Seward County, KS
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 37.18, -100.86.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 14th pct · 2,612th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 43rd pct · 60th of 105 Kansas counties · median $153,214
- 32nd pct · 2,074th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 22nd pct · 82nd of 105 Kansas counties · median +4.4%
- US counties: not published this period
- Kansas counties: not published this period
- 56th pct · 1,391st of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 79th pct · 22nd of 105 Kansas counties · median 2,554
- 42nd pct · 1,856th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 71st pct · 30th of 105 Kansas counties · median $943
- 15th pct · 2,587th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 34th pct · 69th 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 $146,587 (Aug 2026), +1.3% over one year, +8.5% over five
- 14th pct · 2,612th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 43rd pct · 60th of 105 Kansas counties · median $153,214
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Seward County, KS | $146,587 · +1.3% 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 $802 a month on $146,587 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,359 a month: 18.4% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $146,587 × 80% = $117,269, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $802/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,006 × 52 / 12 = $4,359) = 18% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $146,587 / ($1,006 × 52) = 2.8
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 #
10,951 jobs at 592 employers (2026 Q1); -1.4% jobs and -0.9% average weekly wage over the year
- 56th pct · 1,391st of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 79th pct · 22nd of 105 Kansas counties · median 2,554
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Seward County, KS | 10,951 jobs · $1,006/wk · -1.4% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 1,149 | $678 | 1.08 | -4.8% |
| Accommodation and food services | 842 | $384 | 0.86 | +0.1% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 544 | $1,432 | 1.18 | +2.3% |
| Administrative and waste services | 403 | $863 | 0.65 | +7.2% |
| Wholesale trade | 214 | $1,182 | 0.51 | +0.9% |
| Mining, oil and gas | 203 | $2,845 | 5.21 | -17.5% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 167 | $1,040 | 2.11 | +62.1% |
| Finance and insurance | 160 | $1,334 | 0.36 | -3.0% |
| Utilities | 98 | $2,044 | 2.27 | +5.4% |
| Real estate and rental | 55 | $983 | 0.33 | -3.5% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 43 | $316 | 0.24 | +43.3% |
| Construction | 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 #
0 % of conservation capacity, weighted over 1 TWDB reservoirs
Sites found: 2, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Palo Duro Reservoir | 0 % full · 61k ac-ft | 97 km |
| HORSETHIEF RE NR JETMORE, KS | 5,391 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 121 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 #
5 gauges · 0 flooding · 0 with quality panels · 2 stale
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Cimarron River near Forgan, OK | flow 14.8 ft³/s · no flooding | 37 km |
| Beaver River at Beaver, OK | flow 0.11 ft³/s · no flooding | 50 km |
| CROOKED C NR ENGLEWOOD, KS | flow 2.75 ft³/s · no flooding | 59 km |
| Clear Creek near Elmwood, OK | flow 1.40 ft³/s · STALE | 67 km |
| Palo Duro Creek at Range, OK | flow 0.14 ft³/s · STALE | 74 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-370033100534204 | level 2,691 ft · 2017-09-30 | 19 km |
| USGS-370033100534202 | level 2,656 ft · 2017-09-30 | 19 km |
| USGS-370130101180902 | level 2,905 ft · 2017-11-13 | 43 km |
| USGS-370130101180903 | level 2,900 ft · 2017-09-30 | 43 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 #
high (0.73)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.50 + 0.3×1.00 / 0.65
Banks & federal dollars #
$498.4 m in deposits at 8 offices of 5 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,942, highly concentrated. $87.1 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $80.8 m, grants $6.4 m), $7,957 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Equity Bank | $203.6 m · 40.8% share · 3 offices | |
| The Community Bank | $152.2 m · 30.5% share · 2 offices | |
| The Bank of Beaver City | $72.1 m · 14.5% share · 1 office | |
| Seward, KS | $87.1 m FY2026 · $7,957/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $59.9 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equity Bank | $203,591,000 | 40.8% | 3 |
| The Community Bank | $152,232,000 | 30.5% | 2 |
| The Bank of Beaver City | $72,119,000 | 14.5% | 1 |
| Sunflower Bank, National Association | $55,011,000 | 11.0% | 1 |
| Bank of the Plains | $15,465,000 | 3.1% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,942 across 5 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 5 banks with deposits in the county = 40.8² + 30.5² + 14.5² + … (2 more) = 2,942
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 | $56,509,732 |
| Department of Transportation | $12,548,194 |
| Department of Agriculture | $12,024,058 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $3,000,929 |
| Department of Education | $1,884,748 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $681,320 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $392,610 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $117,200 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $20,000 |
| Department of Commerce | $1,653 |
| Department of the Interior | -$45,855 |
That is $7,957 per covered job, against 10,951 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $87.1 m / 10,951 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $7,957
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 #
Seward County, KS: 6 findings, 2 at a watch level and 4 noted
watchSeward County, KS' covered employment is -1.4% 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 = -1.4 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchSeward County, KS' average weekly wage is -0.9% 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 = -0.9 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published, nominal dollars; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
noteSeward County, KS' covered employment was 1.4% 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
- -1.4 % = 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
noteSeward County, KS' average weekly wage was 0.9% 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
- -0.9 % = 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
noteSeward County, KS' typical home value rose 0.4% from $145,965 in July 2026 to $146,587 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.4% = (146586.52676858465 - 145964.9997409216) / 145964.9997409216 × 100
- 146586.52676858465 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 145964.9997409216 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
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.