Otter Tail County, MN
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 46.41, -95.71.
Assembled 2026-10-07. Read the brief.
- 77th pct · 705th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 76th pct · 21st of 87 Minnesota counties · median $276,116
- 80th pct · 602nd of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 76th pct · 21st of 87 Minnesota counties · median +4.1%
- 7th pct · 1,290th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 5th pct · 36th of 38 Minnesota counties · median $1,295
- 72nd pct · 880th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 79th pct · 19th of 87 Minnesota counties · median 7,739
- 61st pct · 1,252nd of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 45th pct · 48th of 87 Minnesota counties · median $1,102
- 78th pct · 671st of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 79th pct · 19th 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 $336,783 (Aug 2026), +6.1% over one year, +28.1% over five
- 77th pct · 705th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 76th pct · 21st of 87 Minnesota counties · median $276,116
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Otter Tail County, MN | $336,783 · +6.1% 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 $999/mo (Aug 2026), n/a over one year; price-to-rent 28.1
- 7th pct · 1,290th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 5th pct · 36th of 38 Minnesota counties · median $1,295
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Otter Tail County, MN | $999/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 $1,843 a month on $336,783 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,741 a month: 38.9% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $336,783 × 80% = $269,427, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,843/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,094 × 52 / 12 = $4,741) = 39% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $336,783 / ($1,094 × 52) = 5.9
- price-to-rent = $336,783 / ($999 × 12) = 28.1
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 #
21,354 jobs at 1,861 employers (2026 Q1); -1.5% jobs and +4.0% average weekly wage over the year
- 72nd pct · 880th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 79th pct · 19th of 87 Minnesota counties · median 7,739
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Otter Tail County, MN | 21,354 jobs · $1,094/wk · -1.5% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 3,759 | $1,290 | 2.19 | -1.8% |
| Health care and social assistance | 3,581 | $1,088 | 1.11 | +0.0% |
| Retail trade | 2,463 | $653 | 1.18 | +2.8% |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,533 | $388 | 0.80 | -5.0% |
| Construction | 897 | $1,102 | 0.80 | +1.4% |
| Administrative and waste services | 666 | $896 | 0.55 | +0.2% |
| Other services | 665 | $687 | 1.04 | -6.1% |
| Wholesale trade | 628 | $1,247 | 0.77 | -0.2% |
| Utilities | 499 | $2,514 | 5.92 | -0.8% |
| Finance and insurance | 478 | $1,448 | 0.55 | -3.8% |
| Professional and technical services | 469 | $1,275 | 0.32 | +0.6% |
| Information | 388 | $1,412 | 0.99 | -7.0% |
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 #
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 #
moderate (0.25)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.25 / 0.35
Banks & federal dollars #
$2.0 bn in deposits at 27 offices of 18 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,099, moderately concentrated. $536.5 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $464.6 m, contracts $37.7 m), $25,124 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Bell Bank | $392.4 m · 19.3% share · 2 offices | |
| My Kind of Bank, National Association | $320.9 m · 15.8% share · 3 offices | |
| United Community Bank | $279.2 m · 13.7% share · 2 offices | |
| Otter Tail, MN | $536.5 m FY2026 · $25,124/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $431.9 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bell Bank | $392,402,000 | 19.3% | 2 |
| My Kind of Bank, National Association | $320,907,000 | 15.8% | 3 |
| United Community Bank | $279,223,000 | 13.7% | 2 |
| FM Bank | $211,997,000 | 10.4% | 1 |
| Old National Bank | $153,645,000 | 7.6% | 2 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $118,697,000 | 5.8% | 1 |
| Midwest Bank | $108,996,000 | 5.4% | 2 |
| Farmers State Bank of Underwood | $89,529,000 | 4.4% | 3 |
| Farmers & Merchants State Bank of New York Mills, Incorporated | $72,156,000 | 3.5% | 1 |
| American Federal Bank | $55,939,000 | 2.8% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,099 across 18 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 18 banks with deposits in the county = 19.3² + 15.8² + 13.7² + … (15 more) = 1,099
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 | $384,891,830 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $57,195,213 |
| Department of Agriculture | $56,386,353 |
| Department of Transportation | $20,068,770 |
| Department of Education | $9,226,161 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $4,834,860 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $2,188,365 |
| General Services Administration | $777,936 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $599,783 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $183,372 |
| Department of the Interior | $170,782 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
That is $25,124 per covered job, against 21,354 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $536.5 m / 21,354 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $25,124
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 #
Otter Tail County, MN: 12 findings, 3 at a watch level and 9 noted
watchOtter Tail County, MN's price-to-rent ratio of 28.1 ranks 33rd of 1,399 US counties, a watch level here: price-to-rent in the top tenth of US counties (position among the counties that published both ZHVI and ZORI this month; 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: priceToRent percentile = 97.71101573676681 >= 90
- typical home value / (typical rent × 12); Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month
position among the counties that published both ZHVI and ZORI this month; not an official level
watchOtter Tail County, MN's price-to-rent ratio is 28.1, a watch level here: typical home value worth 25 or more years of typical rent (typical home value / (typical rent × 12), Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month; convention chosen for this dashboard, 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: priceToRent = 28.102749683230716 >= 25
- typical home value / (typical rent × 12); Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month
typical home value / (typical rent × 12), Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchOtter Tail County, MN's covered employment is -1.5% 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 = -1.5 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteOtter Tail County, MN's average weekly wage was 4.0% 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 % = 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
noteOtter Tail County, MN's typical asking rent rose 2.2% from $977 in July 2026 to $999 in August 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +2.2% = (998.6666666666666 - 976.8591649415187) / 976.8591649415187 × 100
- 998.6666666666666 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
- 976.8591649415187 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-07
Read all 12 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.