Washington County, KS
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 39.78, -97.10.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 19th pct · 2,463rd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 54th pct · 48th of 105 Kansas counties · median $153,214
- 23rd pct · 2,343rd of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 15th pct · 89th of 105 Kansas counties · median +4.4%
- US counties: not published this period
- Kansas counties: not published this period
- 15th pct · 2,706th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 39th pct · 64th of 105 Kansas counties · median 2,554
- 6th pct · 3,001st of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 13th pct · 91st of 105 Kansas counties · median $943
- 40th pct · 1,830th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 74th pct · 28th 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 $160,313 (Aug 2026), +0.3% over one year, +35.6% over five
- 19th pct · 2,463rd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 54th pct · 48th of 105 Kansas counties · median $153,214
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Washington County, KS | $160,313 · +0.3% 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 $878 a month on $160,313 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $3,480 a month: 25.2% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $160,313 × 80% = $128,251, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $878/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $803 × 52 / 12 = $3,480) = 25% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $160,313 / ($803 × 52) = 3.8
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 #
1,978 jobs at 279 employers (2026 Q1); -1.0% jobs and +4.8% average weekly wage over the year
- 15th pct · 2,706th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 39th pct · 64th of 105 Kansas counties · median 2,554
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Washington County, KS | 1,978 jobs · $803/wk · -1.0% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 185 | $845 | 1.16 | +2.2% |
| Retail trade | 168 | $436 | 0.87 | -1.8% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 147 | $790 | 10.29 | -2.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 136 | $1,255 | 1.80 | -2.9% |
| Health care and social assistance | 103 | $677 | 0.35 | -11.2% |
| Construction | 89 | $793 | 0.86 | +11.2% |
| Administrative and waste services | 83 | $1,006 | 0.74 | -6.7% |
| Professional and technical services | 71 | $1,270 | 0.52 | -12.3% |
| Utilities | withheld | |||
| Transportation and warehousing | 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 #
No drought class at this point (USDM covers the United States only)
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 #
2 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
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 |
|---|---|---|
| TUTTLE C LK NR MANHATTAN, KS | 597,500 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 72 km |
| MILFORD LAKE NR JUNCTION CITY, KS | 429,800 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 80 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 #
27 gauges · 2 flooding · 7 with quality panels averaging 85 % · 7 stale
Sites found: 27, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| BIG BLUE R AT BLUE RAPIDS, KS | stage 29.8 ft · MINOR flooding | 40 km |
| BIG BLUE R NR MANHATTAN, KS | flow 6,820 ft³/s · quality 80 % (5) · no flooding | 75 km |
| BIG BLUE R AT BEATRICE NEBR | flow 237.0 ft³/s · MINOR flooding · STALE | 61 km |
| BIG BLUE R AT MARYSVILLE, KS | flow 13,800 ft³/s · quality 67 % (3) · no flooding | 38 km |
| REPUBLICAN R AT CLAY CENTER, KS | flow 1,580 ft³/s · quality 80 % (5) · ACTION stage | 47 km |
| MILL C AT WASHINGTON, KS | flow 59.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 6 km |
| Little Blue River at Hollenberg, KS | flow 1,640 ft³/s · no flooding | 24 km |
| L BLUE R NR BARNES, KS | flow 2,370 ft³/s · no flooding | 26 km |
| Elk Creek (KS) at Clyde | observation not current | 33 km |
| Rose Creek near Fairbury | no flooding | 33 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 (0.05)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.15 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$335.5 m in deposits at 8 offices of 6 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,947, highly concentrated. $49.1 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $48.7 m, grants $418,537), $24,842 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| United Bank & Trust | $98.8 m · 29.5% share · 2 offices | |
| The Citizens State Bank | $66.1 m · 19.7% share · 1 office | |
| FNB Washington | $57.4 m · 17.1% share · 1 office | |
| Washington, KS | $49.1 m FY2026 · $24,842/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $32.9 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Bank & Trust | $98,833,000 | 29.5% | 2 |
| The Citizens State Bank | $66,112,000 | 19.7% | 1 |
| FNB Washington | $57,394,000 | 17.1% | 1 |
| Union State Bank | $48,035,000 | 14.3% | 2 |
| The Citizens National Bank | $37,829,000 | 11.3% | 1 |
| Kaw Valley State Bank and Trust Company | $27,288,000 | 8.1% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,947 across 6 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 6 banks with deposits in the county = 29.5² + 19.7² + 17.1² + … (3 more) = 1,947
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 | $29,548,752 |
| Department of Agriculture | $15,735,032 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $2,635,446 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $717,074 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $382,651 |
| Department of Education | $81,307 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $36,559 |
That is $24,842 per covered job, against 1,978 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $49.1 m / 1,978 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $24,842
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 #
Washington County, KS: 8 findings, 3 at a watch level and 5 noted
watchWashington County, KS' covered employment is -1.0% 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 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchWashington County, KS' typical home value of $160,313 scores 20 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 55 across Kansas counties, a gap of 35 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 35 = |20 across US counties - 55 across Kansas counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchWashington County, KS' years of wages of 3.8 scores 40 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 74 across Kansas counties, a gap of 34 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 34 = |40 across US counties - 74 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
noteWashington County, KS' average weekly wage was 4.8% 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
- +4.8 % = 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
noteWashington County, KS' covered employment was 1.0% 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 % = 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
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.