Cavalier County, ND
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 48.77, -98.46.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 27th pct · 2,236th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 35th pct · 28th of 43 North Dakota counties · median $198,465
- 98th pct · 55th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 92nd pct · 4th of 43 North Dakota counties · median +6.1%
- US counties: not published this period
- North Dakota counties: not published this period
- 8th pct · 2,939th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 38th pct · 33rd of 53 North Dakota counties · median 1,520
- 41st pct · 1,876th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 28th pct · 38th of 53 North Dakota counties · median $1,064
- 29th pct · 2,156th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 52nd pct · 21st of 43 North Dakota counties · median 3.3
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 $177,443 (Aug 2026), +12.3% over one year, +18.0% over five
- 27th pct · 2,236th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 35th pct · 28th of 43 North Dakota counties · median $198,465
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Cavalier County, ND | $177,443 · +12.3% 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
- North Dakota 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 $971 a month on $177,443 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,342 a month: 22.4% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $177,443 × 80% = $141,954, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $971/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,002 × 52 / 12 = $4,342) = 22% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $177,443 / ($1,002 × 52) = 3.4
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 #
1,238 jobs at 178 employers (2026 Q1); +1.3% jobs and -0.9% average weekly wage over the year
- 8th pct · 2,939th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 38th pct · 33rd of 53 North Dakota counties · median 1,520
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Cavalier County, ND | 1,238 jobs · $1,002/wk · +1.3% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 184 | $910 | 0.99 | -1.6% |
| Retail trade | 155 | $717 | 1.28 | +2.6% |
| Wholesale trade | 143 | $1,641 | 3.02 | +11.7% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 59 | $931 | 1.13 | -20.3% |
| Other services | 53 | $618 | 1.43 | +0.0% |
| Construction | 42 | $637 | 0.65 | +0.0% |
| Utilities | 29 | $2,278 | 5.93 | +26.1% |
| Professional and technical services | 8 | $1,584 | 0.09 | -33.3% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | withheld | |||
| Mining, oil and gas | withheld | |||
| Manufacturing | withheld | |||
| 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 #
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 #
19 gauges · 0 flooding · 0 with quality panels
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Mowbray Creek near Mowbray | no readings | 26 km |
| Snowflake Creek near Snowflake MB | no readings | 30 km |
| Pembina River near Windygates | no readings | 32 km |
| LITTLE SOUTH PEMBINA RIVER NEAR WALHALLA, ND | flow 2.17 ft³/s | 35 km |
| PEMBINA RIVER AT WALHALLA, ND | flow 138.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 43 km |
| EDMORE COULEE NEAR EDMORE, ND | flow 11.6 ft³/s | 50 km |
| Cypress Creek near Clearwater | no readings | 52 km |
| TONGUE RIVER AT AKRA, ND | flow 0.04 ft³/s | 53 km |
| Pembina River near La Riviere | no readings | 54 km |
| MAUVAIS COULEE NEAR CANDO, ND | flow 0.83 ft³/s | 57 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 #
9 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 9, 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-484534098254401 | depth 8.65 ft · 1974-09-29 | 3 km |
| USGS-485425097550502 | depth 6.47 ft · 1982-01-10 | 43 km |
| USGS-482449098095801 | depth -2.77 ft · 1970-07-23 | 45 km |
| USGS-481929098392601 | depth 11.2 ft · 1976-10-08 | 51 km |
| USGS-484607097445506 | depth 13.8 ft · 1982-12-02 | 52 km |
| USGS-484607097445501 | depth 12.6 ft · 1974-12-03 | 52 km |
| USGS-483750099150502 | depth 6.88 ft · 1982-09-15 | 60 km |
| USGS-482908099134601 | depth 9.80 ft · 2021-06-30 | 65 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 / 0.35
Banks & federal dollars #
$360.8 m in deposits at 5 offices of 3 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 3,458, highly concentrated. $68.8 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $68.6 m, grants $153,810), $55,560 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Choice Financial Group | $153.1 m · 42.4% share · 1 office | |
| Farmers and Merchants State Bank | $105.6 m · 29.3% share · 1 office | |
| Horizon Financial Bank | $102.1 m · 28.3% share · 3 offices | |
| Cavalier, ND | $68.8 m FY2026 · $55,560/job | |
| REDACTED DUE TO PII | $44.4 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Choice Financial Group | $153,085,000 | 42.4% | 1 |
| Farmers and Merchants State Bank | $105,619,000 | 29.3% | 1 |
| Horizon Financial Bank | $102,097,000 | 28.3% | 3 |
Deposit concentration is 3,458 across 3 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 3 banks with deposits in the county = 42.4² + 29.3² + 28.3² = 3,458
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 Agriculture | $44,583,848 |
| Social Security Administration | $22,194,213 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $1,276,499 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $455,670 |
| Department of Transportation | $127,360 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $68,003 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $51,004 |
| Department of Education | $27,496 |
| Department of the Interior | $0 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
| Department of Homeland Security | -$1,046 |
That is $55,560 per covered job, against 1,238 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $68.8 m / 1,238 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $55,560
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 | -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 #
Cavalier County, ND: 8 findings, 1 at a watch level and 7 noted
watchCavalier County, ND's average weekly wage is -0.9% 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 = -0.9 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published, nominal dollars; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
noteCavalier County, ND's covered employment was 1.3% 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
- +1.3 % = 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
noteCavalier County, ND's average weekly wage was 0.9% 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
- -0.9 % = 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
noteCavalier County, ND's typical home value fell 0.3% from $177,957 in July 2026 to $177,443 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- -0.3% = (177442.87213255162 - 177957.20207082396) / 177957.20207082396 × 100
- 177442.87213255162 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 177957.20207082396 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
noteCavalier County, ND's typical home value of +12.3% ranks 55th of 3,063 US counties, against a median of +2.9%.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 98 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 8 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.