Big Stone County, MN
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 45.42, -96.40.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 37th pct · 1,911th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 18th pct · 71st of 87 Minnesota counties · median $276,116
- 95th pct · 125th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 98th pct · 2nd of 87 Minnesota counties · median +4.1%
- US counties: not published this period
- Minnesota counties: not published this period
- 13th pct · 2,786th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 6th pct · 81st of 87 Minnesota counties · median 7,739
- 41st pct · 1,876th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 22nd pct · 68th of 87 Minnesota counties · median $1,102
- 41st pct · 1,795th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 30th pct · 61st of 87 Minnesota counties · median 4.6
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 $201,790 (Aug 2026), +10.0% over one year, +33.1% over five
- 37th pct · 1,911th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 18th pct · 71st of 87 Minnesota counties · median $276,116
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Big Stone County, MN | $201,790 · +10.0% 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
- Minnesota 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 $1,105 a month on $201,790 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,342 a month: 25.4% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $201,790 × 80% = $161,432, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,105/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,002 × 52 / 12 = $4,342) = 25% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $201,790 / ($1,002 × 52) = 3.9
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 #
1,703 jobs at 222 employers (2026 Q1); +3.6% jobs and +8.6% average weekly wage over the year
- 13th pct · 2,786th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 6th pct · 81st of 87 Minnesota counties · median 7,739
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Big Stone County, MN | 1,703 jobs · $1,002/wk · +3.6% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 157 | $546 | 0.95 | -0.6% |
| Construction | 121 | $1,031 | 1.36 | +3.4% |
| Accommodation and food services | 102 | $194 | 0.67 | -8.1% |
| Wholesale trade | 73 | $1,453 | 1.12 | -3.9% |
| Other services | 65 | $527 | 1.28 | +6.6% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 25 | $1,213 | 0.35 | +4.2% |
| Professional and technical services | 21 | $896 | 0.18 | +31.2% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 16 | $384 | 0.57 | +14.3% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | withheld | |||
| Mining, oil and gas | 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 #
D1 moderate 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 #
No reservoir gauges within 150 km (or the camera is above the gauge altitude)
Sites found: 0, 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.
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 #
51 gauges · 0 flooding · 0 with quality panels · 5 stale
Sites found: 51, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota River at Big Stone Lake | observation not current | 13 km |
| USGS-05292000 | flow 10.3 ft³/s · no flooding | 14 km |
| USGS-05291000 | flow 8.23 ft³/s · no flooding | 17 km |
| Minnesota River near Odessa Hwy 75 Dam (Tailwater) | no readings | 21 km |
| North Fork Whetstone River near Milbank | no flooding | 21 km |
| Yellow Bank River near Odessa | no readings | 22 km |
| USGS-05293000 | flow 61.4 ft³/s | 22 km |
| Yellow Bank River at Odessa 3SE Hwy 75 Splwy | no readings | 23 km |
| North Fork Yellow Bank River near Milbank | no flooding | 24 km |
| USGS-05292704 | flow 0.00 ft³/s · STALE | 26 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 #
8 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 8, 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-451848096363501 | depth 25.7 ft · 2026-10-05 | 20 km |
| USGS-454449096450101 | depth 55.1 ft · 2026-10-05 | 45 km |
| USGS-453819096572501 | depth 56.6 ft · 2026-10-05 | 50 km |
| USGS-452304097083901 | depth 12.6 ft · 2026-10-05 | 58 km |
| USGS-451605097071701 | depth 91.1 ft · 2026-10-05 | 59 km |
| USGS-453515097083801 | depth 4.52 ft · 2026-10-05 | 61 km |
| USGS-452115097110601 | depth 13.4 ft · 2026-10-05 | 62 km |
| USGS-450905097072202 | depth 25.5 ft · 2002-09-17 | 64 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 (0.25)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.25 / 0.35
Banks & federal dollars #
$265.6 m in deposits at 5 offices of 5 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,573, highly concentrated. $64.1 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $59.9 m, grants $3.3 m), $37,636 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Minnwest Bank | $99.7 m · 37.5% share · 1 office | |
| Frandsen Bank & Trust | $72.0 m · 27.1% share · 1 office | |
| Grand Marais State Bank | $37.2 m · 14.0% share · 1 office | |
| Big Stone, MN | $64.1 m FY2026 · $37,636/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $35.5 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnwest Bank | $99,710,000 | 37.5% | 1 |
| Frandsen Bank & Trust | $71,989,000 | 27.1% | 1 |
| Grand Marais State Bank | $37,240,000 | 14.0% | 1 |
| Star Bank | $32,671,000 | 12.3% | 1 |
| First Independent Bank | $24,021,000 | 9.0% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,573 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 = 37.5² + 27.1² + 14.0² + … (2 more) = 2,573
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 | $31,053,221 |
| Department of Agriculture | $24,329,621 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $4,310,599 |
| Department of Transportation | $2,851,108 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $459,860 |
| Department of the Interior | $459,103 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $407,065 |
| Department of Education | $148,670 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $33,372 |
| Small Business Administration | $23,363 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $17,727 |
That is $37,636 per covered job, against 1,703 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $64.1 m / 1,703 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $37,636
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 | 3.00 | 2026-10-06 | -50.0% |
| Shanghai to Los Angeles container rate · $ per 40 ft box | 7,848.00 | 2026-09-01 | +14.9% |
| 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 #
Big Stone County, MN: 10 findings, 10 noted
noteBig Stone County, MN's average weekly wage was 8.6% 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
- +8.6 % = 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
noteBig Stone County, MN's covered employment was 3.6% 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
- +3.6 % = 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
noteBig Stone County, MN's momentum index of 1.00 ranks 1st of 3,221 US counties, against a median of 0.23.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 100 on the 0-to-100 scale across 3221 US counties that published momentum
- momentum = Σ wᵢ · clip(changeᵢ / scaleᵢ, −1, 1) / Σ wᵢ over the terms present; weights and scales: home value 1-yr change 0.3 (±10%), rent 1-yr change 0.15 (±10%), jobs over-the-year change 0.3 (±3%), avg weekly wage over-the-year change 0.25 (±6%)
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteBig Stone County, MN's momentum index of 1.00 ranks 1st of 87 Minnesota counties, against a median of 0.30.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 99 on the 0-to-100 scale across 87 Minnesota counties that published momentum
- momentum = Σ wᵢ · clip(changeᵢ / scaleᵢ, −1, 1) / Σ wᵢ over the terms present; weights and scales: home value 1-yr change 0.3 (±10%), rent 1-yr change 0.15 (±10%), jobs over-the-year change 0.3 (±3%), avg weekly wage over-the-year change 0.25 (±6%)
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteBig Stone County, MN's typical home value of +10.0% ranks 2nd of 87 Minnesota counties, against a median of +4.1%.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 99 on the 0-to-100 scale across 87 Minnesota counties that published home.yoyPct
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
Read all 10 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.