Bremer County, IA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 42.78, -92.33.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 59th pct · 1,241st of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 81st pct · 19th of 99 Iowa counties · median $192,339
- counties in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 39th pct · 1,856th of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 19th pct · 80th of 99 Iowa counties · median +4.2%
- counties in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- US counties: not published this period
- Iowa counties: not published this period
- counties in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 53rd pct · 1,497th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 73rd pct · 27th of 99 Iowa counties · median 5,685
- counties in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 55th pct · 1,416th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 56th pct · 43rd of 99 Iowa counties · median $1,057
- counties in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 59th pct · 1,246th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 86th pct · 14th of 99 Iowa counties · median 3.5
- counties in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls 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 $258,393 (Sep 2026), +1.9% over one year, +29.9% over five
- 59th pct · 1,241st of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 81st pct · 19th of 99 Iowa counties · median $192,339
- counties in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Bremer County, IA | $258,393 · +1.9% 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
- counties in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
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 $1,431 a month on $258,393 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,624 a month: 31.0% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $258,393 × 80% = $206,715, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $1,431/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,067 × 52 / 12 = $4,624) = 31% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $258,393 / ($1,067 × 52) = 4.7
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 #
9,476 jobs at 744 employers (2026 Q1); +0.1% jobs and +0.6% average weekly wage over the year
- 53rd pct · 1,497th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 73rd pct · 27th of 99 Iowa counties · median 5,685
- counties in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Bremer County, IA | 9,476 jobs · $1,067/wk · +0.1% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 1,246 | $592 | 1.35 | +5.9% |
| Manufacturing | 1,243 | $1,377 | 1.63 | -1.1% |
| Finance and insurance | 906 | $2,316 | 2.35 | -1.8% |
| Accommodation and food services | 620 | $315 | 0.73 | +5.4% |
| Construction | 409 | $962 | 0.82 | +2.2% |
| Wholesale trade | 240 | $1,275 | 0.66 | +6.2% |
| Other services | 187 | $755 | 0.66 | +0.5% |
| Administrative and waste services | 165 | $707 | 0.31 | +33.1% |
| Professional and technical services | 158 | $1,217 | 0.24 | -6.0% |
| Information | 73 | $858 | 0.42 | +25.9% |
| Management of companies | 64 | $2,722 | 0.40 | -9.9% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 49 | $326 | 0.31 | +25.6% |
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 #
26 gauges · 0 flooding · 2 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 7 stale
Sites found: 26, 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-05420680 | flow 399.0 ft³/s | 8 km |
| USGS-05458300 | flow 2,040 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 13 km |
| USGS-05458500 | flow 2,270 ft³/s | 19 km |
| USGS-05462000 | flow 1,650 ft³/s | 22 km |
| USGS-05458900 | flow 1,060 ft³/s | 24 km |
| USGS-05420850 | stage 83.3 ft | 24 km |
| USGS-05463050 | flow 5,920 ft³/s | 29 km |
| USGS-05458000 | flow 258.0 ft³/s | 32 km |
| USGS-05464000 | flow 6,920 ft³/s | 32 km |
| USGS-05463000 | flow 746.0 ft³/s | 33 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 #
11 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 11, 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-423627092271101 | level 867.6 ft · 2001-12-02 | 22 km |
| USGS-423510092271801 | level 862.9 ft · 2001-12-02 | 24 km |
| USGS-422518092144701 | depth 8.61 ft · 2015-03-28 | 40 km |
| USGS-430203091501201 | depth 6.71 ft · 2026-10-19 | 49 km |
| USGS-430133091344802 | depth 208.6 ft · 1991-09-29 | 67 km |
| USGS-430133091344803 | depth 72.1 ft · 1991-09-29 | 67 km |
| USGS-430133091344804 | depth 55.1 ft · 1991-09-29 | 67 km |
| USGS-430133091344801 | depth 370.7 ft · 1991-09-29 | 67 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 #
$1.0 bn in deposits at 14 offices of 8 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,215, highly concentrated. $182.7 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $172.8 m, contracts $7.8 m), $19,279 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| First Bank | $385.5 m · 37.7% share · 4 offices | |
| Denver Savings Bank | $186.9 m · 18.3% share · 2 offices | |
| Northeast Security Bank | $128.7 m · 12.6% share · 1 office | |
| Bremer, IA | $182.7 m FY2026 · $19,279/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $153.6 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Bank | $385,529,000 | 37.7% | 4 |
| Denver Savings Bank | $186,883,000 | 18.3% | 2 |
| Northeast Security Bank | $128,652,000 | 12.6% | 1 |
| Fidelity Bank & Trust | $123,250,000 | 12.1% | 2 |
| Readlyn Savings Bank | $111,572,000 | 10.9% | 2 |
| Farmers State Bank | $57,286,000 | 5.6% | 1 |
| CUSB Bank | $25,719,000 | 2.5% | 1 |
| Security State Bank | $3,873,000 | 0.4% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,215 across 8 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 8 banks with deposits in the county = 37.7² + 18.3² + 12.6² + … (5 more) = 2,215
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 | $137,460,783 |
| Department of Agriculture | $15,992,932 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $15,680,487 |
| Department of Defense | $7,732,724 |
| Department of Education | $2,546,796 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $1,710,117 |
| Department of Transportation | $897,015 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $500,615 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $144,365 |
| Department of Homeland Security | $19,030 |
That is $19,279 per covered job, against 9,476 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $182.7 m / 9,476 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $19,279
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 #
Bremer County, IA: 4 findings, 4 noted
noteBremer County, IA's average weekly wage was 0.6% 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
- +0.6 % = 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
noteBremer County, IA's covered employment was 0.1% 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
- +0.1 % = 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 Bremer 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 Bremer 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.