Polk County, IA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 41.68, -93.57.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 65th pct · 1,072nd of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 87th pct · 13th of 99 Iowa counties · median $192,339
- 40th pct · 4th of 6 counties in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro · median $301,333
- 23rd pct · 2,355th of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 7th pct · 92nd of 99 Iowa counties · median +4.2%
- 20th pct · 5th of 6 counties in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro · median +1.8%
- 22nd pct · 1,048th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 66th pct · 8th of 22 Iowa counties · median $1,052
- counties in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro: only 4 of counties in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro published this metric; fewer than 5 is too few to rank
- 96th pct · 98th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 100th pct · 1st of 99 Iowa counties · median 5,685
- 100th pct · 1st of 6 counties in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro · median 12,053
- 94th pct · 171st of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 98th pct · 2nd of 99 Iowa counties · median $1,057
- 80th pct · 2nd of 6 counties in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro · median $1,088
- 29th pct · 2,156th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 44th pct · 55th of 99 Iowa counties · median 3.5
- 0th pct · 6th of 6 counties in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro · median 4.4
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 $279,097 (Sep 2026), +0.2% over one year, +19.4% over five
- 65th pct · 1,072nd of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 87th pct · 13th of 99 Iowa counties · median $192,339
- 40th pct · 4th of 6 counties in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro · median $301,333
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Polk County, IA | $279,097 · +0.2% 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 $1,220/mo (Sep 2026), +1.5% over one year; price-to-rent 19.1
- 22nd pct · 1,048th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 66th pct · 8th of 22 Iowa counties · median $1,052
- counties in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro: only 4 of counties in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro published this metric; fewer than 5 is too few to rank
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Polk County, IA | $1,220/mo · +1.5% 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 $1,546 a month on $279,097 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $6,951 a month: 22.2% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $279,097 × 80% = $223,277, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $1,546/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,604 × 52 / 12 = $6,951) = 22% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $279,097 / ($1,604 × 52) = 3.3
- price-to-rent = $279,097 / ($1,220 × 12) = 19.1
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 #
312,929 jobs at 20,465 employers (2026 Q1); +0.9% jobs and +2.9% average weekly wage over the year
- 96th pct · 98th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 100th pct · 1st of 99 Iowa counties · median 5,685
- 100th pct · 1st of 6 counties in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro · median 12,053
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Polk County, IA | 312,929 jobs · $1,604/wk · +0.9% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 42,227 | $1,240 | 0.90 | +4.6% |
| Finance and insurance | 30,671 | $3,583 | 2.41 | -2.2% |
| Retail trade | 29,327 | $827 | 0.96 | -1.7% |
| Accommodation and food services | 23,526 | $529 | 0.84 | -0.1% |
| Construction | 21,047 | $1,756 | 1.28 | +10.6% |
| Professional and technical services | 19,354 | $2,199 | 0.90 | +1.6% |
| Manufacturing | 17,765 | $1,458 | 0.71 | -7.8% |
| Wholesale trade | 17,530 | $2,321 | 1.46 | -1.5% |
| Administrative and waste services | 17,031 | $1,174 | 0.96 | +3.7% |
| Management of companies | 10,736 | $2,515 | 2.05 | +2.9% |
| Other services | 10,132 | $1,195 | 1.08 | -0.3% |
| Information | 5,222 | $2,327 | 0.91 | +9.2% |
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 #
Surface water layer not loaded
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 #
Surface water layer not loaded
Sites found: 0, 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.
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 #
No USGS monitoring wells within 75 km (or above 1,500 km)
Sites found: 0, 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.
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 #
$32.2 bn in deposits at 132 offices of 39 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,469, moderately concentrated. $3.6 bn federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $2.5 bn, grants $988.3 m), $11,556 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Principal Bank | $9.3 bn · 28.8% share · 1 office | |
| Bankers Trust Company | $5.5 bn · 17.1% share · 12 offices | |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $3.2 bn · 10.1% share · 11 offices | |
| Polk, IA | $3.6 bn FY2026 · $11,556/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $2.4 bn · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Principal Bank | $9,259,461,000 | 28.8% | 1 |
| Bankers Trust Company | $5,497,624,000 | 17.1% | 12 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $3,248,565,000 | 10.1% | 11 |
| U.S. Bank National Association | $2,936,551,000 | 9.1% | 12 |
| Bank of America, National Association | $2,858,197,000 | 8.9% | 4 |
| West Bank | $2,445,401,000 | 7.6% | 5 |
| Community State Bank | $1,242,602,000 | 3.9% | 9 |
| First Interstate Bank | $531,058,000 | 1.7% | 5 |
| Northwest Bank | $409,734,000 | 1.3% | 3 |
| Iowa State Bank | $391,998,000 | 1.2% | 5 |
Deposit concentration is 1,469 across 39 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 39 banks with deposits in the county = 28.8² + 17.1² + 10.1² + … (36 more) = 1,469
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 | $2,171,764,963 |
| Department of Education | $416,721,328 |
| Department of Homeland Security | $292,984,673 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $282,764,084 |
| Department of Transportation | $232,941,212 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $67,980,009 |
| Department of Defense | $55,179,117 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $52,685,400 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $12,420,531 |
| Department of Agriculture | $11,300,519 |
| Department of Justice | $10,950,588 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $7,774,041 |
That is $11,556 per covered job, against 312,929 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $3.6 bn / 312,929 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $11,556
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 #
Polk County, IA: 13 findings, 1 at a watch level and 12 noted
watchPolk County, IA's typical asking rent of $1,220 scores 23 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 67 across Iowa counties, a gap of 44 points.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 44 = |23 across US counties - 67 across Iowa counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
notePolk County, IA's average weekly wage was 2.9% 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
- +2.9 % = 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
notePolk County, IA's covered employment was 0.9% 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
- +0.9 % = 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
notePolk County, IA's covered employment of 312,929 ranks 1st of 6 counties in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro, against a median of 12,053.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 100 on the 0-to-100 scale across 6 counties in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro that published jobs.emp
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
notePolk County, IA's covered employment of 312,929 ranks 1st of 99 Iowa counties, against a median of 5,685.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 100 on the 0-to-100 scale across 99 Iowa counties that published jobs.emp
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
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.