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 75th pct · 27th 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 $195,891 (Aug 2026), +3.7% over one year, +22.7% over five
- 35th pct · 1,977th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 75th pct · 26th of 105 Kansas counties · median $153,214
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Kearny County, KS | $195,891 · +3.7% 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 $1,072 a month on $195,891 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,234 a month: 25.3% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $195,891 × 80% = $156,713, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,072/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $977 × 52 / 12 = $4,234) = 25% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $195,891 / ($977 × 52) = 3.9
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 #
1,666 jobs at 149 employers (2026 Q1); +4.1% jobs and +2.3% average weekly wage over the year
- 13th pct · 2,800th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 34th pct · 69th of 105 Kansas counties · median 2,554
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Kearny County, KS | 1,666 jobs · $977/wk · +4.1% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 78 | $585 | 0.48 | -11.4% |
| Accommodation and food services | 62 | $290 | 0.41 | +3.3% |
| Finance and insurance | 60 | $1,387 | 0.88 | -10.4% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 40 | $1,050 | 0.57 | -7.0% |
| Administrative and waste services | 29 | $1,215 | 0.31 | -6.5% |
| Professional and technical services | 5 | $1,227 | 0.04 | -44.4% |
| Real estate and rental | 4 | $428 | 0.16 | -33.3% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | withheld | |||
| Mining, oil and gas | withheld | |||
| Utilities | withheld | |||
| Construction | withheld | |||
| Manufacturing | 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 #
D1 moderate 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 #
2 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 2, 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) | 110 km |
| JOHN MARTIN RESERVOIR AT CADDOA, CO | 31,150 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 143 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 · 5 with quality panels averaging 70 % · 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 |
|---|---|---|
| USGS-375955102023701 | temp 15.8 °C · quality 50 % (2) · STALE | 64 km |
| USGS-380117102023801 | temp 14.1 °C · quality 50 % (2) | 65 km |
| USGS-375936102023901 | temp 16.0 °C · quality 50 % (2) | 64 km |
| SOUTHSIDE DITCH NR LAKIN, KS | flow 0.00 ft³/s | 14 km |
| AMAZON GREAT EASTERN DITCH NR LAKIN, KS | stage 5.57 ft | 16 km |
| ARKANSAS R AT DEERFIELD, KS | flow 0.00 ft³/s · no flooding | 16 km |
| SOUTHSIDE DITCH RETURN NR DEERFIELD, KS | flow 0.00 ft³/s | 17 km |
| FARMERS DITCH NR DEERFIELD, KS | flow 0.00 ft³/s | 22 km |
| ARKANSAS R AT KENDALL, KS | flow 442.0 ft³/s | 22 km |
| ARKANSAS R AT GARDEN CITY, KS | flow 0.00 ft³/s · no flooding | 38 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 #
4 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 4, 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-375714101484200 | level 3,238 ft · 2026-10-05 | 44 km |
| USGS-375955102023701 | level 3,341 ft · 2020-06-02 | 64 km |
| USGS-375936102023901 | level 3,338 ft · 2026-10-05 | 64 km |
| USGS-380117102023801 | level 3,345 ft · 2026-10-05 | 65 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 #
moderate (0.27)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.25 + 0.2×0.30 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$148.9 m in deposits at 2 offices of 2 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 8,222, highly concentrated. $35.9 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $28.3 m, grants $7.6 m), $21,559 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| KCB Bank | $134.2 m · 90.1% share · 1 office | |
| Dream First Bank, National Association | $14.7 m · 9.9% share · 1 office | |
| Kearny, KS | $35.9 m FY2026 · $21,559/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $16.7 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| KCB Bank | $134,184,000 | 90.1% | 1 |
| Dream First Bank, National Association | $14,683,000 | 9.9% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 8,222 across 2 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 2 banks with deposits in the county = 90.1² + 9.9² = 8,222
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 | $15,149,051 |
| Department of Agriculture | $11,462,720 |
| Department of Transportation | $7,513,444 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $1,445,752 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $158,188 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $76,947 |
| Department of Education | $57,715 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $53,225 |
That is $21,559 per covered job, against 1,666 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $35.9 m / 1,666 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $21,559
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 #
Kearny County, KS: 6 findings, 2 at a watch level and 4 noted
watchKearny County, KS' typical home value of $195,891 scores 35 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 76 across Kansas counties, a gap of 40 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 40 = |35 across US counties - 76 across Kansas counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchKearny County, KS' years of wages of 3.9 scores 41 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 75 across Kansas counties, a gap of 34 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 34 = |41 across US counties - 75 across Kansas counties|
- 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
noteKearny County, KS' covered employment was 4.1% 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
- +4.1 % = 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
noteKearny County, KS' average weekly wage was 2.3% 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
- +2.3 % = 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
noteKearny County, KS' covered employment of +4.1% ranks 266th of 3,221 US counties, against a median of -0.2%.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 92 on the 0-to-100 scale across 3221 US counties that published jobs.yoy.emp
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.