Mercer County, ND
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 47.31, -101.83.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 54th pct · 1,404th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 76th pct · 11th of 43 North Dakota counties · median $198,465
- 74th pct · 793rd of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 42nd pct · 25th of 43 North Dakota counties · median +6.1%
- US counties: not published this period
- North Dakota counties: not published this period
- 32nd pct · 2,164th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 71st pct · 16th of 53 North Dakota counties · median 1,520
- 95th pct · 137th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 92nd pct · 5th of 53 North Dakota counties · median $1,064
- 16th pct · 2,562nd of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 30th pct · 30th 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 $245,464 (Aug 2026), +5.2% over one year, +15.6% over five
- 54th pct · 1,404th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 76th pct · 11th of 43 North Dakota counties · median $198,465
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Mercer County, ND | $245,464 · +5.2% 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
- 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 $1,344 a month on $245,464 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $7,198 a month: 18.7% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $245,464 × 80% = $196,371, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,344/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,661 × 52 / 12 = $7,198) = 19% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $245,464 / ($1,661 × 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 #
4,176 jobs at 328 employers (2026 Q1); -1.9% jobs and +5.3% average weekly wage over the year
- 32nd pct · 2,164th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 71st pct · 16th of 53 North Dakota counties · median 1,520
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Mercer County, ND | 4,176 jobs · $1,661/wk · -1.9% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utilities | 974 | $2,869 | 59.06 | +1.7% |
| Mining, oil and gas | 639 | $2,800 | 42.97 | -6.2% |
| Retail trade | 369 | $596 | 0.91 | -2.6% |
| Construction | 230 | $1,612 | 1.05 | -25.1% |
| Accommodation and food services | 213 | $334 | 0.57 | +10.4% |
| Information | 64 | $1,958 | 0.83 | -14.7% |
| Wholesale trade | 58 | $1,188 | 0.36 | +0.0% |
| Administrative and waste services | 48 | $818 | 0.20 | +9.1% |
| Other services | 41 | $978 | 0.33 | -4.7% |
| Professional and technical services | 40 | $959 | 0.14 | +0.0% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 39 | $222 | 0.57 | +5.4% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 27 | $786 | 0.15 | +3.8% |
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 #
D2 severe 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 #
20 gauges · 0 flooding · 1 with quality panels averaging 88 % · 5 stale
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 |
|---|---|---|
| KNIFE RIVER NEAR BEULAH, ND | flow 56.9 ft³/s | 7 km |
| SPRING CREEK AT ZAP, ND | flow 14.6 ft³/s | 7 km |
| KNIFE RIVER AT HAZEN, ND | flow 30.2 ft³/s | 16 km |
| GOODMAN CREEK NEAR GOLDEN VALLEY, ND | flow 2.10 ft³/s · STALE | 20 km |
| GOODMAN CREEK NORTH OF GOLDEN VALLEY, ND | stage 2.92 ft · STALE | 21 km |
| KNIFE RIVER NEAR GOLDEN VALLEY, ND | flow 3.70 ft³/s | 24 km |
| GOODMAN CREEK NR DODGE, ND | stage 0.59 ft · STALE | 25 km |
| KNIFE RIVER NR STANTON, ND | flow 47.2 ft³/s · quality 88 % (4) · STALE | 33 km |
| MISSOURI RIVER ABOVE STANTON, ND | stage 61.2 ft | 36 km |
| MISSOURI RIVER NEAR STANTON, ND | stage 7.07 ft | 37 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 #
7 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 7, 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-472121101495901 | depth 29.3 ft · 1978-10-02 | 5 km |
| USGS-472404101515402 | depth 44.9 ft · 1978-06-26 | 11 km |
| USGS-472537102144801 | depth 29.3 ft · 2023-09-29 | 34 km |
| USGS-473932101480702 | depth 110.1 ft · 1969-09-30 | 39 km |
| USGS-470037102352201 | depth 15.8 ft · 2026-10-05 | 66 km |
| USGS-473524101001701 | depth 14.4 ft · 1977-12-28 | 70 km |
| USGS-472144102453402 | depth 4.64 ft · 2021-06-30 | 70 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 #
moderate (0.36)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.50 + 0.2×0.13 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$368.7 m in deposits at 8 offices of 3 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 4,561, highly concentrated. $67.6 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $61.3 m, grants $5.8 m), $16,192 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Union State Bank of Hazen | $226.7 m · 61.5% share · 4 offices | |
| The Union Bank | $87.0 m · 23.6% share · 3 offices | |
| First Security Bank - West | $54.9 m · 14.9% share · 1 office | |
| Mercer, ND | $67.6 m FY2026 · $16,192/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $57.1 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union State Bank of Hazen | $226,700,000 | 61.5% | 4 |
| The Union Bank | $87,015,000 | 23.6% | 3 |
| First Security Bank - West | $54,942,000 | 14.9% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 4,561 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 = 61.5² + 23.6² + 14.9² = 4,561
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 | $51,516,864 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $5,417,933 |
| Department of Agriculture | $4,240,179 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $3,178,675 |
| Department of Transportation | $2,576,129 |
| Department of the Interior | $463,811 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $175,376 |
| Department of Education | $36,925 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $12,511 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
That is $16,192 per covered job, against 4,176 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $67.6 m / 4,176 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $16,192
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 | 12.28 | 2026-10-04 | -0.1% |
| 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 | -88,576.00 | 2026-07-01 | -24.4% |
| 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 #
Mercer County, ND: 8 findings, 3 at a watch level and 5 noted
watchMercer County, ND's covered employment is -1.9% 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 = -1.9 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchMercer County, ND's covered employment of 4,176 scores 33 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 71 across North Dakota counties, a gap of 38 points.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 38 = |33 across US counties - 71 across North Dakota counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchMercer County, ND's typical home value of +5.2% scores 74 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 43 across North Dakota counties, a gap of 31 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 31 = |74 across US counties - 43 across North Dakota counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteMercer County, ND's average weekly wage was 5.3% 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
- +5.3 % = 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
noteMercer County, ND's covered employment was 1.9% 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
- -1.9 % = 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 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.