Foster County, ND
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 47.47, -98.87.
Assembled 2026-10-07. Read the brief.
- 29th pct · 2,165th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 38th pct · 27th of 43 North Dakota counties · median $198,465
- 83rd pct · 503rd of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 57th pct · 19th of 43 North Dakota counties · median +6.1%
- US counties: not published this period
- North Dakota counties: not published this period
- 11th pct · 2,845th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 50th pct · 27th of 53 North Dakota counties · median 1,520
- 52nd pct · 1,525th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 46th pct · 29th of 53 North Dakota counties · median $1,064
- 28th pct · 2,205th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 50th pct · 22nd 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 $182,222 (Aug 2026), +6.5% over one year, +10.3% over five
- 29th pct · 2,165th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 38th pct · 27th of 43 North Dakota counties · median $198,465
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Foster County, ND | $182,222 · +6.5% 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 $997 a month on $182,222 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,550 a month: 21.9% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $182,222 × 80% = $145,778, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $997/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,050 × 52 / 12 = $4,550) = 22% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $182,222 / ($1,050 × 52) = 3.3
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 #
1,520 jobs at 179 employers (2026 Q1); +4.0% jobs and -3.0% average weekly wage over the year
- 11th pct · 2,845th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 50th pct · 27th of 53 North Dakota counties · median 1,520
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Foster County, ND | 1,520 jobs · $1,050/wk · +4.0% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 276 | $1,082 | 2.26 | -3.8% |
| Retail trade | 230 | $687 | 1.55 | +6.0% |
| Health care and social assistance | 205 | $1,033 | 0.90 | +1.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 156 | $1,518 | 2.68 | +4.7% |
| Accommodation and food services | 79 | $351 | 0.58 | +12.9% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 59 | $962 | 5.37 | +18.0% |
| Construction | 50 | $956 | 0.63 | +13.6% |
| Professional and technical services | 17 | $1,528 | 0.16 | +13.3% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 17 | $214 | 0.68 | +21.4% |
| Utilities | withheld | |||
| Transportation and warehousing | 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 #
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 #
17 gauges · 0 flooding · 7 with quality panels averaging 79 % · 5 stale
Sites found: 17, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| JAMES RIVER NEAR MANFRED, ND | flow 0.00 ft³/s · quality 50 % (2) · STALE | 74 km |
| JAMES RIVER NR GRACE CITY, ND | flow 3.69 ft³/s | 10 km |
| JAMES RIVER ABOVE ARROWWOOD LAKE NR KENSAL, ND | flow 43.6 ft³/s | 10 km |
| PIPESTEM CREEK ON US RT 52 WEST OF CARRINGTON, ND | stage 37.0 ft · STALE | 29 km |
| PIPESTEM CREEK NEAR PINGREE, ND | flow 7.38 ft³/s | 35 km |
| SHEYENNE RIVER NEAR WARWICK, ND | flow 72.2 ft³/s | 39 km |
| PIPESTEM CREEK NEAR BUCHANAN, ND | flow 13.2 ft³/s | 45 km |
| SHEYENNE R BL DEVILS LK STATE OUTLET NR BREMEN, ND | flow 41.9 ft³/s · quality 75 % (2) | 49 km |
| TOLNA COULEE NEAR TOLNA, ND | flow 0.41 ft³/s · quality 75 % (2) | 52 km |
| SHEYENNE RIVER AT CO RD 20 NEAR KLOTEN, ND | flow 62.0 ft³/s | 61 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 #
12 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 12, 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-473057099054601 | depth 18.4 ft · 1986-09-01 | 18 km |
| USGS-473051099093601 | depth 20.1 ft · 2021-06-29 | 22 km |
| USGS-472419098261201 | depth 6.31 ft · 1974-12-05 | 34 km |
| USGS-472412098261201 | depth -0.32 ft · 2021-06-30 | 34 km |
| USGS-475224098443202 | depth 15.3 ft · 2021-06-30 | 46 km |
| USGS-475743098341201 | depth 9.48 ft · 1974-12-31 | 59 km |
| USGS-474806098133401 | depth 44.6 ft · 1997-12-16 | 61 km |
| USGS-472555098013501 | depth 7.73 ft · 1982-11-29 | 64 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 (0.24)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.25 + 0.2×0.21 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$292.3 m in deposits at 3 offices of 3 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 3,384, highly concentrated. $25.6 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $23.4 m, grants $2.1 m), $16,814 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Old National Bank | $110.7 m · 37.9% share · 1 office | |
| Bank Forward | $100.0 m · 34.2% share · 1 office | |
| Gate City Bank | $81.6 m · 27.9% share · 1 office | |
| Foster, ND | $25.6 m FY2026 · $16,814/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $18.7 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old National Bank | $110,707,000 | 37.9% | 1 |
| Bank Forward | $100,029,000 | 34.2% | 1 |
| Gate City Bank | $81,602,000 | 27.9% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 3,384 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 = 37.9² + 34.2² + 27.9² = 3,384
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 | $16,795,464 |
| Department of Agriculture | $4,705,256 |
| Department of Transportation | $2,121,462 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $1,250,025 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $609,401 |
| Department of Energy | $55,366 |
| Department of Education | $15,494 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $5,469 |
| Department of the Interior | $0 |
That is $16,814 per covered job, against 1,520 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $25.6 m / 1,520 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $16,814
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 #
Foster County, ND: 10 findings, 3 at a watch level and 7 noted
watchFoster County, ND's average weekly wage is -3.0% 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 = -3 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published, nominal dollars; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchFoster County, ND's typical home value is -1.0% against the previous month, a watch level here: typical home value at least 1 percent below the previous month (arithmetic on the Zillow ZHVI month columns; 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 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- test: home.momPct = -1.012203417329772 <= -1
- month-over-month percent change = (newest month − previous month) / |previous month| × 100, from Zillow's own published month columns
arithmetic on the Zillow ZHVI month columns; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchFoster County, ND's covered employment of 1,520 scores 12 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 50 across North Dakota counties, a gap of 38 points.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 38 = |12 across US counties - 50 across North Dakota counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteFoster County, ND's covered employment was 4.0% 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
- +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
noteFoster County, ND's average weekly wage was 3.0% 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
- -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
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.