Lincoln County, KS
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 39.05, -98.21.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 10th pct · 2,746th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 36th pct · 67th of 105 Kansas counties · median $153,214
- 90th pct · 302nd of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 81st pct · 20th of 105 Kansas counties · median +4.4%
- US counties: not published this period
- Kansas counties: not published this period
- 5th pct · 3,053rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 15th pct · 89th of 105 Kansas counties · median 2,554
- 7th pct · 2,971st of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 15th pct · 89th of 105 Kansas counties · median $943
- 24th pct · 2,310th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 50th pct · 52nd 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 $135,028 (Aug 2026), +7.8% over one year, +30.6% over five
- 10th pct · 2,746th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 36th pct · 67th of 105 Kansas counties · median $153,214
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Lincoln County, KS | $135,028 · +7.8% 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 $739 a month on $135,028 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $3,523 a month: 21.0% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $135,028 × 80% = $108,022, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $739/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $813 × 52 / 12 = $3,523) = 21% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $135,028 / ($813 × 52) = 3.2
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 #
827 jobs at 105 employers (2026 Q1); -5.9% jobs and -2.5% average weekly wage over the year
- 5th pct · 3,053rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 15th pct · 89th of 105 Kansas counties · median 2,554
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Lincoln County, KS | 827 jobs · $813/wk · -5.9% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wholesale trade | 90 | $818 | 2.84 | +1.1% |
| Retail trade | 57 | $367 | 0.71 | +1.8% |
| Finance and insurance | 50 | $1,099 | 1.48 | +0.0% |
| Construction | 27 | $815 | 0.62 | -37.2% |
| Other services | 15 | $591 | 0.61 | +0.0% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | withheld | |||
| Mining, oil and gas | withheld | |||
| Utilities | withheld | |||
| Transportation and warehousing | withheld | |||
| Information | withheld | |||
| Professional and technical services | 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 #
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 #
6 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 6, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| WILSON LK NR WILSON, KS | 197,400 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 26 km |
| KANOPOLIS LK NR KANOPOLIS, KS | 60,160 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 53 km |
| MILFORD LAKE NR JUNCTION CITY, KS | 429,800 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 114 km |
| CEDAR BLUFF RE NR ELLIS, KS | 54,710 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 133 km |
| TUTTLE C LK NR MANHATTAN, KS | 583,200 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 141 km |
| Harlan County Lake Near Republican City, Nebr. | 169,900 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 #
26 gauges · 0 flooding · 1 with quality panels averaging 67 % · 1 stale
Sites found: 26, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| SALINE R AT LINCOLN, KS | flow 72.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 6 km |
| Salt Creek (KS) at Barnard | observation not current | 22 km |
| SALINE R AT WILSON DAM, KS | stage 2.81 ft | 25 km |
| SALINE R AT TESCOTT, KS | flow 307.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 30 km |
| SALT C NR ADA, KS | flow 378.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 34 km |
| SMOKY HILL R AT ELLSWORTH, KS | flow 577.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 36 km |
| SOLOMON R NR SIMPSON, KS | stage 7.86 ft | 43 km |
| SOLOMON R NR MINNEAPOLIS, KS | flow 665.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 44 km |
| Solomon River near Glasco | observation not current | 46 km |
| SOLOMON R AT BELOIT, KS | flow 82.7 ft³/s · no flooding | 46 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 (0.12)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.33 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$158.8 m in deposits at 4 offices of 4 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 4,248, highly concentrated. $34.2 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $34.0 m, grants $138,947), $41,388 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| The Bank of Tescott | $96.6 m · 60.8% share · 1 office | |
| Citizens State Bank and Trust Co., Ellsworth, Kansas | $27.7 m · 17.4% share · 1 office | |
| The Bennington State Bank | $20.3 m · 12.8% share · 1 office | |
| Lincoln, KS | $34.2 m FY2026 · $41,388/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $20.9 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Bank of Tescott | $96,624,000 | 60.8% | 1 |
| Citizens State Bank and Trust Co., Ellsworth, Kansas | $27,678,000 | 17.4% | 1 |
| The Bennington State Bank | $20,273,000 | 12.8% | 1 |
| The Wilson State Bank | $14,266,000 | 9.0% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 4,248 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 = 60.8² + 17.4² + 12.8² + … (1 more) = 4,248
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 | $18,747,205 |
| Department of Agriculture | $12,869,614 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $1,875,799 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $274,361 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $177,319 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $141,180 |
| Department of Defense | $100,761 |
| Department of Education | $41,667 |
That is $41,388 per covered job, against 827 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $34.2 m / 827 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $41,388
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 #
Lincoln County, KS: 13 findings, 1 at an alert level, 2 at a watch level and 10 noted
alertLincoln County, KS' covered employment is -5.9% 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 = -5.9 <= -3
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchLincoln County, KS' covered employment is -5.9% 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 = -5.9 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchLincoln County, KS' average weekly wage is -2.5% 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 = -2.5 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published, nominal dollars; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
noteLincoln County, KS' covered employment was 5.9% 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
- -5.9 % = 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
noteLincoln County, KS' average weekly wage was 2.5% 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
- -2.5 % = 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.