McHenry County, ND
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 48.23, -100.63.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 17th pct · 2,542nd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 26th pct · 32nd of 43 North Dakota counties · median $198,465
- counties in the Minot metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Minot metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 73rd pct · 817th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 40th pct · 26th of 43 North Dakota counties · median +6.1%
- counties in the Minot metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Minot metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- US counties: not published this period
- North Dakota counties: not published this period
- counties in the Minot metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Minot metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 8th pct · 2,935th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 40th pct · 32nd of 53 North Dakota counties · median 1,520
- counties in the Minot metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Minot metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 55th pct · 1,429th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 50th pct · 27th of 53 North Dakota counties · median $1,064
- counties in the Minot metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Minot metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 15th pct · 2,599th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 28th pct · 31st of 43 North Dakota counties · median 3.3
- counties in the Minot metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Minot metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
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 $153,312 (Aug 2026), +5.1% over one year, -16.5% over five
- 17th pct · 2,542nd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 26th pct · 32nd of 43 North Dakota counties · median $198,465
- counties in the Minot metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Minot metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| McHenry County, ND | $153,312 · +5.1% 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
- counties in the Minot metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Minot metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
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 $839 a month on $153,312 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,611 a month: 18.2% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $153,312 × 80% = $122,649, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $839/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,064 × 52 / 12 = $4,611) = 18% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $153,312 / ($1,064 × 52) = 2.8
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 #
1,243 jobs at 234 employers (2026 Q1); -3.9% jobs and 0.0% average weekly wage over the year
- 8th pct · 2,935th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 40th pct · 32nd of 53 North Dakota counties · median 1,520
- counties in the Minot metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Minot metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| McHenry County, ND | 1,243 jobs · $1,064/wk · -3.9% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wholesale trade | 132 | $1,680 | 2.77 | +0.0% |
| Manufacturing | 107 | $1,625 | 1.07 | +0.0% |
| Retail trade | 104 | $699 | 0.86 | -1.9% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 75 | $759 | 8.35 | -10.7% |
| Accommodation and food services | 37 | $222 | 0.33 | -24.5% |
| Finance and insurance | 28 | $1,355 | 0.55 | +0.0% |
| Professional and technical services | 28 | $1,332 | 0.33 | -6.7% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 16 | $202 | 0.78 | -20.0% |
| Real estate and rental | 8 | $853 | 0.42 | +0.0% |
| Mining, oil and gas | withheld | |||
| Utilities | withheld | |||
| Construction | 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 #
15 gauges · 0 flooding · 2 with quality panels averaging 92 % · 1 stale
Sites found: 15, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| SOURIS RIVER NEAR VERENDRYE, ND | flow 320.0 ft³/s | 11 km |
| WINTERING RIVER NEAR KARLSRUHE, ND | stage 6.31 ft · no flooding | 13 km |
| Souris River near Towner | observation not current | 21 km |
| Souris River at Velva | observation not current | 29 km |
| BONNES COULEE NEAR VELVA, ND | flow 0.81 ft³/s | 31 km |
| SOURIS RIVER NEAR BANTRY, ND | flow 335.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 34 km |
| Souris River at Sawyer | observation not current | 35 km |
| Souris River at Logan | observation not current | 40 km |
| WILLOW CREEK NEAR WILLOW CITY, ND | flow 39.5 ft³/s · no flooding | 42 km |
| DEEP RIVER NEAR UPHAM, ND | flow 0.00 ft³/s | 42 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 #
16 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 16, 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-480913100372501 | depth 75.1 ft · 2021-06-30 | 9 km |
| USGS-482305100231802 | depth 14.9 ft · 1975-08-26 | 25 km |
| USGS-481058101120403 | depth 56.9 ft · 2021-06-30 | 43 km |
| USGS-481348101152601 | depth 22.6 ft · 1976-09-02 | 46 km |
| USGS-482033099594901 | depth 5.18 ft · 1973-12-31 | 49 km |
| USGS-474958100565001 | depth 2.34 ft · 1994-12-15 | 50 km |
| USGS-481421101185403 | depth 49.8 ft · 1976-09-02 | 51 km |
| USGS-481355101201203 | depth 44.1 ft · 1976-09-02 | 52 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 (0.03)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.08 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$164.0 m in deposits at 6 offices of 4 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 3,366, highly concentrated. $47.4 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $45.9 m, grants $1.3 m), $38,112 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Merchants Bank | $67.1 m · 40.9% share · 3 offices | |
| Peoples State Bank of Velva | $56.6 m · 34.5% share · 1 office | |
| Bravera Bank | $36.5 m · 22.3% share · 1 office | |
| McHenry, ND | $47.4 m FY2026 · $38,112/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $34.7 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merchants Bank | $67,063,000 | 40.9% | 3 |
| Peoples State Bank of Velva | $56,614,000 | 34.5% | 1 |
| Bravera Bank | $36,514,000 | 22.3% | 1 |
| First State Bank of Harvey | $3,793,000 | 2.3% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 3,366 across 4 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 4 banks with deposits in the county = 40.9² + 34.5² + 22.3² + … (1 more) = 3,366
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 | $27,015,767 |
| Department of Agriculture | $11,197,610 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $5,443,635 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $2,202,926 |
| Department of Transportation | $674,236 |
| Department of the Treasury | $608,064 |
| Department of Commerce | $79,300 |
| Department of the Interior | $60,758 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $52,575 |
| Department of Education | $30,083 |
| Department of Defense | $8,000 |
That is $38,112 per covered job, against 1,243 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $47.4 m / 1,243 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $38,112
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 #
McHenry County, ND: 11 findings, 1 at an alert level, 3 at a watch level and 7 noted
alertMcHenry County, ND's covered employment is -3.9% against a year earlier, an alert level here: covered employment at least 3 percent below the same quarter a year earlier (BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; 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.emp = -3.9 <= -3
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchMcHenry County, ND's covered employment is -3.9% 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 = -3.9 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchMcHenry County, ND's typical home value of +5.1% scores 73 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 40 across North Dakota counties, a gap of 33 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 33 = |73 across US counties - 40 across North Dakota counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchMcHenry County, ND's covered employment of 1,243 scores 9 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 40 across North Dakota counties, a gap of 32 points.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 32 = |9 across US counties - 40 across North Dakota counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteMcHenry County, ND's covered employment was 3.9% 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
- -3.9 % = 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
Read all 11 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.