Box Butte County, NE
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 42.21, -103.08.
Assembled 2026-10-07. Read the brief.
- 28th pct · 2,188th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 28th pct · 64th of 89 Nebraska counties · median $218,486
- 55th pct · 1,374th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 43rd pct · 51st of 89 Nebraska counties · median +4.0%
- US counties: not published this period
- Nebraska counties: not published this period
- 29th pct · 2,287th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 67th pct · 31st of 93 Nebraska counties · median 2,151
- 40th pct · 1,924th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 55th pct · 42nd of 93 Nebraska counties · median $970
- 31st pct · 2,094th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 23rd pct · 68th of 89 Nebraska counties · median 4.1
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 $180,978 (Aug 2026), +3.4% over one year, +20.5% over five
- 28th pct · 2,188th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 28th pct · 64th of 89 Nebraska counties · median $218,486
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Box Butte County, NE | $180,978 · +3.4% 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
- Nebraska 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 $991 a month on $180,978 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,316 a month: 23.0% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $180,978 × 80% = $144,782, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $991/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $996 × 52 / 12 = $4,316) = 23% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $180,978 / ($996 × 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 #
3,604 jobs at 360 employers (2026 Q1); -2.0% jobs and +9.9% average weekly wage over the year
- 29th pct · 2,287th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 67th pct · 31st of 93 Nebraska counties · median 2,151
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Box Butte County, NE | 3,604 jobs · $996/wk · -2.0% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 401 | $635 | 1.14 | -8.0% |
| Accommodation and food services | 338 | $354 | 1.04 | +0.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 254 | $1,166 | 1.84 | -9.9% |
| Manufacturing | 250 | $1,189 | 0.86 | -3.1% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 224 | $984 | 8.60 | -5.9% |
| Finance and insurance | 165 | $1,493 | 1.12 | +10.0% |
| Other services | 132 | $662 | 1.23 | +10.0% |
| Construction | 131 | $1,213 | 0.69 | -3.7% |
| Professional and technical services | 86 | $1,245 | 0.35 | -5.5% |
| Information | 51 | $938 | 0.77 | +8.5% |
| Real estate and rental | 33 | $495 | 0.60 | -2.9% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 11 | $371 | 0.19 | +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 #
D3 extreme 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 #
14 gauges · 0 flooding · 2 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 4 stale
Sites found: 14, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Niobrara River at Box Butte Reservoir | no flooding | 28 km |
| Niobrara River near Hay Springs 14S | no flooding | 44 km |
| Reservoirs at Lake Minatare Reservoir | no flooding | 47 km |
| USGS-415922103404801 | flow 442.0 ft³/s · STALE | 55 km |
| North Platte River near Minatare | no flooding | 59 km |
| North Platte River near Bridgeport | no flooding | 59 km |
| White River (WY) at Crawford | no flooding | 60 km |
| USGS-420327103464301 | flow 400.0 ft³/s · STALE | 60 km |
| USGS-415626103434001 | flow 633.0 ft³/s · STALE | 61 km |
| Niobrara River at Agate, Nebr. | stage 5.61 ft · quality 100 % (4) | 63 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 #
7 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 7, 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-420006102561201 | depth 58.1 ft · 2016-10-03 | 25 km |
| USGS-415118103020903 | depth 9.85 ft · 2016-10-03 | 40 km |
| USGS-415654103420401 | depth 197.3 ft · 2016-10-03 | 59 km |
| USGS-414107102233801 | depth 189.9 ft · 2016-10-03 | 64 km |
| USGS-414607102263302 | depth 3.83 ft · 2024-10-01 | 72 km |
| USGS-414607102263301 | depth 0.62 ft · 2015-06-03 | 72 km |
| USGS-420301103554802 | depth 76.6 ft · 2016-10-03 | 72 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 (0.48)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.75 + 0.2×0.00 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$347.4 m in deposits at 9 offices of 7 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,234, highly concentrated. $97.9 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $97.3 m, grants $595,084), $27,162 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| First National Bank of Omaha | $109.6 m · 31.5% share · 1 office | |
| Nebraska Bank | $103.6 m · 29.8% share · 2 offices | |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $39.2 m · 11.3% share · 1 office | |
| Box Butte, NE | $97.9 m FY2026 · $27,162/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $83.5 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| First National Bank of Omaha | $109,554,000 | 31.5% | 1 |
| Nebraska Bank | $103,580,000 | 29.8% | 2 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $39,222,000 | 11.3% | 1 |
| BMO Bank National Association | $36,467,000 | 10.5% | 2 |
| Platte Valley Bank | $31,445,000 | 9.1% | 1 |
| Sandhills State Bank | $15,486,000 | 4.5% | 1 |
| Security First Bank | $11,692,000 | 3.4% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,234 across 7 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 7 banks with deposits in the county = 31.5² + 29.8² + 11.3² + … (4 more) = 2,234
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 | $41,200,689 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $33,948,857 |
| Department of Agriculture | $8,727,580 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $8,418,372 |
| Department of Transportation | $4,267,258 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $1,015,230 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $134,621 |
| Corporation for National and Community Service | $88,034 |
| National Credit Union Administration | $50,000 |
| Department of Education | $42,772 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
That is $27,162 per covered job, against 3,604 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $97.9 m / 3,604 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $27,162
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 #
Box Butte County, NE: 7 findings, 2 at a watch level and 5 noted
watchBox Butte County, NE's covered employment is -2.0% 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 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchBox Butte County, NE's covered employment of 3,604 scores 29 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 67 across Nebraska counties, a gap of 38 points.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 38 = |29 across US counties - 67 across Nebraska counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteBox Butte County, NE's average weekly wage was 9.9% 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
- +9.9 % = 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
noteBox Butte County, NE's covered employment was 2.0% 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 % = 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
noteBox Butte County, NE's typical home value rose 0.4% from $180,266 in July 2026 to $180,978 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.4% = (180977.7796430368 - 180265.52994230378) / 180265.52994230378 × 100
- 180977.7796430368 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 180265.52994230378 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
Read all 7 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.