Buffalo County, WI
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 44.39, -91.76.
Assembled 2026-10-07. Read the brief.
- 58th pct · 1,285th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 23rd pct · 55th of 72 Wisconsin counties · median $298,900
- 94th pct · 157th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 90th pct · 8th of 72 Wisconsin counties · median +6.0%
- US counties: not published this period
- Wisconsin counties: not published this period
- 26th pct · 2,373rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 7th pct · 67th of 72 Wisconsin counties · median 15,405
- 29th pct · 2,256th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 24th pct · 54th of 72 Wisconsin counties · median $1,037
- 67th pct · 999th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 43rd pct · 41st of 72 Wisconsin counties · median 5.4
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 $256,857 (Aug 2026), +9.4% over one year, +32.6% over five
- 58th pct · 1,285th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 23rd pct · 55th of 72 Wisconsin counties · median $298,900
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo County, WI | $256,857 · +9.4% 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
- Wisconsin 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 $1,406 a month on $256,857 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,125 a month: 34.1% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $256,857 × 80% = $205,486, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,406/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $952 × 52 / 12 = $4,125) = 34% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $256,857 / ($952 × 52) = 5.2
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 #
3,233 jobs at 422 employers (2026 Q1); -3.4% jobs and +1.2% average weekly wage over the year
- 26th pct · 2,373rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 7th pct · 67th of 72 Wisconsin counties · median 15,405
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo County, WI | 3,233 jobs · $952/wk · -3.4% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transportation and warehousing | 460 | $1,311 | 3.38 | -6.3% |
| Retail trade | 273 | $481 | 0.87 | -8.4% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 247 | $828 | 10.58 | +2.9% |
| Accommodation and food services | 235 | $238 | 0.81 | +4.4% |
| Manufacturing | 215 | $934 | 0.83 | -12.6% |
| Finance and insurance | 141 | $1,381 | 1.07 | -0.7% |
| Administrative and waste services | 127 | $1,118 | 0.69 | +1.6% |
| Construction | 114 | $1,031 | 0.67 | +0.0% |
| Other services | 54 | $782 | 0.56 | -10.0% |
| Information | 16 | $1,590 | 0.27 | -33.3% |
| Real estate and rental | 13 | $708 | 0.26 | -7.1% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 11 | $466 | 0.21 | -15.4% |
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 #
37 gauges · 0 flooding · 1 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 13 stale
Sites found: 37, 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-053793306 | flow 0.03 ft³/s · STALE | 17 km |
| USGS-053793305 | flow 0.13 ft³/s · STALE | 17 km |
| USGS-05378183 | flow 7.10 ft³/s · STALE | 20 km |
| USGS-05378185 | flow 18.0 ft³/s · STALE | 21 km |
| USGS-05379400 | flow 415.0 ft³/s | 25 km |
| USGS-05369500 | flow 2,520 ft³/s | 32 km |
| USGS-05376800 | flow 176.0 ft³/s · STALE | 33 km |
| USGS-05379500 | flow 512.0 ft³/s | 33 km |
| USGS-05378490 | stage 5.95 ft | 34 km |
| USGS-05378500 | flow 13,200 ft³/s | 38 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 #
6 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 6, 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-443420091465901 | depth 34.1 ft · 2026-06-29 | 21 km |
| USGS-441743091153101 | depth 42.6 ft · 2026-08-25 | 41 km |
| USGS-435723092171801 | depth 7.98 ft · 2024-08-13 | 64 km |
| USGS-440349092255901 | depth 78.7 ft · 2007-09-29 | 64 km |
| USGS-440329092255803 | depth 212.8 ft · 2007-09-29 | 65 km |
| USGS-445544091155701 | depth 31.0 ft · 2026-06-29 | 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 #
low (0.00)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.00 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$419.9 m in deposits at 9 offices of 4 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 3,085, highly concentrated. $118.7 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $96.8 m, grants $12.7 m), $36,723 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Alliance Bank | $182.4 m · 43.4% share · 3 offices | |
| Bank of Alma | $99.5 m · 23.7% share · 2 offices | |
| Waumandee State Bank | $98.2 m · 23.4% share · 3 offices | |
| Buffalo, WI | $118.7 m FY2026 · $36,723/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $90.8 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alliance Bank | $182,351,000 | 43.4% | 3 |
| Bank of Alma | $99,500,000 | 23.7% | 2 |
| Waumandee State Bank | $98,202,000 | 23.4% | 3 |
| CCFBank National Association | $39,822,000 | 9.5% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 3,085 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 = 43.4² + 23.7² + 23.4² + … (1 more) = 3,085
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 | $77,178,694 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $13,023,966 |
| Department of Transportation | $12,158,970 |
| Department of Defense | $9,200,959 |
| Department of Agriculture | $5,816,660 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $579,034 |
| Department of Justice | $387,707 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $193,791 |
| Department of Education | $104,645 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $81,550 |
That is $36,723 per covered job, against 3,233 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $118.7 m / 3,233 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $36,723
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 #
Buffalo County, WI: 13 findings, 1 at an alert level, 2 at a watch level and 10 noted
alertBuffalo County, WI's covered employment is -3.4% 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 = -3.4 <= -3
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchBuffalo County, WI's covered employment is -3.4% 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 = -3.4 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchBuffalo County, WI's typical home value of $256,857 scores 58 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 24 across Wisconsin counties, a gap of 34 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 34 = |58 across US counties - 24 across Wisconsin counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteBuffalo County, WI's covered employment was 3.4% 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
- -3.4 % = 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
noteBuffalo County, WI's average weekly wage was 1.2% 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
- +1.2 % = 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 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.