Jefferson County, IA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 41.01, -91.97.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 30th pct · 2,117th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 40th pct · 59th of 99 Iowa counties · median $192,339
- 52nd pct · 1,456th of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 35th pct · 64th of 99 Iowa counties · median +4.2%
- US counties: not published this period
- Iowa counties: not published this period
- 45th pct · 1,743rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 64th pct · 36th of 99 Iowa counties · median 5,685
- 72nd pct · 884th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 78th pct · 22nd of 99 Iowa counties · median $1,057
- 20th pct · 2,420th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 21st pct · 78th of 99 Iowa counties · median 3.5
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 $181,544 (Sep 2026), +3.0% over one year, +21.7% over five
- 30th pct · 2,117th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 40th pct · 59th of 99 Iowa counties · median $192,339
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County, IA | $181,544 · +3.0% 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
- Iowa 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 $1,006 a month on $181,544 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $5,066 a month: 19.9% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $181,544 × 80% = $145,235, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $1,006/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,169 × 52 / 12 = $5,066) = 20% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $181,544 / ($1,169 × 52) = 3.0
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 #
6,994 jobs at 755 employers (2026 Q1); +0.2% jobs and +5.9% average weekly wage over the year
- 45th pct · 1,743rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 64th pct · 36th of 99 Iowa counties · median 5,685
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County, IA | 6,994 jobs · $1,169/wk · +0.2% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finance and insurance | 985 | $1,959 | 3.46 | -4.0% |
| Manufacturing | 810 | $1,120 | 1.44 | +2.9% |
| Retail trade | 801 | $697 | 1.18 | -5.8% |
| Accommodation and food services | 362 | $359 | 0.58 | -5.2% |
| Professional and technical services | 327 | $2,960 | 0.68 | +6.2% |
| Other services | 251 | $687 | 1.20 | +15.1% |
| Wholesale trade | 233 | $1,902 | 0.87 | -4.1% |
| Construction | 216 | $1,096 | 0.59 | +2.9% |
| Administrative and waste services | 172 | $981 | 0.43 | +1.2% |
| Management of companies | 104 | $1,982 | 0.89 | +2.0% |
| Information | 63 | $1,632 | 0.49 | -12.5% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 48 | $453 | 0.42 | +6.7% |
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 #
20 gauges · 0 flooding · 4 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 2 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Skunk River at Merrimac, IA | flow 655.0 ft³/s · STALE | 23 km |
| Cedar Creek near Oakland Mills, IA | flow 126.0 ft³/s | 26 km |
| Des Moines River at Keosauqua, IA | flow 22,400 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 31 km |
| Big Creek North of Mount Pleasant, IA | flow 28.8 ft³/s | 35 km |
| Des Moines River at Ottumwa, IA | flow 22,500 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 37 km |
| North Skunk River near Sigourney, IA | flow 920.0 ft³/s | 38 km |
| Bear Creek at Ottumwa, IA | stage 79.5 ft | 42 km |
| Fox River at Bloomfield, IA | flow 2.47 ft³/s · STALE | 46 km |
| English River at Kalona, IA | flow 594.0 ft³/s | 56 km |
| Des Moines River at Eddyville, IA | stage 57.6 ft | 59 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 2 named aquifers: Mississippian aquifers, Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions) | depth 14.8 ft · 2026-10-18 | 17 km |
| USGS-411843092105101 | depth 13.2 ft · 2018-09-30 | 38 km |
| Mississippian aquifers | depth 100.4 ft · 2026-10-18 | 52 km |
| Mississippian aquifers | depth 22.8 ft · 2013-06-09 | 52 km |
| USGS-411912092273601 | depth 102.6 ft · 1992-09-29 | 54 km |
| Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions) | depth 13.3 ft · 2026-10-18 | 65 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 #
$664.6 m in deposits at 7 offices of 5 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,721, highly concentrated. $124.1 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $118.8 m, grants $4.9 m), $17,745 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Iowa State Bank and Trust Company of Fairfield, Iowa | $226.9 m · 34.1% share · 1 office | |
| Nicolet National Bank | $202.5 m · 30.5% share · 1 office | |
| The Libertyville Savings Bank | $152.2 m · 22.9% share · 2 offices | |
| Jefferson, IA | $124.1 m FY2026 · $17,745/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $107.5 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa State Bank and Trust Company of Fairfield, Iowa | $226,866,000 | 34.1% | 1 |
| Nicolet National Bank | $202,467,000 | 30.5% | 1 |
| The Libertyville Savings Bank | $152,199,000 | 22.9% | 2 |
| Pilot Grove Savings Bank | $65,167,000 | 9.8% | 2 |
| Washington State Bank | $17,895,000 | 2.7% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,721 across 5 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 5 banks with deposits in the county = 34.1² + 30.5² + 22.9² + … (2 more) = 2,721
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 | $100,348,124 |
| Department of Agriculture | $6,913,214 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $6,685,475 |
| Department of Transportation | $4,818,570 |
| Department of Education | $4,041,409 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $464,763 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $359,518 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $320,643 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $100,000 |
| Environmental Protection Agency | $53,847 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
That is $17,745 per covered job, against 6,994 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $124.1 m / 6,994 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $17,745
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 | 17.95 | 2026-10-18 | -2.6% |
| 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 · % | 72.20 | 2026-10-19 | +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 | 7.00 | 2026-10-13 | +133.3% |
| 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 | 101.91 | 2026-10-14 | +1.0% |
| 30-year fixed mortgage rate · % | 7.40 | 2026-10-15 | +0.0% |
| 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 | 652,115.00 | 2026-09-01 | +0.7% |
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 #
Jefferson County, IA: 5 findings, 5 noted
noteJefferson County, IA's average weekly wage was 5.9% 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
- +5.9 % = 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
noteJefferson County, IA's typical home value fell 0.3% from $182,072 in August 2026 to $181,544 in September 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- -0.3% = (181543.8124289019 - 182071.6145911816) / 182071.6145911816 × 100
- 181543.8124289019 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-09
- 182071.6145911816 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
noteJefferson County, IA's covered employment was 0.2% 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
- +0.2 % = 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
noteThe next Unemployment rate (BLS Employment Situation, monthly) covering Jefferson County, IA is due between 2026-10-30 and 2026-11-13, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern.
Show the arithmetic
- window = 2026-10-30 to 2026-11-13, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern
estimated from the publisher's past release pattern; not an announced date
noteThe next Zillow ZHVI typical home value (monthly) covering Jefferson County, IA is due between 2026-11-14 and 2026-11-21, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern.
Show the arithmetic
- window = 2026-11-14 to 2026-11-21, 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.