Smith County, KS
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 39.78, -98.79.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 6th pct · 2,866th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 25th pct · 78th of 105 Kansas counties · median $148,146
- 63rd pct · 1,127th of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 49th pct · 54th of 105 Kansas counties · median +4.1%
- US counties: not published this period
- Kansas counties: not published this period
- 9th pct · 2,914th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 28th pct · 75th of 105 Kansas counties · median 2,554
- 14th pct · 2,737th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 25th pct · 78th of 105 Kansas counties · median $943
- 12th pct · 2,685th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 29th pct · 74th of 105 Kansas counties · median 3.0
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 $116,435 (Sep 2026), +4.0% over one year, +34.0% over five
- 6th pct · 2,866th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 25th pct · 78th of 105 Kansas counties · median $148,146
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Smith County, KS | $116,435 · +4.0% 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
- Kansas 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 $645 a month on $116,435 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $3,787 a month: 17.0% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $116,435 × 80% = $93,148, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $645/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $874 × 52 / 12 = $3,787) = 17% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $116,435 / ($874 × 52) = 2.6
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 #
1,330 jobs at 161 employers (2026 Q1); -0.8% jobs and +4.9% average weekly wage over the year
- 9th pct · 2,914th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 28th pct · 75th of 105 Kansas counties · median 2,554
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Smith County, KS | 1,330 jobs · $874/wk · -0.8% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 251 | $1,026 | 1.25 | -4.2% |
| Wholesale trade | 214 | $1,409 | 4.20 | -10.5% |
| Retail trade | 112 | $546 | 0.86 | -2.6% |
| Accommodation and food services | 45 | $272 | 0.38 | -8.2% |
| Other services | 41 | $450 | 1.03 | +0.0% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 14 | $1,266 | 0.25 | -12.5% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | withheld | |||
| Mining, oil and gas | withheld | |||
| Construction | withheld | |||
| Manufacturing | withheld | |||
| Information | withheld | |||
| Finance and insurance | 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 #
4 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 4, 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.
| Site | Reading | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Harlan County Lake Near Republican City, Nebr. | 169,300 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 48 km |
| WILSON LK NR WILSON, KS | 196,200 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 95 km |
| CEDAR BLUFF RE NR ELLIS, KS | 53,910 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 137 km |
| KANOPOLIS LK NR KANOPOLIS, KS | 60,120 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 149 km |
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 · 0 with quality panels · 7 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 |
|---|---|---|
| NF SOLOMON R AT PORTIS, KS | flow 22.6 ft³/s | 27 km |
| NF SOLOMON R AT KIRWIN, KS | flow 0.01 ft³/s · STALE | 31 km |
| THOMPSON CREEK AT RIVERTON, NEBR. | flow 29.0 ft³/s · STALE | 34 km |
| CENTER CREEK AT FRANKLIN, NEBR. | flow 8.90 ft³/s · STALE | 39 km |
| SF SOLOMON R AT OSBORNE, KS | flow 6.12 ft³/s | 40 km |
| ELM CREEK AT AMBOY, NEBR. | flow 11.0 ft³/s · STALE | 45 km |
| Republican River below Harlan County Dam, Nebr. | flow 0.00 ft³/s · STALE | 46 km |
| NF SOLOMON R AT GLADE, KS | flow 0.00 ft³/s | 46 km |
| SF SOLOMON R AT WOODSTON, KS | flow 0.36 ft³/s | 47 km |
| WHITE ROCK C NR BURR OAK, KS | flow 4.04 ft³/s | 47 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 #
2 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 2, 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-401735098522701 | depth 174.1 ft · 2001-03-13 | 57 km |
| USGS-400920099215501 | depth 89.4 ft · 2001-03-12 | 64 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 #
$184.0 m in deposits at 5 offices of 4 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,707, highly concentrated. $48.8 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $41.0 m, grants $7.7 m), $36,688 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| The Peoples Bank | $63.8 m · 34.7% share · 1 office | |
| Guaranty State Bank and Trust Company | $51.0 m · 27.7% share · 2 offices | |
| First National Bank and Trust | $41.7 m · 22.7% share · 1 office | |
| Smith, KS | $48.8 m FY2026 · $36,688/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $26.4 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Peoples Bank | $63,844,000 | 34.7% | 1 |
| Guaranty State Bank and Trust Company | $50,951,000 | 27.7% | 2 |
| First National Bank and Trust | $41,693,000 | 22.7% | 1 |
| Farmers National Bank | $27,556,000 | 15.0% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,707 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 = 34.7² + 27.7² + 22.7² + … (1 more) = 2,707
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 | $23,727,643 |
| Department of Agriculture | $14,428,975 |
| Department of Transportation | $7,566,011 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $2,338,645 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $309,196 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $283,574 |
| Department of Education | $104,681 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $35,696 |
That is $36,688 per covered job, against 1,330 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $48.8 m / 1,330 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $36,688
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 #
Smith County, KS: 8 findings, 1 at a watch level and 7 noted
watchSmith County, KS' covered employment is -0.8% 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 = -0.8 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteSmith County, KS' average weekly wage was 4.9% 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
- +4.9 % = 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
noteSmith County, KS' covered employment was 0.8% 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
- -0.8 % = 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
noteSmith County, KS' typical home value rose 0.3% from $116,078 in August 2026 to $116,435 in September 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- +0.3% = (116434.77432611899 - 116077.8512101145) / 116077.8512101145 × 100
- 116434.77432611899 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-09
- 116077.8512101145 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
noteSmith County, KS' typical home value of $116,435 ranks 2,866th of 3,063 US counties, against a median of $230,451.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 6 on the 0-to-100 scale across 3063 US counties that published home.latest
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
Read all 8 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.