Holt County, NE
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 42.46, -98.78.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 32nd pct · 2,059th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 36th pct · 57th of 89 Nebraska counties · median $218,486
- 90th pct · 304th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 88th pct · 11th of 89 Nebraska counties · median +4.0%
- US counties: not published this period
- Nebraska counties: not published this period
- 33rd pct · 2,147th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 72nd pct · 26th of 93 Nebraska counties · median 2,151
- 28th pct · 2,293rd of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 46th pct · 50th of 93 Nebraska counties · median $970
- 40th pct · 1,814th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 36th pct · 57th 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 $190,031 (Aug 2026), +7.8% over one year, +17.7% over five
- 32nd pct · 2,059th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 36th pct · 57th of 89 Nebraska counties · median $218,486
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Holt County, NE | $190,031 · +7.8% 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 #
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 $1,040 a month on $190,031 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,104 a month: 25.3% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $190,031 × 80% = $152,025, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,040/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $947 × 52 / 12 = $4,104) = 25% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $190,031 / ($947 × 52) = 3.9
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 #
4,303 jobs at 519 employers (2026 Q1); +0.3% jobs and +2.3% average weekly wage over the year
- 33rd pct · 2,147th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 72nd pct · 26th of 93 Nebraska counties · median 2,151
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Holt County, NE | 4,303 jobs · $947/wk · +0.3% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 561 | $543 | 1.34 | +3.1% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 381 | $1,093 | 12.26 | -2.6% |
| Wholesale trade | 326 | $1,002 | 1.98 | -6.6% |
| Accommodation and food services | 271 | $363 | 0.70 | +0.7% |
| Construction | 198 | $1,042 | 0.88 | +5.9% |
| Finance and insurance | 189 | $1,591 | 1.08 | +0.5% |
| Manufacturing | 122 | $1,277 | 0.35 | -0.8% |
| Professional and technical services | 117 | $994 | 0.39 | -7.1% |
| Other services | 111 | $763 | 0.86 | +0.0% |
| Information | 54 | $568 | 0.68 | +10.2% |
| Mining, oil and gas | 23 | $852 | 1.50 | +0.0% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 20 | $397 | 0.28 | -28.6% |
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 #
25 gauges · 0 flooding · 2 with quality panels averaging 95 % · 5 stale
Sites found: 25, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| ELKHORN RIVER NR ATKINSON, NE | flow 35.0 ft³/s · no flooding · STALE | 11 km |
| Elkhorn River at O'Neill | no flooding | 16 km |
| South Fork Elkhorn River near Ewing | no flooding | 40 km |
| Niobrara River near Spencer | no flooding | 40 km |
| Elkhorn River at Ewing, Nebr. | flow 99.6 ft³/s · no flooding | 42 km |
| Niobrara River near Butte | no flooding | 43 km |
| South Fork of the Elkhorn River near Ewing | out of service | 43 km |
| Niobrara River near Verdel, Nebr. | flow 584.0 ft³/s · quality 90 % (5) · no flooding | 56 km |
| Keya Paha River near Naper | no flooding | 57 km |
| Niobrara River at Mariaville, Nebr. | flow 905.0 ft³/s | 58 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 #
5 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 5, 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-423730098560001 | depth 33.9 ft · 2024-02-20 | 22 km |
| USGS-423148098300601 | depth 47.7 ft · 2024-02-20 | 25 km |
| USGS-421210098402001 | depth 0.00 ft · 2024-01-25 | 30 km |
| USGS-422245097553801 | depth 24.2 ft · 2017-05-03 | 71 km |
| USGS-422245097553802 | depth 23.6 ft · 2017-05-03 | 71 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 (0.18)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.25 + 0.2×0.05 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$624.3 m in deposits at 11 offices of 7 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,001, highly concentrated. $77.0 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $70.3 m, grants $5.5 m), $17,904 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| The Tri-County Bank | $182.3 m · 29.2% share · 3 offices | |
| Pinnacle Bank | $172.1 m · 27.6% share · 1 office | |
| Chambers State Bank | $66.7 m · 10.7% share · 2 offices | |
| Holt, NE | $77.0 m FY2026 · $17,904/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $58.5 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Tri-County Bank | $182,315,000 | 29.2% | 3 |
| Pinnacle Bank | $172,076,000 | 27.6% | 1 |
| Chambers State Bank | $66,674,000 | 10.7% | 2 |
| Security First Bank | $65,322,000 | 10.5% | 2 |
| Great Plains State Bank | $50,087,000 | 8.0% | 1 |
| Nebraska Bank | $48,625,000 | 7.8% | 1 |
| BankFirst | $39,195,000 | 6.3% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,001 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 = 29.2² + 27.6² + 10.7² + … (4 more) = 2,001
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 | $51,737,646 |
| Department of Agriculture | $11,766,128 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $6,341,371 |
| Department of Transportation | $5,389,618 |
| Department of the Interior | $1,155,062 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $418,093 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $102,399 |
| Department of Education | $95,493 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $34,499 |
That is $17,904 per covered job, against 4,303 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $77.0 m / 4,303 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $17,904
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 #
Holt County, NE: 6 findings, 1 at a watch level and 5 noted
watchHolt County, NE's covered employment of 4,303 scores 33 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 73 across Nebraska counties, a gap of 39 points.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 39 = |33 across US counties - 73 across Nebraska counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteHolt County, NE's average weekly wage was 2.3% 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
- +2.3 % = 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
noteHolt County, NE's typical home value rose 1.2% from $187,851 in July 2026 to $190,031 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +1.2% = (190031.1952424425 - 187851.24400273288) / 187851.24400273288 × 100
- 190031.1952424425 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 187851.24400273288 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
noteHolt County, NE's covered employment was 0.3% 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
- +0.3 % = 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
noteHolt County, NE's typical home value of +7.8% ranks 304th of 3,063 US counties, against a median of +2.9%.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 90 on the 0-to-100 scale across 3063 US counties that published home.yoyPct
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
Read all 6 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.