Stafford County, KS
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 38.04, -98.72.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 4th pct · 2,935th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 14th pct · 90th of 105 Kansas counties · median $153,214
- 85th pct · 447th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 71st pct · 31st of 105 Kansas counties · median +4.4%
- US counties: not published this period
- Kansas counties: not published this period
- 8th pct · 2,962nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 23rd pct · 81st of 105 Kansas counties · median 2,554
- 21st pct · 2,522nd of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 35th pct · 68th of 105 Kansas counties · median $943
- 6th pct · 2,849th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 14th pct · 90th 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 $108,397 (Aug 2026), +6.9% over one year, +21.3% over five
- 4th pct · 2,935th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 14th pct · 90th of 105 Kansas counties · median $153,214
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford County, KS | $108,397 · +6.9% 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 $593 a month on $108,397 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $3,952 a month: 15.0% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $108,397 × 80% = $86,717, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $593/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $912 × 52 / 12 = $3,952) = 15% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $108,397 / ($912 × 52) = 2.3
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 #
1,161 jobs at 171 employers (2026 Q1); -1.1% jobs and +8.8% average weekly wage over the year
- 8th pct · 2,962nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 23rd pct · 81st of 105 Kansas counties · median 2,554
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford County, KS | 1,161 jobs · $912/wk · -1.1% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 111 | $890 | 13.24 | +5.7% |
| Health care and social assistance | 97 | $929 | 0.56 | -4.0% |
| Retail trade | 76 | $380 | 0.67 | -7.3% |
| Wholesale trade | 68 | $2,933 | 1.53 | +6.2% |
| Professional and technical services | 46 | $1,797 | 0.57 | +7.0% |
| Administrative and waste services | 42 | $886 | 0.64 | +0.0% |
| Accommodation and food services | 37 | $346 | 0.35 | +32.1% |
| Mining, oil and gas | 18 | $1,180 | 4.35 | +20.0% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 16 | $1,300 | 0.33 | +0.0% |
| Construction | withheld | |||
| Manufacturing | 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 #
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 #
5 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 5, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| CHENEY RE NR CHENEY, KS | 155,700 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 88 km |
| KANOPOLIS LK NR KANOPOLIS, KS | 60,470 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 91 km |
| WILSON LK NR WILSON, KS | 197,500 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 105 km |
| HORSETHIEF RE NR JETMORE, KS | 5,391 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 116 km |
| CEDAR BLUFF RE NR ELLIS, KS | 54,680 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 #
22 gauges · 0 flooding · 1 with quality panels averaging 80 % · 7 stale
Sites found: 22, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| RATTLESNAKE C NR ZENITH, KS | flow 2.82 ft³/s · no flooding | 17 km |
| RATTLESNAKE C NR MACKSVILLE, KS | flow 0.00 ft³/s · no flooding | 23 km |
| ARKANSAS R NR LARNED, KS | flow 253.0 ft³/s | 31 km |
| RATTLESNAKE C NR RAYMOND, KS | flow 3.00 ft³/s · STALE | 34 km |
| ARKANSAS R AT GREAT BEND, KS | flow 46.8 ft³/s · no flooding | 36 km |
| WALNUT C BLW CHEYENNE BTMS DV NR GREAT BEND, KS | flow 3.37 ft³/s · STALE | 43 km |
| SF NINNESCAH R NR PRATT, KS | flow 4.85 ft³/s · no flooding | 44 km |
| CHEYENNE BOTTOMS DV NR GREAT BEND, KS | flow 106.0 ft³/s | 46 km |
| NF NINNESCAH R AT ARLINGTON, KS | flow 17.0 ft³/s · STALE | 51 km |
| SILVER C NR ARLINGTON, KS | flow 0.72 ft³/s · STALE | 51 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 #
1 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 1, 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-381119098435301 | level 1,863 ft · 2016-07-27 | 17 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 #
moderate (0.39)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.50 + 0.2×0.20 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$188.7 m in deposits at 6 offices of 3 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 3,802, highly concentrated. $48.4 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $43.2 m, contracts $4.9 m), $41,713 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| SJN Bank of Kansas | $94.0 m · 49.8% share · 3 offices | |
| Community National Bank & Trust | $57.7 m · 30.6% share · 1 office | |
| Equity Bank | $37.0 m · 19.6% share · 2 offices | |
| Stafford, KS | $48.4 m FY2026 · $41,713/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $24.5 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| SJN Bank of Kansas | $94,037,000 | 49.8% | 3 |
| Community National Bank & Trust | $57,719,000 | 30.6% | 1 |
| Equity Bank | $36,967,000 | 19.6% | 2 |
Deposit concentration is 3,802 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 = 49.8² + 30.6² + 19.6² = 3,802
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 | $22,921,132 |
| Department of Agriculture | $22,789,736 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $1,540,195 |
| Department of the Interior | $795,270 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $163,157 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $65,171 |
| Department of Education | $57,874 |
| Environmental Protection Agency | $50,418 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $45,812 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $0 |
That is $41,713 per covered job, against 1,161 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $48.4 m / 1,161 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $41,713
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 #
Stafford County, KS: 8 findings, 1 at a watch level and 7 noted
watchStafford County, KS' covered employment is -1.1% 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 = -1.1 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteStafford County, KS' average weekly wage was 8.8% 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
- +8.8 % = 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
noteStafford County, KS' typical home value rose 1.4% from $106,848 in July 2026 to $108,397 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +1.4% = (108396.56192286295 - 106847.94480609389) / 106847.94480609389 × 100
- 108396.56192286295 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 106847.94480609389 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
noteStafford County, KS' covered employment was 1.1% 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
- -1.1 % = 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
noteStafford County, KS' typical home value of $108,397 ranks 2,935th of 3,063 US counties, against a median of $234,566.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 4 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 8 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.