Sherman County, NE
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 41.22, -98.97.
Assembled 2026-10-20. Read the brief.
- 35th pct · 1,980th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 40th pct · 53rd of 89 Nebraska counties · median $214,386
- 71st pct · 861st of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 61st pct · 35th of 89 Nebraska counties · median +3.5%
- US counties: not published this period
- Nebraska counties: not published this period
- 3rd pct · 3,113th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 21st pct · 73rd of 93 Nebraska counties · median 2,151
- 3rd pct · 3,103rd of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 2nd pct · 91st of 93 Nebraska counties · median $970
- 64th pct · 1,085th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 75th pct · 23rd of 89 Nebraska counties · median 4.0
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 $192,607 (Sep 2026), +4.8% over one year, +31.9% over five
- 35th pct · 1,980th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 40th pct · 53rd of 89 Nebraska counties · median $214,386
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Sherman County, NE | $192,607 · +4.8% 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
- Nebraska 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 $1,067 a month on $192,607 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $3,263 a month: 32.7% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $192,607 × 80% = $154,085, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $1,067/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $753 × 52 / 12 = $3,263) = 33% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $192,607 / ($753 × 52) = 4.9
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 #
648 jobs at 101 employers (2026 Q1); -7.7% jobs and +1.3% average weekly wage over the year
- 3rd pct · 3,113th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 21st pct · 73rd of 93 Nebraska counties · median 2,151
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Sherman County, NE | 648 jobs · $753/wk · -7.7% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 84 | $532 | 1.33 | +1.2% |
| Wholesale trade | 57 | $918 | 2.30 | +0.0% |
| Health care and social assistance | 57 | $815 | 0.58 | -47.2% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 47 | $1,167 | 1.72 | +0.0% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 31 | $714 | 6.62 | +3.3% |
| Finance and insurance | 29 | $880 | 1.10 | +0.0% |
| Construction | withheld | |||
| Manufacturing | withheld | |||
| Professional and technical services | withheld | |||
| Administrative and waste services | withheld | |||
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | withheld | |||
| Accommodation and food services | 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 #
1 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 1, 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. | 169,200 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 129 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 #
27 gauges · 0 flooding · 3 with quality panels averaging 94 % · 14 stale
Sites found: 27, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| MUD CREEK NEAR SWEETWATER, NE | flow 18.0 ft³/s · STALE | 20 km |
| MIDDLE LOUP R. AT ARCADIA, NEBR. | flow 1,040 ft³/s · STALE | 26 km |
| South Loup River at Saint Michael, Nebr. | flow 160.0 ft³/s · quality 83 % (3) | 28 km |
| MIRA CREEK NR NORTH LOUP, NE | flow 1.10 ft³/s · STALE | 35 km |
| TURKEY CREEK NEAR DANNEBROG, NE | flow 8.20 ft³/s · STALE | 35 km |
| NORTH LOUP RIVER AT ORD, NE | flow 940.0 ft³/s · STALE | 43 km |
| Middle Loup River at Saint Paul, Nebr. | flow 1,320 ft³/s | 44 km |
| North Loup River near Saint Paul, Nebr. | flow 1,110 ft³/s | 44 km |
| WOOD RIVER NEAR GIBBON, NE | flow 3.80 ft³/s · STALE | 52 km |
| SILVER CREEK AT OVINA, NE | flow 0.00 ft³/s · STALE | 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 #
21 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 21, 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-410156098442601 | depth 9.40 ft · 2026-10-19 | 28 km |
| USGS-410248099164701 | depth 108.0 ft · 2026-10-19 | 32 km |
| USGS-413156098591201 | depth 28.0 ft · 2019-10-06 | 35 km |
| USGS-410102098374201 | depth 73.3 ft · 2026-10-19 | 37 km |
| USGS-405855098383001 | depth 106.3 ft · 2026-10-19 | 38 km |
| USGS-405503098441802 | depth 133.5 ft · 2026-10-19 | 39 km |
| USGS-405503098441801 | depth 131.4 ft · 2024-10-09 | 39 km |
| USGS-405435098432601 | depth 74.2 ft · 2026-10-19 | 40 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 (0.02)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.06 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$134.0 m in deposits at 4 offices of 4 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,930, highly concentrated. $32.1 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $27.3 m, grants $4.1 m), $49,467 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Citizens Bank & Trust Company | $53.1 m · 39.6% share · 1 office | |
| Heritage Bank | $40.1 m · 29.9% share · 1 office | |
| Cornerstone Bank | $21.1 m · 15.8% share · 1 office | |
| Sherman, NE | $32.1 m FY2026 · $49,467/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $20.0 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Citizens Bank & Trust Company | $53,069,000 | 39.6% | 1 |
| Heritage Bank | $40,113,000 | 29.9% | 1 |
| Cornerstone Bank | $21,100,000 | 15.8% | 1 |
| Town & Country Bank | $19,678,000 | 14.7% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,930 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 = 39.6² + 29.9² + 15.8² + … (1 more) = 2,930
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 | $17,309,596 |
| Department of Agriculture | $6,576,900 |
| Department of Transportation | $3,850,071 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $2,110,029 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $1,037,317 |
| Department of Defense | $591,986 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $545,399 |
| Department of Education | $46,063 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $4,843 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | -$17,300 |
That is $49,467 per covered job, against 648 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $32.1 m / 648 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $49,467
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 | 17.40 | 2026-10-19 | -3.1% |
| 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 | 2026-10-20 | +0.0% |
| Laredo truck crossings, monthly · trucks | 255,129.00 | 2026-09-01 | -1.4% |
| 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 | 1,221.00 | 2026-09-01 | -5.2% |
| Building permits, annual rate · thousands of units | 1,400.00 | 2026-09-01 | -0.2% |
| 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 #
Sherman County, NE: 13 findings, 1 at an alert level, 1 at a watch level and 11 noted
alertSherman County, NE's covered employment is -7.7% 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 = -7.7 <= -3
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchSherman County, NE's covered employment is -7.7% 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 = -7.7 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteSherman County, NE's covered employment was 7.7% 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
- -7.7 % = 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
noteSherman County, NE's average weekly wage was 1.3% 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
- +1.3 % = 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
noteSherman County, NE's typical home value rose 0.5% from $191,654 in August 2026 to $192,607 in September 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- +0.5% = (192606.731914213 - 191653.56688423143) / 191653.56688423143 × 100
- 192606.731914213 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-09
- 191653.56688423143 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
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.