Ottawa County, KS
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 39.14, -97.65.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 28th pct · 2,184th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 69th pct · 33rd of 105 Kansas counties · median $153,214
- 89th pct · 330th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 77th pct · 24th of 105 Kansas counties · median +4.4%
- US counties: not published this period
- Kansas counties: not published this period
- 8th pct · 2,932nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 26th pct · 77th of 105 Kansas counties · median 2,554
- 5th pct · 3,040th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 8th pct · 96th of 105 Kansas counties · median $943
- 52nd pct · 1,444th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 83rd pct · 18th 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 $181,149 (Aug 2026), +7.6% over one year, +35.8% over five
- 28th pct · 2,184th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 69th pct · 33rd of 105 Kansas counties · median $153,214
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Ottawa County, KS | $181,149 · +7.6% 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 $992 a month on $181,149 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $3,428 a month: 28.9% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $181,149 × 80% = $144,919, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $992/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $791 × 52 / 12 = $3,428) = 29% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $181,149 / ($791 × 52) = 4.4
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 #
1,257 jobs at 150 employers (2026 Q1); +0.8% jobs and +5.7% average weekly wage over the year
- 8th pct · 2,932nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 26th pct · 77th of 105 Kansas counties · median 2,554
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Ottawa County, KS | 1,257 jobs · $791/wk · +0.8% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 224 | $753 | 1.18 | +8.7% |
| Manufacturing | 210 | $1,076 | 2.08 | +10.5% |
| Retail trade | 83 | $353 | 0.68 | -1.2% |
| Professional and technical services | 33 | $839 | 0.38 | -5.7% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 32 | $1,105 | 0.60 | +0.0% |
| Administrative and waste services | 32 | $512 | 0.45 | -31.9% |
| Wholesale trade | 30 | $981 | 0.62 | -14.3% |
| Other services | 19 | $850 | 0.51 | -9.5% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | withheld | |||
| Construction | withheld | |||
| Information | withheld | |||
| Finance and insurance | 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 #
4 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 4, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| KANOPOLIS LK NR KANOPOLIS, KS | 60,500 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 65 km |
| MILFORD LAKE NR JUNCTION CITY, KS | 429,800 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 66 km |
| WILSON LK NR WILSON, KS | 197,400 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 75 km |
| TUTTLE C LK NR MANHATTAN, KS | 597,500 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 92 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 #
33 gauges · 0 flooding · 4 with quality panels averaging 88 %
Sites found: 33, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| REPUBLICAN R AT CLAY CENTER, KS | flow 1,580 ft³/s · quality 80 % (5) · ACTION stage | 51 km |
| SOLOMON R NR MINNEAPOLIS, KS | flow 368.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 5 km |
| SALT C NR ADA, KS | flow 278.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 16 km |
| SALINE R AT TESCOTT, KS | flow 162.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 24 km |
| SOLOMON R AT NILES, KS | flow 1,570 ft³/s · no flooding | 24 km |
| Solomon River near Glasco | observation not current | 27 km |
| MULBERRY C NR SALINA, KS | flow 11.9 ft³/s · no flooding | 33 km |
| Salt Creek (KS) at Barnard | observation not current | 34 km |
| SMOKY HILL R AT NEW CAMBRIA, KS | flow 276.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 34 km |
| SOLOMON R NR SIMPSON, KS | stage 7.70 ft | 35 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 (0.04)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.12 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$273.3 m in deposits at 5 offices of 3 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 3,869, highly concentrated. $59.0 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $56.2 m, grants $2.7 m), $46,960 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| The Bennington State Bank | $130.0 m · 47.6% share · 2 offices | |
| The Bank of Tescott | $101.1 m · 37.0% share · 1 office | |
| Citizens State Bank and Trust Co., Ellsworth, Kansas | $42.2 m · 15.5% share · 2 offices | |
| Ottawa, KS | $59.0 m FY2026 · $46,960/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $37.4 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Bennington State Bank | $130,001,000 | 47.6% | 2 |
| The Bank of Tescott | $101,055,000 | 37.0% | 1 |
| Citizens State Bank and Trust Co., Ellsworth, Kansas | $42,228,000 | 15.5% | 2 |
Deposit concentration is 3,869 across 3 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 3 banks with deposits in the county = 47.6² + 37.0² + 15.5² = 3,869
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 | $33,082,327 |
| Department of Agriculture | $11,263,660 |
| Department of Transportation | $8,759,484 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $3,642,431 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $784,160 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $758,617 |
| Department of Justice | $350,000 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $301,983 |
| Department of Education | $85,526 |
That is $46,960 per covered job, against 1,257 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $59.0 m / 1,257 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $46,960
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 | -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 #
Ottawa County, KS: 10 findings, 2 at a watch level and 8 noted
watchOttawa County, KS' typical home value of $181,149 scores 29 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 69 across Kansas counties, a gap of 41 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 41 = |29 across US counties - 69 across Kansas counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchOttawa County, KS' years of wages of 4.4 scores 53 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 84 across Kansas counties, a gap of 31 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 31 = |53 across US counties - 84 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
noteOttawa County, KS' average weekly wage was 5.7% 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
- +5.7 % = 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
noteOttawa County, KS' covered employment was 0.8% 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
- +0.8 % = 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
noteOttawa County, KS' typical home value rose 0.7% from $179,854 in July 2026 to $181,149 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.7% = (181149.17276531993 - 179854.32420043965) / 179854.32420043965 × 100
- 181149.17276531993 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 179854.32420043965 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
Read all 10 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.