Watonwan County, MN
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 43.98, -94.61.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 27th pct · 2,233rd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 6th pct · 81st of 87 Minnesota counties · median $276,116
- 63rd pct · 1,114th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 51st pct · 43rd of 87 Minnesota counties · median +4.1%
- US counties: not published this period
- Minnesota counties: not published this period
- 33rd pct · 2,145th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 29th pct · 62nd of 87 Minnesota counties · median 7,739
- 34th pct · 2,113th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 15th pct · 74th of 87 Minnesota counties · median $1,102
- 32nd pct · 2,071st of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 16th pct · 73rd 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 $177,897 (Aug 2026), +4.2% over one year, +50.6% over five
- 27th pct · 2,233rd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 6th pct · 81st of 87 Minnesota counties · median $276,116
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Watonwan County, MN | $177,897 · +4.2% 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
- 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 $974 a month on $177,897 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,199 a month: 23.2% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $177,897 × 80% = $142,317, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $974/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $969 × 52 / 12 = $4,199) = 23% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $177,897 / ($969 × 52) = 3.5
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 #
4,318 jobs at 329 employers (2026 Q1); -2.2% jobs and +3.2% average weekly wage over the year
- 33rd pct · 2,145th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 29th pct · 62nd of 87 Minnesota counties · median 7,739
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Watonwan County, MN | 4,318 jobs · $969/wk · -2.2% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 1,307 | $1,060 | 3.76 | -8.3% |
| Health care and social assistance | 474 | $1,188 | 0.73 | +9.2% |
| Retail trade | 339 | $518 | 0.81 | +11.9% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 304 | $843 | 1.67 | -4.1% |
| Construction | 188 | $1,261 | 0.83 | -2.1% |
| Accommodation and food services | 173 | $338 | 0.45 | -4.4% |
| Finance and insurance | 134 | $1,214 | 0.76 | -1.5% |
| Other services | 109 | $501 | 0.84 | -8.4% |
| Administrative and waste services | 96 | $1,015 | 0.39 | -14.3% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 46 | $239 | 0.65 | -11.5% |
| Information | 32 | $882 | 0.40 | -11.1% |
| Real estate and rental | 20 | $650 | 0.30 | -25.9% |
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 #
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 #
16 gauges · 0 flooding · 2 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 3 stale
Sites found: 16, 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-05319500 | flow 150.0 ft³/s | 34 km |
| USGS-05317200 | flow 6.02 ft³/s | 37 km |
| USGS-05317000 | flow 47.2 ft³/s | 37 km |
| USGS-05316770 | flow 832.0 ft³/s | 38 km |
| USGS-05475350 | flow 48.6 ft³/s | 45 km |
| USGS-05320000 | flow 1,310 ft³/s | 47 km |
| USGS-05320500 | flow 1,170 ft³/s | 48 km |
| USGS-05476000 | flow 82.7 ft³/s | 50 km |
| USGS-05321995 | turb. 12.4 FNU · quality 100 % (1) · STALE | 50 km |
| USGS-05325000 | flow 3,740 ft³/s | 53 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 #
4 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 4, 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-440050094102801 | depth 74.6 ft · 1999-09-30 | 35 km |
| USGS-435239095074801 | depth 11.2 ft · 2024-08-12 | 43 km |
| USGS-435605095121201 | depth 17.2 ft · 2001-10-25 | 47 km |
| USGS-443053094591001 | depth 47.6 ft · 2026-10-05 | 67 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 + 0.2×0.00 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$557.5 m in deposits at 8 offices of 6 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 4,252, highly concentrated. $73.0 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $68.3 m, grants $4.5 m), $16,902 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Pioneer Bank | $349.1 m · 62.6% share · 2 offices | |
| Odin State Bank | $74.4 m · 13.3% share · 1 office | |
| Citizens Bank Minnesota | $44.8 m · 8.0% share · 1 office | |
| Watonwan, MN | $73.0 m FY2026 · $16,902/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $54.2 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pioneer Bank | $349,089,000 | 62.6% | 2 |
| Odin State Bank | $74,428,000 | 13.3% | 1 |
| Citizens Bank Minnesota | $44,815,000 | 8.0% | 1 |
| The First National Bank at St. James | $34,624,000 | 6.2% | 1 |
| Triumph State Bank | $32,861,000 | 5.9% | 2 |
| Alliance Bank | $21,719,000 | 3.9% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 4,252 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 = 62.6² + 13.3² + 8.0² + … (3 more) = 4,252
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 | $48,167,179 |
| Department of Agriculture | $14,134,529 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $4,816,082 |
| Department of Transportation | $4,028,404 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $1,209,682 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $588,546 |
| Department of Education | $21,918 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $15,912 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
That is $16,902 per covered job, against 4,318 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $73.0 m / 4,318 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $16,902
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 #
Watonwan County, MN: 5 findings, 1 at a watch level and 4 noted
watchWatonwan County, MN's covered employment is -2.2% 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 = -2.2 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteWatonwan County, MN's average weekly wage was 3.2% 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
- +3.2 % = 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
noteWatonwan County, MN's covered employment was 2.2% 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
- -2.2 % = 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
noteWatonwan County, MN's typical home value of $177,897 ranks 81st of 87 Minnesota counties, against a median of $276,116.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 7 on the 0-to-100 scale across 87 Minnesota counties that published home.latest
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteThe next Zillow ZHVI typical home value (monthly) covering Watonwan 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.