Phelps County, MO
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 37.87, -91.79.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 50th pct · 1,527th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 60th pct · 45th of 113 Missouri counties · median $224,499
- 76th pct · 725th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 60th pct · 45th of 113 Missouri counties · median +4.9%
- 1st pct · 1,378th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 2nd pct · 34th of 35 Missouri counties · median $1,231
- 71st pct · 932nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 83rd pct · 20th of 115 Missouri counties · median 4,996
- 48th pct · 1,656th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 85th pct · 17th of 115 Missouri counties · median $902
- 52nd pct · 1,468th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 39th pct · 69th of 113 Missouri counties · median 4.8
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 $235,144 (Aug 2026), +5.5% over one year, +32.0% over five
- 50th pct · 1,527th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 60th pct · 45th of 113 Missouri counties · median $224,499
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Phelps County, MO | $235,144 · +5.5% 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 $803/mo (Aug 2026), +6.3% over one year; price-to-rent 24.4
- 1st pct · 1,378th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 2nd pct · 34th of 35 Missouri counties · median $1,231
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Phelps County, MO | $803/mo · +6.3% 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 $1,287 a month on $235,144 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,476 a month: 28.8% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $235,144 × 80% = $188,115, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,287/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,033 × 52 / 12 = $4,476) = 29% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $235,144 / ($1,033 × 52) = 4.4
- price-to-rent = $235,144 / ($803 × 12) = 24.4
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 #
19,853 jobs at 1,426 employers (2026 Q1); +1.9% jobs and +5.2% average weekly wage over the year
- 71st pct · 932nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 83rd pct · 20th of 115 Missouri counties · median 4,996
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Phelps County, MO | 19,853 jobs · $1,033/wk · +1.9% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 2,937 | $1,130 | 0.98 | +1.8% |
| Retail trade | 2,649 | $716 | 1.37 | +1.2% |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,948 | $439 | 1.09 | +6.5% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 1,903 | $1,230 | 2.27 | +9.8% |
| Manufacturing | 907 | $1,373 | 0.57 | -7.8% |
| Wholesale trade | 656 | $1,111 | 0.86 | -1.2% |
| Finance and insurance | 410 | $1,360 | 0.51 | -0.2% |
| Other services | 380 | $893 | 0.64 | -4.8% |
| Professional and technical services | 321 | $1,158 | 0.23 | +12.6% |
| Administrative and waste services | 304 | $796 | 0.27 | +3.4% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 149 | $338 | 0.46 | +6.4% |
| Real estate and rental | 138 | $914 | 0.45 | +0.0% |
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 #
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 #
29 gauges · 0 flooding · 3 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 9 stale
Sites found: 29, 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-06932000 | flow 69.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 11 km |
| USGS-06933500 | flow 438.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 18 km |
| USGS-06930060 | flow 148.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 26 km |
| USGS-07010350 | flow 16.7 ft³/s · no flooding | 31 km |
| USGS-06930000 | flow 105.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 32 km |
| USGS-06930015 | flow 0.00 ft³/s · STALE | 34 km |
| USGS-06928420 | flow 0.00 ft³/s · low threshold | 35 km |
| USGS-06928430 | flow 0.87 ft³/s · STALE | 36 km |
| USGS-07015720 | flow 0.77 ft³/s · no flooding | 36 km |
| USGS-06929900 | flow 1.16 ft³/s · STALE | 37 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 #
21 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 21, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| MO005-375625091480401 | depth 213.2 ft · 2026-10-05 | 8 km |
| MO005-375749091475001 | depth 375.0 ft · 2026-10-05 | 11 km |
| USGS-375907091432201 | depth 317.9 ft · 2020-08-30 | 15 km |
| MO005-380758091462401 | depth 218.8 ft · 2026-10-05 | 30 km |
| MO005-373653091330101 | depth 329.6 ft · 2026-10-05 | 35 km |
| MO005-381045091564801 | depth 128.7 ft · 2026-10-05 | 37 km |
| MO005-380322091142601 | depth 144.9 ft · 2026-10-05 | 53 km |
| MO005-380900091153901 | depth 212.1 ft · 2026-09-26 | 56 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 (0.16)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.25 + 0.2×0.00 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$1.4 bn in deposits at 18 offices of 10 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,206, highly concentrated. $329.2 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $274.3 m, grants $41.7 m), $16,582 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Phelps County Bank | $544.2 m · 39.9% share · 4 offices | |
| U.S. Bank National Association | $185.8 m · 13.6% share · 1 office | |
| Citizens Bank of the Midwest | $178.2 m · 13.1% share · 2 offices | |
| Phelps, MO | $329.2 m FY2026 · $16,582/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $259.3 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phelps County Bank | $544,189,000 | 39.9% | 4 |
| U.S. Bank National Association | $185,774,000 | 13.6% | 1 |
| Citizens Bank of the Midwest | $178,197,000 | 13.1% | 2 |
| Town & Country Bank | $169,975,000 | 12.5% | 3 |
| The Bank of Missouri | $106,337,000 | 7.8% | 1 |
| First State Community Bank | $62,996,000 | 4.6% | 1 |
| Southern Bank | $48,399,000 | 3.5% | 1 |
| The Maries County Bank | $27,717,000 | 2.0% | 1 |
| FCNB Bank | $23,499,000 | 1.7% | 2 |
| Legends Bank | $17,042,000 | 1.2% | 2 |
Deposit concentration is 2,206 across 10 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 10 banks with deposits in the county = 39.9² + 13.6² + 13.1² + … (7 more) = 2,206
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 | $203,507,931 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $63,254,006 |
| Department of Transportation | $12,984,241 |
| Department of Education | $8,252,377 |
| National Science Foundation | $7,453,061 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $7,272,042 |
| Department of Agriculture | $6,895,573 |
| Department of the Interior | $6,544,957 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $4,670,395 |
| Department of Energy | $2,800,000 |
| Department of Commerce | $2,656,601 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $1,474,000 |
That is $16,582 per covered job, against 19,853 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $329.2 m / 19,853 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $16,582
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 #
Phelps County, MO: 11 findings, 2 at a watch level and 9 noted
watchPhelps County, MO's price-to-rent ratio of 24.4 ranks 108th 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 = 92.34620886981402 >= 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
watchPhelps County, MO's average weekly wage of $1,033 scores 48 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 86 across Missouri counties, a gap of 37 points.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 37 = |48 across US counties - 86 across Missouri counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
notePhelps County, MO's average weekly wage was 5.2% 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
- +5.2 % = 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
notePhelps County, MO's covered employment was 1.9% 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
- +1.9 % = 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
notePhelps County, MO's typical asking rent rose 0.9% from $796 in July 2026 to $803 in August 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.9% = (803.2182692307692 - 796.4263988052347) / 796.4263988052347 × 100
- 803.2182692307692 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
- 796.4263988052347 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-07
Read all 11 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.