Towner County, ND
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 48.68, -99.25.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 7th pct · 2,848th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 2nd pct · 42nd of 43 North Dakota counties · median $198,465
- 90th pct · 294th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 78th pct · 10th of 43 North Dakota counties · median +6.1%
- US counties: not published this period
- North Dakota counties: not published this period
- 3rd pct · 3,110th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 15th pct · 45th of 53 North Dakota counties · median 1,520
- 42nd pct · 1,846th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 32nd pct · 36th of 53 North Dakota counties · median $1,064
- 7th pct · 2,824th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 4th pct · 41st 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 $122,053 (Aug 2026), +7.8% over one year, -4.4% over five
- 7th pct · 2,848th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 2nd pct · 42nd of 43 North Dakota counties · median $198,465
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Towner County, ND | $122,053 · +7.8% 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 $668 a month on $122,053 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,364 a month: 15.3% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $122,053 × 80% = $97,642, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $668/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,007 × 52 / 12 = $4,364) = 15% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $122,053 / ($1,007 × 52) = 2.3
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 #
654 jobs at 98 employers (2026 Q1); +2.7% jobs and +1.3% average weekly wage over the year
- 3rd pct · 3,110th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 15th pct · 45th of 53 North Dakota counties · median 1,520
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Towner County, ND | 654 jobs · $1,007/wk · +2.7% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 75 | $1,056 | 15.88 | +44.2% |
| Retail trade | 51 | $495 | 0.80 | +6.2% |
| Finance and insurance | 33 | $1,365 | 1.24 | +6.5% |
| Other services | 21 | $403 | 1.07 | +10.5% |
| Professional and technical services | 13 | $1,425 | 0.29 | +0.0% |
| Real estate and rental | 7 | $643 | 0.70 | +16.7% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 6 | $658 | 0.22 | +0.0% |
| Utilities | withheld | |||
| Construction | withheld | |||
| Manufacturing | withheld | |||
| Wholesale trade | 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 #
18 gauges · 0 flooding · 0 with quality panels
Sites found: 18, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| MAUVAIS COULEE NEAR CANDO, ND | flow 0.77 ft³/s | 24 km |
| MAUVAIS COULEE TRIB NO. 3 NEAR CANDO, ND | flow 0.39 ft³/s | 25 km |
| Mauvais Coulee near Cando | no readings | 28 km |
| STARKWEATHER COULEE NEAR WEBSTER, ND | flow 3.27 ft³/s | 46 km |
| BIG COULEE AT HWY 2 NEAR CHURCHS FERRY, ND | stage 50.2 ft | 47 km |
| Cypress Creek near Clearwater | no readings | 49 km |
| Badger Creek (MB) near Cartwright MB | no readings | 49 km |
| LITTLE COULEE NEAR LEEDS, ND | flow 38.1 ft³/s | 50 km |
| Long River (MB) at Holmfield MB | no readings | 53 km |
| EDMORE COULEE NEAR EDMORE, ND | flow 11.9 ft³/s | 58 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 #
13 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 13, 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-483750099150502 | depth 6.88 ft · 1982-09-15 | 6 km |
| USGS-482908099134601 | depth 9.80 ft · 2021-06-30 | 22 km |
| USGS-484731099504104 | depth 11.0 ft · 2001-09-29 | 45 km |
| USGS-484632099513001 | depth 8.35 ft · 1982-11-30 | 46 km |
| USGS-484310099572401 | depth 32.3 ft · 2001-09-29 | 52 km |
| USGS-482212099475801 | depth 8.73 ft · 2026-10-05 | 53 km |
| USGS-481001099132201 | depth 16.1 ft · 1970-11-30 | 57 km |
| USGS-482246099530603 | depth 93.6 ft · 1976-12-26 | 58 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 #
$117.9 m in deposits at 5 offices of 2 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 5,761, highly concentrated. $30.0 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $29.0 m, grants $1.0 m), $45,845 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| First United Bank | $81.9 m · 69.5% share · 4 offices | |
| Bravera Bank | $35.9 m · 30.5% share · 1 office | |
| Towner, ND | $30.0 m FY2026 · $45,845/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $14.6 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| First United Bank | $81,909,000 | 69.5% | 4 |
| Bravera Bank | $35,942,000 | 30.5% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 5,761 across 2 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 2 banks with deposits in the county = 69.5² + 30.5² = 5,761
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 | $14,367,127 |
| Social Security Administration | $13,236,003 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $1,209,564 |
| Department of Transportation | $898,320 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $141,163 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $127,843 |
| Department of Education | $3,123 |
| Federal Communications Commission | -$424 |
That is $45,845 per covered job, against 654 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $30.0 m / 654 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $45,845
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 | -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 #
Towner County, ND: 14 findings, 1 at a watch level and 13 noted
watchTowner County, ND's typical home value is -1.9% 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 = -1.893995438245625 <= -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
noteTowner County, ND's covered employment was 2.7% 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
- +2.7 % = 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
noteTowner County, ND's typical home value fell 1.9% from $124,409 in July 2026 to $122,053 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- -1.9% = (122052.91231709154 - 124409.21721591812) / 124409.21721591812 × 100
- 122052.91231709154 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 124409.21721591812 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
noteTowner County, ND's average weekly wage 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
noteTowner County, ND's typical home value of $122,053 ranks 42nd of 43 North Dakota counties, against a median of $198,465.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 2 on the 0-to-100 scale across 43 North Dakota counties that published home.latest
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
Read all 12 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.