Phillips County, KS
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 39.78, -99.34.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 8th pct · 2,812th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 30th pct · 73rd of 105 Kansas counties · median $153,214
- 61st pct · 1,166th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 44th pct · 59th of 105 Kansas counties · median +4.4%
- US counties: not published this period
- Kansas counties: not published this period
- 17th pct · 2,655th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 42nd pct · 61st of 105 Kansas counties · median 2,554
- 27th pct · 2,323rd of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 49th pct · 53rd of 105 Kansas counties · median $943
- 11th pct · 2,698th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 25th pct · 78th 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 $126,967 (Aug 2026), +4.0% over one year, +26.5% over five
- 8th pct · 2,812th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 30th pct · 73rd of 105 Kansas counties · median $153,214
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Phillips County, KS | $126,967 · +4.0% 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 $695 a month on $126,967 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,086 a month: 17.0% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $126,967 × 80% = $101,574, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $695/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $943 × 52 / 12 = $4,086) = 17% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $126,967 / ($943 × 52) = 2.6
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 #
2,169 jobs at 236 employers (2026 Q1); -1.6% jobs and +4.4% average weekly wage over the year
- 17th pct · 2,655th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 42nd pct · 61st of 105 Kansas counties · median 2,554
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Phillips County, KS | 2,169 jobs · $943/wk · -1.6% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 273 | $1,645 | 1.56 | +4.6% |
| Retail trade | 234 | $579 | 1.11 | -2.5% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 108 | $937 | 6.89 | +8.0% |
| Mining, oil and gas | 83 | $2,222 | 10.75 | -1.2% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 75 | $868 | 0.82 | +7.1% |
| Administrative and waste services | 65 | $978 | 0.53 | -4.4% |
| Other services | 59 | $918 | 0.91 | +15.7% |
| Construction | 46 | $771 | 0.40 | +7.0% |
| Information | 19 | $1,120 | 0.48 | -5.0% |
| Utilities | withheld | |||
| Wholesale trade | 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 #
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Harlan County Lake Near Republican City, Nebr. | 169,900 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 34 km |
| CEDAR BLUFF RE NR ELLIS, KS | 54,710 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 115 km |
| WILSON LK NR WILSON, KS | 197,400 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 117 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 #
29 gauges · 0 flooding · 0 with quality panels · 8 stale
Sites found: 29, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| NF SOLOMON R AT GLADE, KS | flow 0.00 ft³/s · no flooding | 13 km |
| N F Solomon River at Kirwin Reservoir | no flooding | 23 km |
| NF SOLOMON R AT KIRWIN, KS | flow 0.01 ft³/s · STALE | 24 km |
| PRAIRIE DOG C NR WOODRUFF, KS | flow 5.40 ft³/s · no flooding | 25 km |
| BOW C NR STOCKTON, KS | flow 5.28 ft³/s · no flooding | 25 km |
| Republican River below Harlan County Dam, Nebr. | flow 0.00 ft³/s · STALE | 36 km |
| Turkey Creek (trib. to Republican River) at Naponee | no flooding | 37 km |
| Sappa Creek near Stamford, Nebr. | flow 0.00 ft³/s · no flooding | 40 km |
| Republican River near Orleans, Nebr. | flow 69.5 ft³/s · no flooding | 41 km |
| SF SOLOMON R BL WEBSTER RE, KS | flow 0.00 ft³/s · STALE | 42 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-400920099215501 | depth 89.4 ft · 2001-03-12 | 41 km |
| USGS-401416099270601 | depth 139.4 ft · 2001-03-13 | 51 km |
| USGS-401857099195201 | depth 179.3 ft · 2001-03-12 | 59 km |
| USGS-401735098522701 | depth 174.1 ft · 2001-03-13 | 69 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 #
$287.8 m in deposits at 7 offices of 3 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 4,790, highly concentrated. $46.1 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $43.0 m, grants $2.2 m), $21,245 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| First National Bank and Trust | $183.7 m · 63.8% share · 4 offices | |
| Farmers National Bank | $67.9 m · 23.6% share · 2 offices | |
| Farmers State Bank | $36.2 m · 12.6% share · 1 office | |
| Phillips, KS | $46.1 m FY2026 · $21,245/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $33.2 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| First National Bank and Trust | $183,743,000 | 63.8% | 4 |
| Farmers National Bank | $67,864,000 | 23.6% | 2 |
| Farmers State Bank | $36,195,000 | 12.6% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 4,790 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 = 63.8² + 23.6² + 12.6² = 4,790
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 | $30,105,839 |
| Department of Agriculture | $10,556,474 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $2,543,224 |
| Department of Transportation | $1,077,860 |
| Department of the Interior | $868,644 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $573,439 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $221,092 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $78,871 |
| Department of Education | $54,717 |
That is $21,245 per covered job, against 2,169 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $46.1 m / 2,169 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $21,245
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 #
Phillips County, KS: 6 findings, 1 at a watch level and 5 noted
watchPhillips County, KS' covered employment is -1.6% 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 = -1.6 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
notePhillips County, KS' average weekly wage was 4.4% 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
- +4.4 % = 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
notePhillips County, KS' typical home value rose 1.7% from $124,840 in July 2026 to $126,967 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +1.7% = (126967.07058645389 - 124840.03946632048) / 124840.03946632048 × 100
- 126967.07058645389 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 124840.03946632048 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
notePhillips County, KS' covered employment was 1.6% 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
- -1.6 % = 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
notePhillips County, KS' typical home value of $126,967 ranks 2,812th of 3,063 US counties, against a median of $234,566.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 8 on the 0-to-100 scale across 3063 US counties that published home.latest
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.