Polk County, WI
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 45.46, -92.45.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 77th pct · 689th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 76th pct · 18th of 72 Wisconsin counties · median $298,900
- 56th pct · 1,346th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 12th pct · 63rd of 72 Wisconsin counties · median +6.0%
- US counties: not published this period
- Wisconsin counties: not published this period
- 65th pct · 1,113th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 52nd pct · 35th of 72 Wisconsin counties · median 15,405
- 37th pct · 2,021st of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 36th pct · 46th of 72 Wisconsin counties · median $1,037
- 85th pct · 454th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 84th pct · 12th 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 $339,006 (Aug 2026), +3.5% over one year, +21.5% over five
- 77th pct · 689th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 76th pct · 18th of 72 Wisconsin counties · median $298,900
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Polk County, WI | $339,006 · +3.5% 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
- 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 $1,856 a month on $339,006 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,251 a month: 43.7% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $339,006 × 80% = $271,205, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,856/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $981 × 52 / 12 = $4,251) = 44% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $339,006 / ($981 × 52) = 6.6
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 #
15,495 jobs at 1,339 employers (2026 Q1); 0.0% jobs and +4.6% average weekly wage over the year
- 65th pct · 1,113th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 52nd pct · 35th of 72 Wisconsin counties · median 15,405
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Polk County, WI | 15,495 jobs · $981/wk · 0.0% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 3,445 | $1,213 | 2.76 | -2.9% |
| Health care and social assistance | 2,737 | $1,167 | 1.17 | +0.7% |
| Retail trade | 2,075 | $676 | 1.37 | +1.5% |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,222 | $335 | 0.88 | +3.9% |
| Construction | 577 | $1,127 | 0.71 | +6.5% |
| Administrative and waste services | 525 | $691 | 0.60 | -4.0% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 408 | $327 | 1.60 | +16.9% |
| Wholesale trade | 340 | $1,272 | 0.57 | +7.3% |
| Other services | 302 | $781 | 0.65 | +3.1% |
| Finance and insurance | 243 | $2,045 | 0.38 | -6.2% |
| Information | 140 | $1,042 | 0.49 | +0.7% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 114 | $1,083 | 0.17 | +7.5% |
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 #
51 gauges · 0 flooding · 12 with quality panels averaging 96 % · 29 stale
Sites found: 51, 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-05341402 | flow 0.98 ft³/s · STALE | 2 km |
| USGS-05341375 | flow 5.10 ft³/s · STALE | 4 km |
| USGS-05341404 | flow 0.00 ft³/s · STALE | 7 km |
| USGS-05341405 | flow 0.02 ft³/s · STALE | 7 km |
| USGS-05340500 | flow 1,610 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 17 km |
| USGS-05340390 | flow 69.0 ft³/s · STALE | 29 km |
| Sunrise River at Sunrise | no readings | 33 km |
| USGS-05341687 | flow 61.0 ft³/s · STALE | 34 km |
| USGS-05341694 | flow 27.2 ft³/s · STALE | 37 km |
| USGS-053416972 | flow 93.4 ft³/s · STALE | 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 #
37 wells in 0 named aquifers:
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-453013092314601 | depth 32.3 ft · 2017-11-01 | 9 km |
| USGS-451048092293001 | depth 5.46 ft · 2026-06-22 | 32 km |
| USGS-450353092235701 | depth 37.2 ft · 2026-06-21 | 45 km |
| USGS-454952092405401 | depth 1.26 ft · 2020-07-20 | 45 km |
| USGS-454952092406001 | depth 6.75 ft · 2020-07-20 | 45 km |
| USGS-455013092401101 | depth 0.95 ft · 2020-07-20 | 45 km |
| USGS-454952092414701 | depth 4.34 ft · 2020-07-20 | 45 km |
| USGS-455025092403501 | depth 3.11 ft · 2020-07-20 | 46 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 (0.33)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.50 + 0.2×0.04 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$945.4 m in deposits at 14 offices of 11 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,295, moderately concentrated. $348.4 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $335.2 m, grants $8.3 m), $22,487 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Nicolet National Bank | $192.8 m · 20.4% share · 2 offices | |
| Old National Bank | $174.6 m · 18.5% share · 1 office | |
| First Resource Bank | $148.9 m · 15.7% share · 1 office | |
| Polk, WI | $348.4 m FY2026 · $22,487/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $326.2 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicolet National Bank | $192,782,000 | 20.4% | 2 |
| Old National Bank | $174,635,000 | 18.5% | 1 |
| First Resource Bank | $148,862,000 | 15.7% | 1 |
| Frandsen Bank & Trust | $91,172,000 | 9.6% | 1 |
| Dairy State Bank | $61,772,000 | 6.5% | 1 |
| Citizens State Bank of La Crosse | $61,512,000 | 6.5% | 1 |
| U.S. Bank National Association | $57,985,000 | 6.1% | 1 |
| Hiawatha National Bank | $57,308,000 | 6.1% | 1 |
| Sterling Bank | $38,895,000 | 4.1% | 1 |
| Pillar Bank | $31,328,000 | 3.3% | 3 |
Deposit concentration is 1,295 across 11 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 11 banks with deposits in the county = 20.4² + 18.5² + 15.7² + … (8 more) = 1,295
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 | $293,346,833 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $31,163,529 |
| Department of Agriculture | $7,315,259 |
| Department of Transportation | $7,281,838 |
| Department of Defense | $4,827,657 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $1,789,541 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $1,151,462 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $1,087,434 |
| Department of Education | $393,758 |
| Department of the Interior | $268,051 |
| Department of Justice | $52,221 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
That is $22,487 per covered job, against 15,495 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $348.4 m / 15,495 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $22,487
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 #
Polk County, WI: 4 findings, 1 at a watch level and 3 noted
watchPolk County, WI's typical home value of +3.5% scores 56 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 13 across Wisconsin counties, a gap of 43 points.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 43 = |56 across US counties - 13 across Wisconsin counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
notePolk County, WI's average weekly wage was 4.6% 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
- +4.6 % = 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
notePolk County, WI's typical home value rose 0.6% from $336,849 in July 2026 to $339,006 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.6% = (339006.44531063136 - 336848.5191080116) / 336848.5191080116 × 100
- 339006.44531063136 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 336848.5191080116 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
noteThe next Zillow ZHVI typical home value (monthly) covering Polk County, WI is due between 2026-10-14 and 2026-10-21, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern.
Show the arithmetic
- window = 2026-10-14 to 2026-10-21, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern
estimated from the publisher's past release pattern; not an announced date
Every finding is produced by a fixed rule table and a fixed sentence for each rule. Nothing here is generated prose.