Thayer County, NE
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 40.17, -97.60.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 17th pct · 2,541st of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 11th pct · 79th of 89 Nebraska counties · median $218,486
- 66th pct · 1,035th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 56th pct · 39th of 89 Nebraska counties · median +4.0%
- US counties: not published this period
- Nebraska counties: not published this period
- 17th pct · 2,659th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 50th pct · 47th of 93 Nebraska counties · median 2,151
- 45th pct · 1,764th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 63rd pct · 35th of 93 Nebraska counties · median $970
- 17th pct · 2,529th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 6th pct · 83rd 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 $153,372 (Aug 2026), +4.4% over one year, +29.3% over five
- 17th pct · 2,541st of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 11th pct · 79th of 89 Nebraska counties · median $218,486
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Thayer County, NE | $153,372 · +4.4% 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 $840 a month on $153,372 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,411 a month: 19.0% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $153,372 × 80% = $122,698, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $840/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,018 × 52 / 12 = $4,411) = 19% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $153,372 / ($1,018 × 52) = 2.9
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 #
2,151 jobs at 261 employers (2026 Q1); -2.0% jobs and +5.5% average weekly wage over the year
- 17th pct · 2,659th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 50th pct · 47th of 93 Nebraska counties · median 2,151
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Thayer County, NE | 2,151 jobs · $1,018/wk · -2.0% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 432 | $1,115 | 2.50 | -4.4% |
| Wholesale trade | 232 | $1,784 | 2.82 | -3.3% |
| Retail trade | 153 | $454 | 0.73 | -1.3% |
| Health care and social assistance | 133 | $755 | 0.41 | -2.2% |
| Finance and insurance | 109 | $1,296 | 1.24 | -0.9% |
| Construction | 81 | $774 | 0.72 | -10.0% |
| Other services | 54 | $817 | 0.84 | +35.0% |
| Real estate and rental | 13 | $569 | 0.39 | -13.3% |
| Information | 7 | $1,154 | 0.18 | -12.5% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | withheld | |||
| Mining, oil and gas | withheld | |||
| Utilities | withheld |
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 #
3 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 3, 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.
| Site | Reading | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| TUTTLE C LK NR MANHATTAN, KS | 591,200 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 133 km |
| MILFORD LAKE NR JUNCTION CITY, KS | 430,000 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 136 km |
| Harlan County Lake Near Republican City, Nebr. | 170,000 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 138 km |
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 #
28 gauges · 1 flooding · 1 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 7 stale
Sites found: 28, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| BIG BLUE R AT BEATRICE NEBR | flow 237.0 ft³/s · MINOR flooding · STALE | 73 km |
| Little Blue River at Hebron | no flooding | 2 km |
| LITTLE BLUE RIVER NEAR ALEXANDRIA (GILEAD), NEBR | flow 76.0 ft³/s · STALE | 18 km |
| BIG SANDY CR AT ALEXANDRIA, NE | flow 21.0 ft³/s · STALE | 19 km |
| Little Blue River at County Line nr Deshler, Nebr. | flow 323.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 20 km |
| Big Sandy Creek near Alexandria | no flooding | 22 km |
| Little Blue River near Fairbury, Nebr. | flow 1,680 ft³/s · no flooding | 34 km |
| REPUBLICAN R NR HARDY, NE | flow 338.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 35 km |
| Rose Creek near Fairbury | no flooding | 38 km |
| Little Blue River near Deweese, Nebr. | flow 286.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 44 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 #
1 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 1, 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-403753096581001 | depth 14.8 ft · 2026-10-05 | 74 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 #
$479.9 m in deposits at 9 offices of 6 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,518, highly concentrated. $61.1 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $47.0 m, grants $14.0 m), $28,402 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Bruning Bank | $199.9 m · 41.7% share · 2 offices | |
| Western National Bank | $78.6 m · 16.4% share · 2 offices | |
| Midwest Bank | $74.8 m · 15.6% share · 1 office | |
| Thayer, NE | $61.1 m FY2026 · $28,402/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $32.4 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bruning Bank | $199,899,000 | 41.7% | 2 |
| Western National Bank | $78,648,000 | 16.4% | 2 |
| Midwest Bank | $74,837,000 | 15.6% | 1 |
| Thayer County Bank | $66,546,000 | 13.9% | 2 |
| Cornerstone Bank | $32,206,000 | 6.7% | 1 |
| Citizens State Bank | $27,771,000 | 5.8% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,518 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 = 41.7² + 16.4² + 15.6² + … (3 more) = 2,518
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 | $28,835,679 |
| Department of Agriculture | $14,654,612 |
| Department of Transportation | $13,787,070 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $2,872,925 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $691,451 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $109,156 |
| Department of Education | $100,103 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $40,905 |
That is $28,402 per covered job, against 2,151 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $61.1 m / 2,151 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $28,402
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 #
Thayer County, NE: 6 findings, 2 at a watch level and 4 noted
watchThayer 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
watchThayer County, NE's covered employment of 2,151 scores 17 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 50 across Nebraska counties, a gap of 33 points.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 33 = |17 across US counties - 50 across Nebraska counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteThayer County, NE's average weekly wage was 5.5% 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
- +5.5 % = 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
noteThayer 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
noteThayer County, NE's years of wages of 2.9 ranks 83rd of 89 Nebraska counties, against a median of 4.1.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 7 on the 0-to-100 scale across 89 Nebraska counties that published yearsOfWages
- typical home value / (average weekly wage × 52); one average covered job, not a household
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.