Valley County, NE
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 41.56, -98.98.
Assembled 2026-10-07. Read the brief.
- 32nd pct · 2,068th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 35th pct · 58th of 89 Nebraska counties · median $218,486
- 49th pct · 1,551st of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 37th pct · 56th of 89 Nebraska counties · median +4.0%
- US counties: not published this period
- Nebraska counties: not published this period
- 13th pct · 2,783rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 45th pct · 51st of 93 Nebraska counties · median 2,151
- 17th pct · 2,654th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 29th pct · 65th of 93 Nebraska counties · median $970
- 46th pct · 1,651st of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 51st pct · 44th 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 $189,476 (Aug 2026), +2.9% over one year, +28.4% over five
- 32nd pct · 2,068th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 35th pct · 58th of 89 Nebraska counties · median $218,486
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Valley County, NE | $189,476 · +2.9% 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 $1,037 a month on $189,476 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $3,861 a month: 26.9% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $189,476 × 80% = $151,581, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,037/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $891 × 52 / 12 = $3,861) = 27% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $189,476 / ($891 × 52) = 4.1
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 #
1,718 jobs at 230 employers (2026 Q1); -0.7% jobs and +5.9% average weekly wage over the year
- 13th pct · 2,783rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 45th pct · 51st of 93 Nebraska counties · median 2,151
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Valley County, NE | 1,718 jobs · $891/wk · -0.7% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 248 | $512 | 1.48 | -1.2% |
| Wholesale trade | 129 | $1,078 | 1.96 | -9.8% |
| Manufacturing | 104 | $737 | 0.75 | -2.8% |
| Construction | 92 | $1,006 | 1.02 | -1.1% |
| Other services | 49 | $645 | 0.95 | +16.7% |
| Information | 14 | $734 | 0.44 | -6.7% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | withheld | |||
| Mining, oil and gas | withheld | |||
| Utilities | withheld | |||
| Transportation and warehousing | withheld | |||
| Finance and insurance | withheld | |||
| Real estate and rental | 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 #
D0 abnormally dry
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 #
19 gauges · 0 flooding · 3 with quality panels averaging 94 % · 9 stale
Sites found: 19, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| NORTH LOUP RIVER AT ORD, NE | flow 940.0 ft³/s · no flooding · STALE | 7 km |
| MIRA CREEK NR NORTH LOUP, NE | flow 1.10 ft³/s · no flooding · STALE | 17 km |
| MIDDLE LOUP R. AT ARCADIA, NEBR. | flow 1,040 ft³/s · STALE | 20 km |
| Davis Creek at Davis Creek Dam | no flooding | 26 km |
| CALAMUS RIVER NEAR BURWELL, NEBR. | flow 319.0 ft³/s · no flooding · STALE | 32 km |
| Calamus River at Calamus Dam | no readings | 35 km |
| North Loup River at Taylor, Nebr. | flow 612.0 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 41 km |
| USGS-414637099224701 | temp 13.5 °C · quality 100 % (1) · no flooding · STALE | 41 km |
| CEDAR RIVER NEAR SPALDING, NE | flow 154.0 ft³/s · no flooding · STALE | 48 km |
| Middle Loup River at Rockville | no flooding | 52 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 #
10 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 10, 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-413156098591201 | depth 28.0 ft · 2019-10-06 | 4 km |
| USGS-414637099224701 | depth 7.64 ft · 2017-10-23 | 41 km |
| USGS-410156098442601 | depth 9.41 ft · 2026-10-05 | 63 km |
| USGS-410248099164701 | depth 108.1 ft · 2026-10-05 | 63 km |
| USGS-410102098374201 | depth 73.3 ft · 2026-10-05 | 68 km |
| USGS-413038099482701 | depth 77.1 ft · 1994-08-02 | 69 km |
| USGS-405855098383001 | depth 107.3 ft · 2026-10-05 | 71 km |
| USGS-411126099422501 | depth 2.50 ft · 2026-10-05 | 73 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 (0.02)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.06 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$241.6 m in deposits at 6 offices of 6 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,593, highly concentrated. $29.6 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $29.0 m, grants $585,263), $17,216 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| First National Bank in Ord | $105.4 m · 43.6% share · 1 office | |
| BankFirst | $36.2 m · 15.0% share · 1 office | |
| Pathway Bank | $35.2 m · 14.6% share · 1 office | |
| Valley, NE | $29.6 m FY2026 · $17,216/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $24.5 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| First National Bank in Ord | $105,361,000 | 43.6% | 1 |
| BankFirst | $36,233,000 | 15.0% | 1 |
| Pathway Bank | $35,243,000 | 14.6% | 1 |
| Security First Bank | $28,450,000 | 11.8% | 1 |
| Cornerstone Bank | $20,592,000 | 8.5% | 1 |
| First Nebraska Bank | $15,730,000 | 6.5% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,593 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 = 43.6² + 15.0² + 14.6² + … (3 more) = 2,593
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 | $21,994,884 |
| Department of Agriculture | $4,395,243 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $2,404,169 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $455,436 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $140,003 |
| Department of Transportation | $109,000 |
| Department of Education | $39,294 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $38,371 |
That is $17,216 per covered job, against 1,718 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $29.6 m / 1,718 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $17,216
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 #
Valley County, NE: 7 findings, 2 at a watch level and 5 noted
watchValley County, NE's covered employment is -0.7% 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 = -0.7 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchValley County, NE's covered employment of 1,718 scores 14 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 46 across Nebraska counties, a gap of 32 points.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 32 = |14 across US counties - 46 across Nebraska counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteValley County, NE's average weekly wage was 5.9% 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
- +5.9 % = 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
noteValley County, NE's covered employment was 0.7% 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
- -0.7 % = 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
noteValley County, NE's typical home value fell 0.4% from $190,208 in July 2026 to $189,476 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- -0.4% = (189476.4755686838 - 190208.3853222949) / 190208.3853222949 × 100
- 189476.4755686838 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 190208.3853222949 = 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.