Thurston County, NE
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 42.15, -96.53.
Assembled 2026-10-07. Read the brief.
- 24th pct · 2,313th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 21st pct · 70th of 89 Nebraska counties · median $218,486
- 98th pct · 59th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 98th pct · 2nd of 89 Nebraska counties · median +4.0%
- US counties: not published this period
- Nebraska counties: not published this period
- 26th pct · 2,352nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 65th pct · 33rd of 93 Nebraska counties · median 2,151
- 66th pct · 1,078th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 83rd pct · 16th of 93 Nebraska counties · median $970
- 18th pct · 2,491st of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 11th pct · 79th 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 $172,128 (Aug 2026), +12.2% over one year, +29.9% over five
- 24th pct · 2,313th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 21st pct · 70th of 89 Nebraska counties · median $218,486
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Thurston County, NE | $172,128 · +12.2% 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 $942 a month on $172,128 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,866 a month: 19.4% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $172,128 × 80% = $137,703, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $942/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,123 × 52 / 12 = $4,866) = 19% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $172,128 / ($1,123 × 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 #
3,293 jobs at 163 employers (2026 Q1); +0.4% jobs and -1.1% average weekly wage over the year
- 26th pct · 2,352nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 65th pct · 33rd of 93 Nebraska counties · median 2,151
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Thurston County, NE | 3,293 jobs · $1,123/wk · +0.4% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 143 | $1,025 | 0.54 | +0.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 141 | $1,385 | 1.12 | +1.4% |
| Administrative and waste services | 134 | $1,410 | 0.72 | -7.6% |
| Retail trade | 107 | $556 | 0.33 | -2.7% |
| Health care and social assistance | 99 | $804 | 0.20 | +7.6% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 79 | $890 | 3.32 | -8.1% |
| Construction | 52 | $1,172 | 0.30 | +30.0% |
| Real estate and rental | 34 | $858 | 0.67 | +9.7% |
| Finance and insurance | 32 | $1,945 | 0.24 | -13.5% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 27 | $465 | 0.50 | +0.0% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 19 | $1,149 | 0.14 | -13.6% |
| Information | 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 #
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 #
41 gauges · 0 flooding · 2 with quality panels averaging 90 % · 5 stale
Sites found: 41, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| South Omaha Creek at Walthill, Nebr. | flow 9.75 ft³/s · no flooding | 4 km |
| LOGAN CREEK AT PENDER NE | flow 221.0 ft³/s · no flooding · STALE | 15 km |
| North Blackbird Creek at Hwy 75 at Macy, Nebr. | stage 7.96 ft · no flooding | 16 km |
| South Blackbird Creek at Hwy 75 near Macy, Nebr. | stage 5.33 ft · no flooding | 17 km |
| Logan Creek near Bancroft, Nebr. | flow 171.0 ft³/s · STALE | 17 km |
| Blackbird Creek near Macy, Nebr. | stage 5.13 ft · no flooding | 19 km |
| Omaha Creek at Homer, Nebr. | flow 22.4 ft³/s · no flooding | 19 km |
| Missouri River at Decatur, NE | flow 26,700 ft³/s · quality 80 % (5) · no flooding | 29 km |
| Logan Creek at Wakefield, Nebr. | flow 108.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 30 km |
| Missouri River at Sioux City, IA | flow 27,500 ft³/s · no flooding | 38 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 #
20 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 20, 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-420840096290903 | depth 17.6 ft · 2026-10-05 | 4 km |
| USGS-420135096130801 | depth 13.8 ft · 1996-09-29 | 30 km |
| USGS-420321096114001 | depth 10.2 ft · 1996-09-29 | 30 km |
| USGS-420136096121501 | depth 9.81 ft · 1996-09-29 | 31 km |
| USGS-420134096111701 | depth 7.88 ft · 1996-09-29 | 32 km |
| USGS-420318096092201 | depth 5.52 ft · 1996-09-29 | 33 km |
| USGS-420315096070801 | depth 5.35 ft · 1996-09-29 | 36 km |
| USGS-420124096073601 | depth 8.38 ft · 1996-09-29 | 37 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 (0.20)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.25 + 0.2×0.10 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$384.2 m in deposits at 3 offices of 2 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 5,169, highly concentrated. $122.2 m federal obligations in FY2026 (grants $43.7 m, contracts $39.3 m), $37,110 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| CHARTER WEST BANK | $227.4 m · 59.2% share · 2 offices | |
| Equity Bank | $156.8 m · 40.8% share · 1 office | |
| Thurston, NE | $122.2 m FY2026 · $37,110/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $25.7 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHARTER WEST BANK | $227,404,000 | 59.2% | 2 |
| Equity Bank | $156,783,000 | 40.8% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 5,169 across 2 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 2 banks with deposits in the county = 59.2² + 40.8² = 5,169
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 |
|---|---|
| Department of Education | $34,456,042 |
| Department of State | $30,837,254 |
| Social Security Administration | $23,520,251 |
| Department of the Interior | $11,780,312 |
| Department of Agriculture | $9,763,791 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $5,662,372 |
| Department of Defense | $2,799,249 |
| Department of Justice | $2,030,820 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $1,986,635 |
| Department of the Treasury | $962,910 |
| Department of Commerce | $595,878 |
| Department of Transportation | $432,910 |
That is $37,110 per covered job, against 3,293 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $122.2 m / 3,293 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $37,110
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 #
Thurston County, NE: 9 findings, 2 at a watch level and 7 noted
watchThurston County, NE's average weekly wage is -1.1% against a year earlier, a watch level here: average weekly wage below the same quarter a year earlier, before inflation (BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published, nominal dollars; convention chosen for this dashboard, 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.avgWeeklyWage = -1.1 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published, nominal dollars; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchThurston County, NE's covered employment of 3,293 scores 27 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 65 across Nebraska counties, a gap of 38 points.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 38 = |27 across US counties - 65 across Nebraska counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteThurston County, NE's typical home value rose 1.4% from $169,682 in July 2026 to $172,128 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +1.4% = (172128.23390484796 - 169682.230333811) / 169682.230333811 × 100
- 172128.23390484796 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 169682.230333811 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
noteThurston County, NE's average weekly wage was 1.1% 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
- -1.1 % = 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
noteThurston County, NE's covered employment was 0.4% 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
- +0.4 % = 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
Read all 9 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.