Ness County, KS
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 38.48, -99.91.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 4th pct · 2,938th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 13th pct · 91st of 105 Kansas counties · median $153,214
- 96th pct · 99th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 96th pct · 5th of 105 Kansas counties · median +4.4%
- US counties: not published this period
- Kansas counties: not published this period
- 8th pct · 2,951st of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 25th pct · 79th of 105 Kansas counties · median 2,554
- 53rd pct · 1,497th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 82nd pct · 19th of 105 Kansas counties · median $943
- 3rd pct · 2,949th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 4th pct · 100th 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 $108,076 (Aug 2026), +10.7% over one year, +28.0% over five
- 4th pct · 2,938th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 13th pct · 91st of 105 Kansas counties · median $153,214
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Ness County, KS | $108,076 · +10.7% 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 $592 a month on $108,076 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,567 a month: 13.0% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $108,076 × 80% = $86,461, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $592/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,054 × 52 / 12 = $4,567) = 13% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $108,076 / ($1,054 × 52) = 2.0
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 #
1,195 jobs at 149 employers (2026 Q1); +10.9% jobs and +15.6% average weekly wage over the year
- 8th pct · 2,951st of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 25th pct · 79th of 105 Kansas counties · median 2,554
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Ness County, KS | 1,195 jobs · $1,054/wk · +10.9% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mining, oil and gas | 146 | $1,119 | 34.31 | +0.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 139 | $1,241 | 3.04 | +3.0% |
| Retail trade | 73 | $446 | 0.63 | +9.0% |
| Other services | 31 | $1,045 | 0.87 | +29.2% |
| Administrative and waste services | 23 | $1,145 | 0.34 | +27.8% |
| Professional and technical services | 21 | $641 | 0.25 | +5.0% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 9 | $891 | 1.04 | +0.0% |
| Utilities | withheld | |||
| Construction | withheld | |||
| Manufacturing | withheld | |||
| Transportation and warehousing | 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 #
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 |
|---|---|---|
| CEDAR BLUFF RE NR ELLIS, KS | 54,740 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 38 km |
| HORSETHIEF RE NR JETMORE, KS | 5,391 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 48 km |
| WILSON LK NR WILSON, KS | 197,400 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 134 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 #
23 gauges · 0 flooding · 0 with quality panels · 3 stale
Sites found: 23, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| WALNUT C NR ALEXANDER, KS | flow 0.93 ft³/s · observation not current · STALE | 25 km |
| SMOKY HILL R NR ARNOLD, KS | flow 0.66 ft³/s · no flooding | 38 km |
| PAWNEE R NR BURDETT, KS | flow 2.39 ft³/s · no flooding | 38 km |
| Smoky Hill River at Cedar Bluff Reservoir | no readings | 39 km |
| WALNUT C AT NEKOMA, KS | flow 24.4 ft³/s · no flooding | 41 km |
| HACKBERRY C NR TREGO CENTER, KS | flow 0.04 ft³/s | 42 km |
| BUCKNER C NR BURDETT, KS | flow 0.00 ft³/s · observation not current · STALE | 42 km |
| BUCKNER C AT HANSTON, KS | flow 0.31 ft³/s | 44 km |
| SMOKY HILL R NR ELLIS, KS | stage 3.49 ft · STALE | 44 km |
| BUCKNER C NR JETMORE, KS | flow 1.84 ft³/s | 45 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 #
5 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 5, 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-384226099203801 | level 1,910 ft · 2026-10-05 | 55 km |
| USGS-384259099195801 | level 1,903 ft · 2026-10-05 | 56 km |
| USGS-384253099185201 | level 1,895 ft · 2026-10-05 | 58 km |
| USGS-384253099180701 | level 1,891 ft · 2026-10-05 | 59 km |
| USGS-384242099165201 | level 1,884 ft · 2026-10-05 | 60 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 #
low (0.00)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 / 0.35
Banks & federal dollars #
$185.1 m in deposits at 5 offices of 4 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,928, highly concentrated. $29.2 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $28.2 m, grants $981,450), $24,454 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| The First State Bank | $74.1 m · 40.0% share · 1 office | |
| Peoples Bank and Trust Company | $50.1 m · 27.1% share · 1 office | |
| The First State Bank of Ransom | $39.9 m · 21.6% share · 2 offices | |
| Ness, KS | $29.2 m FY2026 · $24,454/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $18.7 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| The First State Bank | $74,076,000 | 40.0% | 1 |
| Peoples Bank and Trust Company | $50,141,000 | 27.1% | 1 |
| The First State Bank of Ransom | $39,935,000 | 21.6% | 2 |
| Farmers Bank & Trust | $20,977,000 | 11.3% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,928 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 = 40.0² + 27.1² + 21.6² + … (1 more) = 2,928
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 | $17,142,337 |
| Department of Agriculture | $9,563,813 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $1,367,634 |
| Department of Transportation | $943,933 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $155,364 |
| Department of Education | $37,517 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $12,167 |
That is $24,454 per covered job, against 1,195 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $29.2 m / 1,195 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $24,454
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 #
Ness County, KS: 14 findings, 14 noted
noteNess County, KS' average weekly wage was 15.6% 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
- +15.6 % = 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
noteNess County, KS' covered employment was 10.9% 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
- +10.9 % = 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
noteNess County, KS' typical home value rose 0.3% from $107,759 in July 2026 to $108,076 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.3% = (108076.34119757237 - 107758.56407885546) / 107758.56407885546 × 100
- 108076.34119757237 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 107758.56407885546 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
noteNess County, KS' momentum index of 1.00 ranks 1st of 3,221 US counties, against a median of 0.23.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 100 on the 0-to-100 scale across 3221 US counties that published momentum
- 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%)
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteNess County, KS' momentum index of 1.00 ranks 1st of 105 Kansas counties, against a median of 0.28.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 100 on the 0-to-100 scale across 105 Kansas counties that published momentum
- 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%)
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.