Spink County, SD
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 44.92, -98.34.
Assembled 2026-10-07. Read the brief.
- 25th pct · 2,284th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 8th pct · 46th of 50 South Dakota counties · median $262,610
- 97th pct · 73rd of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 91st pct · 5th of 50 South Dakota counties · median +3.6%
- US counties: not published this period
- South Dakota counties: not published this period
- 18th pct · 2,614th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 60th pct · 27th of 66 South Dakota counties · median 1,825
- 35th pct · 2,060th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 49th pct · 34th of 66 South Dakota counties · median $978
- 30th pct · 2,140th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 8th pct · 46th of 50 South Dakota counties · median 5.1
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 $174,248 (Aug 2026), +11.5% over one year, +37.9% over five
- 25th pct · 2,284th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 8th pct · 46th of 50 South Dakota counties · median $262,610
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Spink County, SD | $174,248 · +11.5% 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
- South 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 $954 a month on $174,248 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,229 a month: 22.6% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $174,248 × 80% = $139,398, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $954/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $976 × 52 / 12 = $4,229) = 23% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $174,248 / ($976 × 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 #
2,311 jobs at 259 employers (2026 Q1); +5.7% jobs and +3.0% average weekly wage over the year
- 18th pct · 2,614th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 60th pct · 27th of 66 South Dakota counties · median 1,825
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Spink County, SD | 2,311 jobs · $976/wk · +5.7% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 299 | $1,100 | 17.91 | +49.5% |
| Wholesale trade | 193 | $1,623 | 2.18 | -4.5% |
| Health care and social assistance | 191 | $649 | 0.55 | -1.5% |
| Retail trade | 182 | $481 | 0.81 | +3.4% |
| Finance and insurance | 89 | $1,527 | 0.95 | +0.0% |
| Manufacturing | 86 | $1,273 | 0.46 | +0.0% |
| Construction | 62 | $1,148 | 0.51 | +0.0% |
| Professional and technical services | 43 | $1,282 | 0.27 | +2.4% |
| Real estate and rental | 8 | $187 | 0.23 | -11.1% |
| Educational services | 8 | $418 | 0.16 | +14.3% |
| Utilities | withheld | |||
| Transportation and warehousing | 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 #
D0 abnormally dry
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 #
14 gauges · 0 flooding · 0 with quality panels
Sites found: 14, 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 REDFIELD, SD | flow 80.4 ft³/s · no flooding | 11 km |
| JAMES RIVER AT ASHTON, SD | flow 112.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 14 km |
| Snake Creek near Ashton | no flooding | 14 km |
| Turtle Creek at Redfield | observation not current | 14 km |
| Snake Creek above Ashton | no readings | 18 km |
| Turtle Creek near Tulare | out of service | 29 km |
| Turtle Creek near Tulare | no flooding | 29 km |
| Mud Creek (NE SD) near Brentford | no flooding | 35 km |
| JAMES RIVER NEAR STRATFORD, SD | flow 49.5 ft³/s · no flooding | 36 km |
| MOCCASIN CREEK NEAR ABERDEEN, SD | stage 13.4 ft | 52 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 #
3 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 3, 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-442254098174501 | depth 13.1 ft · 2024-10-02 | 60 km |
| USGS-442112098174001 | depth 39.1 ft · 2002-09-29 | 64 km |
| USGS-453358098260101 | depth 4.32 ft · 2026-10-05 | 72 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 #
$262.1 m in deposits at 7 offices of 6 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,078, highly concentrated. $63.7 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $52.1 m, grants $11.0 m), $27,552 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Heartland State Bank | $89.7 m · 34.2% share · 2 offices | |
| American Bank & Trust | $48.0 m · 18.3% share · 1 office | |
| The Farmers State Bank of Turton | $34.9 m · 13.3% share · 1 office | |
| Spink, SD | $63.7 m FY2026 · $27,552/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $35.7 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heartland State Bank | $89,676,000 | 34.2% | 2 |
| American Bank & Trust | $47,984,000 | 18.3% | 1 |
| The Farmers State Bank of Turton | $34,856,000 | 13.3% | 1 |
| First Interstate Bank | $34,124,000 | 13.0% | 1 |
| BMO Bank National Association | $29,998,000 | 11.4% | 1 |
| Plains Commerce Bank | $25,443,000 | 9.7% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,078 across 6 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 6 banks with deposits in the county = 34.2² + 18.3² + 13.3² + … (3 more) = 2,078
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 | $32,283,601 |
| Department of Agriculture | $16,348,177 |
| Department of Transportation | $10,939,917 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $3,703,467 |
| Department of Defense | $221,480 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $82,481 |
| Department of Education | $54,307 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $38,131 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
That is $27,552 per covered job, against 2,311 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $63.7 m / 2,311 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $27,552
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 #
Spink County, SD: 13 findings, 1 at a watch level and 12 noted
watchSpink County, SD's covered employment of 2,311 scores 19 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 60 across South Dakota counties, a gap of 41 points.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 41 = |19 across US counties - 60 across South Dakota counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteSpink County, SD's covered employment was 5.7% 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
- +5.7 % = 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
noteSpink County, SD's average weekly wage was 3.0% 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
- +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
noteSpink County, SD's momentum index of 0.85 ranks 2nd of 66 South Dakota counties, against a median of 0.15.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 98 on the 0-to-100 scale across 66 South Dakota counties that published momentum
- momentum = Σ wᵢ · clip(changeᵢ / scaleᵢ, −1, 1) / Σ wᵢ over the terms present; weights and scales: home value 1-yr change 0.3 (±10%), rent 1-yr change 0.15 (±10%), jobs over-the-year change 0.3 (±3%), avg weekly wage over-the-year change 0.25 (±6%)
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteSpink County, SD's momentum index of 0.85 ranks 55th of 3,221 US counties, against a median of 0.23.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 98 on the 0-to-100 scale across 3221 US counties that published momentum
- momentum = Σ wᵢ · clip(changeᵢ / scaleᵢ, −1, 1) / Σ wᵢ over the terms present; weights and scales: home value 1-yr change 0.3 (±10%), rent 1-yr change 0.15 (±10%), jobs over-the-year change 0.3 (±3%), avg weekly wage over-the-year change 0.25 (±6%)
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.