Trego County, KS
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 38.92, -99.87.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 14th pct · 2,624th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 42nd pct · 61st of 105 Kansas counties · median $153,214
- 13th pct · 2,637th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 10th pct · 94th of 105 Kansas counties · median +4.4%
- US counties: not published this period
- Kansas counties: not published this period
- 6th pct · 3,002nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 20th pct · 84th of 105 Kansas counties · median 2,554
- 18th pct · 2,617th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 32nd pct · 71st of 105 Kansas counties · median $943
- 22nd pct · 2,373rd of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 46th pct · 57th 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 $145,367 (Aug 2026), -1.2% over one year, +21.7% over five
- 14th pct · 2,624th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 42nd pct · 61st of 105 Kansas counties · median $153,214
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Trego County, KS | $145,367 · -1.2% 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 $796 a month on $145,367 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $3,891 a month: 20.4% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $145,367 × 80% = $116,293, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $796/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $898 × 52 / 12 = $3,891) = 20% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $145,367 / ($898 × 52) = 3.1
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 #
1,009 jobs at 129 employers (2026 Q1); -0.8% jobs and +5.8% average weekly wage over the year
- 6th pct · 3,002nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 20th pct · 84th of 105 Kansas counties · median 2,554
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Trego County, KS | 1,009 jobs · $898/wk · -0.8% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wholesale trade | 145 | $1,603 | 3.75 | +4.3% |
| Retail trade | 88 | $550 | 0.89 | +8.6% |
| Manufacturing | 40 | $740 | 0.49 | -2.4% |
| Health care and social assistance | 26 | $625 | 0.17 | +0.0% |
| Construction | 15 | $763 | 0.28 | +0.0% |
| Finance and insurance | 15 | $877 | 0.36 | +0.0% |
| Other services | 15 | $586 | 0.50 | -31.8% |
| Information | 9 | $1,635 | 0.48 | +0.0% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | withheld | |||
| Mining, oil and gas | withheld | |||
| Utilities | withheld | |||
| Transportation and warehousing | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| CEDAR BLUFF RE NR ELLIS, KS | 54,740 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 19 km |
| HORSETHIEF RE NR JETMORE, KS | 5,391 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 97 km |
| WILSON LK NR WILSON, KS | 197,400 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 119 km |
| Harlan County Lake Near Republican City, Nebr. | 170,000 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 140 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 #
18 gauges · 0 flooding · 0 with quality panels · 3 stale
Sites found: 18, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Smoky Hill River at Cedar Bluff Reservoir | no readings | 18 km |
| SMOKY HILL R NR ARNOLD, KS | flow 0.66 ft³/s · no flooding | 19 km |
| BIG C NR ELLIS, KS | flow 1.81 ft³/s | 19 km |
| HACKBERRY C NR TREGO CENTER, KS | flow 0.04 ft³/s | 19 km |
| SALINE R NR WAKEENEY, KS | flow 0.29 ft³/s · no flooding | 21 km |
| Big Creek at Ellis | observation not current | 26 km |
| SMOKY HILL R NR ELLIS, KS | stage 3.49 ft · STALE | 31 km |
| near Yocemento | out of service | 43 km |
| BIG C NR HAYS, KS | flow 23.3 ft³/s · no flooding | 48 km |
| SMOKY HILL R NR SCHOENCHEN, KS | flow 41.9 ft³/s | 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 #
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 | 51 km |
| USGS-384259099195801 | level 1,903 ft · 2026-10-05 | 51 km |
| USGS-384253099185201 | level 1,895 ft · 2026-10-05 | 53 km |
| USGS-384253099180701 | level 1,891 ft · 2026-10-05 | 54 km |
| USGS-384242099165201 | level 1,884 ft · 2026-10-05 | 56 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 #
$133.1 m in deposits at 3 offices of 3 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 3,827, highly concentrated. $31.7 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $30.3 m, grants $1.4 m), $31,412 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| SOLUTIONS NORTH BANK | $64.6 m · 48.5% share · 1 office | |
| Lyons Federal Bank | $45.6 m · 34.3% share · 1 office | |
| Outdoor Bank | $22.8 m · 17.2% share · 1 office | |
| Trego, KS | $31.7 m FY2026 · $31,412/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $20.3 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| SOLUTIONS NORTH BANK | $64,588,000 | 48.5% | 1 |
| Lyons Federal Bank | $45,640,000 | 34.3% | 1 |
| Outdoor Bank | $22,826,000 | 17.2% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 3,827 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 = 48.5² + 34.3² + 17.2² = 3,827
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 | $18,430,289 |
| Department of Agriculture | $9,939,403 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $1,828,569 |
| Department of Transportation | $1,387,542 |
| Department of Education | $35,957 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $33,956 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $31,317 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $7,218 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
That is $31,412 per covered job, against 1,009 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $31.7 m / 1,009 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $31,412
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 #
Trego County, KS: 7 findings, 2 at a watch level and 5 noted
watchTrego County, KS' typical home value is -1.2% against a year earlier, a watch level here: typical home value below a year ago (arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; not an official level). The previous published period is not in this table, so this is a standing level rather than a change.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- test: home.yoyPct = -1.1919749395564583 < 0
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; not an official level
watchTrego County, KS' covered employment is -0.8% 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 = -0.8 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteTrego County, KS' average weekly wage was 5.8% 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
- +5.8 % = 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
noteTrego County, KS' covered employment was 0.8% 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
- -0.8 % = 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
noteTrego County, KS' typical home value rose 0.3% from $144,947 in July 2026 to $145,367 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.3% = (145366.52026241782 - 144947.06170166994) / 144947.06170166994 × 100
- 145366.52026241782 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 144947.06170166994 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
Read all 7 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.