Pennington County, SD
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 44.00, -102.82.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 81st pct · 562nd of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 91st pct · 5th of 50 South Dakota counties · median $251,658
- counties in the Rapid City metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Rapid City metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 37th pct · 1,926th of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 32nd pct · 34th of 50 South Dakota counties · median +3.1%
- counties in the Rapid City metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Rapid City metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 45th pct · 739th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 80th pct · 3rd of 11 South Dakota counties · median $1,275
- counties in the Rapid City metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Rapid City metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 86th pct · 441st of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 98th pct · 2nd of 66 South Dakota counties · median 1,825
- counties in the Rapid City metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Rapid City metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 77th pct · 723rd of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 92nd pct · 6th of 66 South Dakota counties · median $978
- counties in the Rapid City metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Rapid City metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 76th pct · 710th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 79th pct · 11th of 50 South Dakota counties · median 4.8
- counties in the Rapid City metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Rapid City metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
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 $363,102 (Sep 2026), +1.8% over one year, +26.8% over five
- 81st pct · 562nd of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 91st pct · 5th of 50 South Dakota counties · median $251,658
- counties in the Rapid City metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Rapid City metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Pennington County, SD | $363,102 · +1.8% 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 #
Typical rent $1,453/mo (Sep 2026), +4.2% over one year; price-to-rent 20.8
- 45th pct · 739th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 80th pct · 3rd of 11 South Dakota counties · median $1,275
- counties in the Rapid City metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Rapid City metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Pennington County, SD | $1,453/mo · +4.2% 1-yr |
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 $2,011 a month on $363,102 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $5,248 a month: 38.3% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $363,102 × 80% = $290,482, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $2,011/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,211 × 52 / 12 = $5,248) = 38% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $363,102 / ($1,211 × 52) = 5.8
- price-to-rent = $363,102 / ($1,453 × 12) = 20.8
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 #
61,211 jobs at 5,879 employers (2026 Q1); +1.2% jobs and +4.4% average weekly wage over the year
- 86th pct · 441st of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 98th pct · 2nd of 66 South Dakota counties · median 1,825
- counties in the Rapid City metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Rapid City metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Pennington County, SD | 61,211 jobs · $1,211/wk · +1.2% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 12,249 | $1,360 | 1.33 | +6.3% |
| Retail trade | 8,094 | $770 | 1.36 | -1.7% |
| Accommodation and food services | 7,313 | $517 | 1.33 | -0.3% |
| Construction | 4,938 | $1,394 | 1.54 | +1.1% |
| Professional and technical services | 3,039 | $1,718 | 0.72 | +0.9% |
| Other services | 2,784 | $1,028 | 1.52 | -0.2% |
| Manufacturing | 2,469 | $1,473 | 0.50 | -7.3% |
| Wholesale trade | 2,407 | $1,756 | 1.03 | +1.0% |
| Administrative and waste services | 2,391 | $1,040 | 0.69 | +3.7% |
| Finance and insurance | 2,263 | $2,061 | 0.91 | -0.9% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 1,277 | $1,027 | 0.49 | +7.4% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 1,070 | $515 | 1.06 | +6.5% |
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 #
D1 moderate 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 #
78 gauges · 0 flooding · 2 with quality panels averaging 88 % · 34 stale
Sites found: 78, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| CHEYENNE RIVER AT RED SHIRT, SD | flow 51.8 ft³/s · quality 75 % (4) · no flooding | 37 km |
| RAPID CR NEAR FARMINGDALE, SD | flow 47.3 ft³/s · no flooding | 7 km |
| Boxelder Creek at New Underwood | no flooding | 10 km |
| CHEYENNE RIVER NEAR SCENIC, SD | flow 53.7 ft³/s · no flooding | 19 km |
| BOXELDER CREEK AT 151ST AVE NR BOX ELDER, SD | stage 1.52 ft · out of service · STALE | 20 km |
| BOXELDER CR TRIB4 AT LIBERTY BLVD AT BOX ELDER, SD | stage 2.61 ft · STALE | 22 km |
| RAPID CR BL SEWAGE TREATMENT PL NR RAPID CITY, SD | flow 49.0 ft³/s · STALE | 22 km |
| RAPID CREEK ABOVE WRF NEAR RAPID CITY, SD | flow 20.7 ft³/s · quality 100 % (5) · no flooding | 22 km |
| BOXELDER CREEK TRIB 7 ABV POND 2 AT BOX ELDER, SD | flow 0.03 ft³/s · STALE | 25 km |
| Boxelder Creek at I-90 near Box Elder | out of service | 27 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 #
16 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 16, 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-440606102570001 | depth 12.5 ft · 2024-11-11 | 15 km |
| USGS-440732103054800 | depth 11.3 ft · 2024-10-23 | 26 km |
| USGS-440430103160202 | depth -110.3 ft · 2026-10-19 | 36 km |
| USGS-440149103164901 | depth 244.6 ft · 2026-10-06 | 37 km |
| USGS-440310103173801 | depth 23.9 ft · 2026-10-19 | 38 km |
| USGS-440326103180702 | depth -24.1 ft · 2026-10-19 | 39 km |
| USGS-440544103180002 | depth 45.6 ft · 2026-10-19 | 40 km |
| USGS-440544103180001 | depth 45.7 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 (0.20)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.25 + 0.2×0.13 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$3.3 bn in deposits at 23 offices of 10 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,376, moderately concentrated. $1.0 bn federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $889.6 m, grants $66.7 m), $16,703 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| First Interstate Bank | $616.4 m · 18.8% share · 7 offices | |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $565.6 m · 17.3% share · 3 offices | |
| U.S. Bank National Association | $563.2 m · 17.2% share · 3 offices | |
| Pennington, SD | $1.0 bn FY2026 · $16,703/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $851.8 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Interstate Bank | $616,368,000 | 18.8% | 7 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $565,636,000 | 17.3% | 3 |
| U.S. Bank National Association | $563,243,000 | 17.2% | 3 |
| Security First Bank | $373,781,000 | 11.4% | 2 |
| Black Hills Community Bank, N.A. | $364,741,000 | 11.1% | 1 |
| Pioneer Bank & Trust | $350,614,000 | 10.7% | 2 |
| Dacotah Bank | $196,671,000 | 6.0% | 1 |
| BankWest, Inc. | $101,185,000 | 3.1% | 2 |
| First National Bank | $98,709,000 | 3.0% | 1 |
| First Western Federal Savings Bank | $40,559,000 | 1.2% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,376 across 10 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 10 banks with deposits in the county = 18.8² + 17.3² + 17.2² + … (7 more) = 1,376
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 | $678,595,382 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $170,325,251 |
| Department of Defense | $38,715,717 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $26,294,332 |
| Department of Transportation | $25,222,893 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $21,236,959 |
| Department of Education | $15,827,834 |
| Department of the Interior | $10,508,139 |
| Department of Agriculture | $10,022,425 |
| Department of Justice | $8,060,678 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $6,985,026 |
| Department of Energy | $4,661,787 |
That is $16,703 per covered job, against 61,211 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $1.0 bn / 61,211 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $16,703
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 #
Pennington County, SD: 10 findings, 2 at a watch level and 8 noted
watchPennington County, SD's price-to-rent ratio of 20.8 scores 79 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 30 across South Dakota counties, a gap of 49 points.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 49 = |79 across US counties - 30 across South Dakota counties|
- typical home value / (typical rent × 12); Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchPennington County, SD's typical asking rent of $1,453 scores 46 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 80 across South Dakota counties, a gap of 34 points.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 34 = |46 across US counties - 80 across South Dakota counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
notePennington County, SD's average weekly wage was 4.4% 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
- +4.4 % = 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
notePennington County, SD's covered employment 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
notePennington County, SD's covered employment of 61,211 ranks 2nd of 66 South Dakota counties, against a median of 1,825.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 98 on the 0-to-100 scale across 66 South Dakota counties that published jobs.emp
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
Read all 10 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.