Meeker County, MN
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 45.12, -94.53.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 68th pct · 953rd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 58th pct · 37th of 87 Minnesota counties · median $276,116
- 78th pct · 648th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 72nd pct · 25th of 87 Minnesota counties · median +4.1%
- 12th pct · 1,225th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 18th pct · 31st of 38 Minnesota counties · median $1,295
- 48th pct · 1,658th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 50th pct · 44th of 87 Minnesota counties · median 7,739
- 51st pct · 1,556th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 29th pct · 62nd of 87 Minnesota counties · median $1,102
- 71st pct · 861st of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 70th pct · 26th 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 $297,521 (Aug 2026), +5.8% over one year, +23.5% over five
- 68th pct · 953rd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 58th pct · 37th of 87 Minnesota counties · median $276,116
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Meeker County, MN | $297,521 · +5.8% 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 #
Typical rent $1,066/mo (Aug 2026), n/a over one year; price-to-rent 23.3
- 12th pct · 1,225th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 18th pct · 31st of 38 Minnesota counties · median $1,295
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Meeker County, MN | $1,066/mo · n/a 1-yr |
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 $1,629 a month on $297,521 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,528 a month: 36.0% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $297,521 × 80% = $238,017, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,629/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,045 × 52 / 12 = $4,528) = 36% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $297,521 / ($1,045 × 52) = 5.5
- price-to-rent = $297,521 / ($1,066 × 12) = 23.3
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 #
7,739 jobs at 695 employers (2026 Q1); +0.9% jobs and +3.9% average weekly wage over the year
- 48th pct · 1,658th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 50th pct · 44th of 87 Minnesota counties · median 7,739
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Meeker County, MN | 7,739 jobs · $1,045/wk · +0.9% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 1,949 | $1,308 | 3.13 | +2.4% |
| Retail trade | 932 | $689 | 1.24 | +8.6% |
| Health care and social assistance | 931 | $787 | 0.80 | -3.1% |
| Construction | 484 | $1,249 | 1.19 | +9.8% |
| Accommodation and food services | 419 | $328 | 0.60 | -12.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 382 | $1,390 | 1.29 | +1.1% |
| Professional and technical services | 245 | $1,288 | 0.46 | -0.4% |
| Other services | 193 | $646 | 0.83 | -3.5% |
| Finance and insurance | 185 | $1,676 | 0.59 | +6.9% |
| Real estate and rental | 55 | $945 | 0.46 | +358.3% |
| Educational services | 46 | $270 | 0.28 | +15.0% |
| Information | 33 | $852 | 0.23 | -17.5% |
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 #
Surface water layer not loaded
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 #
Surface water layer not loaded
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 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 (0.00)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 / 0.35
Banks & federal dollars #
$618.8 m in deposits at 10 offices of 8 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,664, moderately concentrated. $162.9 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $152.8 m, contracts $8.0 m), $21,046 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Center National Bank | $184.3 m · 29.8% share · 1 office | |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $106.7 m · 17.2% share · 1 office | |
| Perennial Bank | $71.8 m · 11.6% share · 2 offices | |
| Meeker, MN | $162.9 m FY2026 · $21,046/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $142.2 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Center National Bank | $184,292,000 | 29.8% | 1 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $106,713,000 | 17.2% | 1 |
| Perennial Bank | $71,837,000 | 11.6% | 2 |
| Citizens Bank Minnesota | $58,220,000 | 9.4% | 1 |
| MidCountry Bank | $53,752,000 | 8.7% | 1 |
| Home State Bank | $51,313,000 | 8.3% | 2 |
| Farmers and Merchants State Bank of Pierz | $47,235,000 | 7.6% | 1 |
| Grove Bank | $45,437,000 | 7.3% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,664 across 8 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 8 banks with deposits in the county = 29.8² + 17.2² + 11.6² + … (5 more) = 1,664
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 | $128,488,192 |
| Department of Agriculture | $17,926,865 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $12,955,297 |
| Department of Transportation | $1,947,198 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $728,435 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $722,043 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $83,514 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $26,790 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
That is $21,046 per covered job, against 7,739 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $162.9 m / 7,739 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $21,046
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 #
Meeker County, MN: 5 findings, 1 at a watch level and 4 noted
watchMeeker County, MN's typical asking rent rose 3.6% from $1,030 in July 2026 to $1,066 in August 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +3.6% = (1066.25 - 1029.5508485134762) / 1029.5508485134762 × 100
- 1066.25 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
- 1029.5508485134762 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-07
noteMeeker County, MN's average weekly wage was 3.9% 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
- +3.9 % = 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
noteMeeker County, MN's covered employment was 0.9% 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
- +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
noteThe next Zillow ZHVI typical home value (monthly) covering Meeker County, MN is due between 2026-10-14 and 2026-10-21, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern.
Show the arithmetic
- window = 2026-10-14 to 2026-10-21, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern
estimated from the publisher's past release pattern; not an announced date
noteThe next Zillow ZORI typical rent (monthly) covering Meeker County, MN is due between 2026-10-14 and 2026-10-21, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern.
Show the arithmetic
- window = 2026-10-14 to 2026-10-21, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern
estimated from the publisher's past release pattern; not an announced date
Every finding is produced by a fixed rule table and a fixed sentence for each rule. Nothing here is generated prose.