Kiowa County, KS
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 37.56, -99.29.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 18th pct · 2,487th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 52nd pct · 50th of 105 Kansas counties · median $153,214
- 16th pct · 2,549th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 13th pct · 91st of 105 Kansas counties · median +4.4%
- US counties: not published this period
- Kansas counties: not published this period
- 7th pct · 2,988th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 21st pct · 83rd of 105 Kansas counties · median 2,554
- 3rd pct · 3,112th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 3rd pct · 101st of 105 Kansas counties · median $943
- 46th pct · 1,644th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 79th pct · 22nd 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 $158,466 (Aug 2026), -0.6% over one year, +16.9% over five
- 18th pct · 2,487th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 52nd pct · 50th of 105 Kansas counties · median $153,214
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Kiowa County, KS | $158,466 · -0.6% 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 $867 a month on $158,466 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $3,220 a month: 26.9% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $158,466 × 80% = $126,773, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $867/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $743 × 52 / 12 = $3,220) = 27% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $158,466 / ($743 × 52) = 4.1
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 #
1,058 jobs at 98 employers (2026 Q1); -4.9% jobs and +2.9% average weekly wage over the year
- 7th pct · 2,988th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 21st pct · 83rd of 105 Kansas counties · median 2,554
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Kiowa County, KS | 1,058 jobs · $743/wk · -4.9% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 63 | $518 | 0.61 | +8.6% |
| Finance and insurance | 10 | $905 | 0.23 | -47.4% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | withheld | |||
| Mining, oil and gas | withheld | |||
| Construction | withheld | |||
| Manufacturing | withheld | |||
| Wholesale trade | withheld | |||
| Transportation and warehousing | withheld | |||
| Information | withheld | |||
| Professional and technical services | withheld | |||
| Management of companies | withheld | |||
| Administrative and waste 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 #
3 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 3, 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) | 87 km |
| CHENEY RE NR CHENEY, KS | 155,700 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 133 km |
| CEDAR BLUFF RE NR ELLIS, KS | 54,710 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 #
12 gauges · 0 flooding · 0 with quality panels · 2 stale
Sites found: 12, 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 | 41 km |
| ARKANSAS R NR KINSLEY, KS | flow 0.00 ft³/s · STALE | 41 km |
| RATTLESNAKE C NR MACKSVILLE, KS | flow 0.00 ft³/s · no flooding | 50 km |
| SF NINNESCAH R NR PRATT, KS | flow 5.11 ft³/s · no flooding | 51 km |
| Bluff Creek near PROTECTION 12S | no readings | 61 km |
| BLUFF C NR BUTTERMILK, KS | flow 0.68 ft³/s | 61 km |
| Cimarron R near Buttermilk, KS | flow 1.18 ft³/s | 62 km |
| ARKANSAS R AT DODGE CITY, KS | stage 6.74 ft · no flooding | 69 km |
| Pawnee River near Sanford | observation not current | 70 km |
| BUCKNER C AT HANSTON, KS | flow 0.31 ft³/s | 73 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 #
high (0.50)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.50 / 0.35
Banks & federal dollars #
$122.3 m in deposits at 5 offices of 4 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,714, highly concentrated. $19.7 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $18.7 m, grants $962,336), $18,605 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| SJN Bank of Kansas | $41.4 m · 33.8% share · 1 office | |
| The Bank of Protection | $36.8 m · 30.1% share · 2 offices | |
| Centera Bank | $25.1 m · 20.5% share · 1 office | |
| Kiowa, KS | $19.7 m FY2026 · $18,605/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $14.3 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| SJN Bank of Kansas | $41,398,000 | 33.8% | 1 |
| The Bank of Protection | $36,823,000 | 30.1% | 2 |
| Centera Bank | $25,121,000 | 20.5% | 1 |
| The Peoples Bank | $18,989,000 | 15.5% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,714 across 4 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 4 banks with deposits in the county = 33.8² + 30.1² + 20.5² + … (1 more) = 2,714
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 | $13,079,596 |
| Department of Agriculture | $3,954,976 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $1,153,370 |
| Department of Transportation | $928,454 |
| Department of Education | $436,206 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $82,293 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $48,936 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $0 |
That is $18,605 per covered job, against 1,058 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $19.7 m / 1,058 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $18,605
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 | 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 #
Kiowa County, KS: 15 findings, 1 at an alert level, 4 at a watch level and 10 noted
alertKiowa County, KS' covered employment is -4.9% 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 = -4.9 <= -3
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchKiowa County, KS' covered employment is -4.9% 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 = -4.9 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchKiowa County, KS' typical home value is -0.6% against a year earlier, a watch level here: typical home value below a year ago (arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; 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: home.yoyPct = -0.6431410547633228 < 0
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; not an official level
watchKiowa County, KS' typical home value of $158,466 scores 19 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 53 across Kansas counties, a gap of 34 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 34 = |19 across US counties - 53 across Kansas counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchKiowa County, KS' years of wages of 4.1 scores 46 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 80 across Kansas counties, a gap of 33 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 33 = |46 across US counties - 80 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
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.