Saunders County, NE
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 41.22, -96.64.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 80th pct · 585th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 97th pct · 3rd of 89 Nebraska counties · median $218,486
- 85th pct · 2nd of 8 counties in the Omaha metro · median $304,136
- 77th pct · 679th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 68th pct · 29th of 89 Nebraska counties · median +4.0%
- 100th pct · 1st of 8 counties in the Omaha metro · median +3.4%
- US counties: not published this period
- Nebraska counties: not published this period
- counties in the Omaha metro: not published this period
- 41st pct · 1,883rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 78th pct · 21st of 93 Nebraska counties · median 2,151
- 28th pct · 6th of 8 counties in the Omaha metro · median 7,066
- 34th pct · 2,101st of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 50th pct · 47th of 93 Nebraska counties · median $970
- 0th pct · 8th of 8 counties in the Omaha metro · median $1,143
- 89th pct · 325th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 94th pct · 6th of 89 Nebraska counties · median 4.1
- 100th pct · 1st of 8 counties in the Omaha metro · median 5.3
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 $361,200 (Aug 2026), +5.7% over one year, +28.8% over five
- 80th pct · 585th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 97th pct · 3rd of 89 Nebraska counties · median $218,486
- 85th pct · 2nd of 8 counties in the Omaha metro · median $304,136
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Saunders County, NE | $361,200 · +5.7% 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
- counties in the Omaha metro: 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 $1,977 a month on $361,200 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,203 a month: 47.0% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $361,200 × 80% = $288,960, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,977/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $970 × 52 / 12 = $4,203) = 47% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $361,200 / ($970 × 52) = 7.2
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 #
5,889 jobs at 673 employers (2026 Q1); +1.4% jobs and +2.6% average weekly wage over the year
- 41st pct · 1,883rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 78th pct · 21st of 93 Nebraska counties · median 2,151
- 28th pct · 6th of 8 counties in the Omaha metro · median 7,066
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Saunders County, NE | 5,889 jobs · $970/wk · +1.4% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | 731 | $1,188 | 2.37 | +8.5% |
| Retail trade | 660 | $618 | 1.15 | +0.9% |
| Accommodation and food services | 513 | $344 | 0.97 | +8.5% |
| Manufacturing | 373 | $1,325 | 0.79 | -3.9% |
| Wholesale trade | 251 | $1,329 | 1.11 | +3.3% |
| Finance and insurance | 229 | $1,358 | 0.95 | +0.4% |
| Professional and technical services | 186 | $1,248 | 0.46 | +0.5% |
| Administrative and waste services | 145 | $824 | 0.43 | -15.2% |
| Other services | 123 | $654 | 0.70 | -6.1% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 94 | $1,105 | 0.38 | +2.2% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 58 | $502 | 0.60 | +1.8% |
| Information | 54 | $2,986 | 0.50 | +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 #
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 #
92 gauges · 0 flooding · 14 with quality panels averaging 91 % · 30 stale
Sites found: 92, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Salt Creek near Ashland, Nebr. | stage 8.53 ft · quality 63 % (4) | 32 km |
| Wahoo Creek at S Chestnut St at Wahoo, Nebr. | stage 8.01 ft | 3 km |
| Wahoo Creek at Ithaca, Nebr. | flow 193.0 ft³/s | 12 km |
| COTTONWOOD CR ABV CZECHLAND LAKE NR RESCUE, NE | flow 0.44 ft³/s · STALE | 21 km |
| COTTONWOOD CR TRIB ABV DAM 6B NR PRAGUE, NE | flow 2.20 ft³/s · STALE | 21 km |
| North Oak Creek near Touhy, Nebr. | flow 13.0 ft³/s | 22 km |
| Platte River near Leshara, Nebr. | flow 4,460 ft³/s · quality 88 % (4) | 23 km |
| Johnson Creek near Memphis, Nebr. | flow 0.52 ft³/s · STALE | 23 km |
| North Oak Creek at Valparaiso, Nebr. | flow 24.1 ft³/s | 23 km |
| Platte River nr Fremont, Nebr. | stage 7.56 ft | 23 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 #
44 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 44, 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-411005096281502 | depth 43.3 ft · 2024-09-30 | 16 km |
| USGS-411903096245501 | depth 7.34 ft · 2026-10-05 | 22 km |
| USGS-411911096241601 | depth 4.53 ft · 2026-10-05 | 23 km |
| USGS-411845096211201 | depth 2.23 ft · 2026-10-05 | 26 km |
| USGS-411757096202501 | depth 5.75 ft · 2026-10-05 | 27 km |
| USGS-410558096210601 | depth 12.6 ft · 2026-10-05 | 28 km |
| USGS-411733096185501 | depth 3.68 ft · 2026-10-05 | 28 km |
| USGS-410527096203201 | depth 5.70 ft · 2026-10-05 | 29 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 (0.03)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.09 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$971.7 m in deposits at 20 offices of 13 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,107, moderately concentrated. $160.3 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $146.2 m, grants $9.6 m), $27,215 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| FirstBank of Nebraska | $205.2 m · 21.1% share · 1 office | |
| Farmers and Merchants Bank of Ashland | $128.0 m · 13.2% share · 4 offices | |
| Union Bank and Trust Company | $102.3 m · 10.5% share · 1 office | |
| Saunders, NE | $160.3 m FY2026 · $27,215/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $133.3 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| FirstBank of Nebraska | $205,220,000 | 21.1% | 1 |
| Farmers and Merchants Bank of Ashland | $128,002,000 | 13.2% | 4 |
| Union Bank and Trust Company | $102,280,000 | 10.5% | 1 |
| JONES BANK | $94,647,000 | 9.7% | 1 |
| Wahoo State Bank | $91,711,000 | 9.4% | 2 |
| First State Bank Nebraska | $78,128,000 | 8.0% | 3 |
| CerescoBank | $69,024,000 | 7.1% | 1 |
| First Northeast Bank of Nebraska | $46,232,000 | 4.8% | 1 |
| Bank of Prague | $42,982,000 | 4.4% | 1 |
| Bank of Mead | $35,599,000 | 3.7% | 2 |
Deposit concentration is 1,107 across 13 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 13 banks with deposits in the county = 21.1² + 13.2² + 10.5² + … (10 more) = 1,107
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 | $111,885,544 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $16,973,876 |
| Department of Agriculture | $12,817,428 |
| Department of Transportation | $9,338,031 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $4,460,611 |
| Department of Defense | $4,420,511 |
| Department of Education | $150,122 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $91,204 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $78,194 |
| Department of the Interior | $51,592 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
| Environmental Protection Agency | $0 |
That is $27,215 per covered job, against 5,889 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $160.3 m / 5,889 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $27,215
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 #
Saunders County, NE: 10 findings, 1 at a watch level and 9 noted
watchSaunders County, NE's covered employment of 5,889 scores 42 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 78 across Nebraska counties, a gap of 37 points.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 37 = |42 across US counties - 78 across Nebraska counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteSaunders County, NE's average weekly wage was 2.6% 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
- +2.6 % = 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
noteSaunders County, NE's covered employment was 1.4% 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
- +1.4 % = 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
noteSaunders County, NE's typical home value rose 0.5% from $359,476 in July 2026 to $361,200 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.5% = (361199.55450900836 - 359475.78814724745) / 359475.78814724745 × 100
- 361199.55450900836 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 359475.78814724745 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
noteSaunders County, NE's typical home value of +5.7% ranks 1st of 8 counties in the Omaha metro, against a median of +3.4%.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 100 on the 0-to-100 scale across 8 counties in the Omaha metro that published home.yoyPct
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
Read all 10 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.