Douglas County, KS
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 38.90, -95.29.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 77th pct · 691st of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 97th pct · 4th of 105 Kansas counties · median $148,146
- counties in the Lawrence metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Lawrence metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 57th pct · 1,308th of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 41st pct · 62nd of 105 Kansas counties · median +4.1%
- counties in the Lawrence metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Lawrence metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 54th pct · 619th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 88th pct · 3rd of 19 Kansas counties · median $1,215
- counties in the Lawrence metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Lawrence metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 84th pct · 504th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 96th pct · 5th of 105 Kansas counties · median 2,554
- counties in the Lawrence metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Lawrence metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 63rd pct · 1,178th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 88th pct · 12th of 105 Kansas counties · median $943
- counties in the Lawrence metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Lawrence metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 77th pct · 676th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 98th pct · 3rd of 105 Kansas counties · median 3.0
- counties in the Lawrence metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Lawrence 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 $335,609 (Sep 2026), +3.4% over one year, +29.2% over five
- 77th pct · 691st of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 97th pct · 4th of 105 Kansas counties · median $148,146
- counties in the Lawrence metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Lawrence metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Douglas County, KS | $335,609 · +3.4% 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 $1,563/mo (Sep 2026), +4.6% over one year; price-to-rent 17.9
- 54th pct · 619th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 88th pct · 3rd of 19 Kansas counties · median $1,215
- counties in the Lawrence metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Lawrence metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Douglas County, KS | $1,563/mo · +4.6% 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 $1,859 a month on $335,609 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,788 a month: 38.8% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $335,609 × 80% = $268,488, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $1,859/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,105 × 52 / 12 = $4,788) = 39% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $335,609 / ($1,105 × 52) = 5.8
- price-to-rent = $335,609 / ($1,563 × 12) = 17.9
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 #
50,249 jobs at 3,688 employers (2026 Q1); -0.6% jobs and +2.6% average weekly wage over the year
- 84th pct · 504th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 96th pct · 5th of 105 Kansas counties · median 2,554
- counties in the Lawrence metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Lawrence metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Douglas County, KS | 50,249 jobs · $1,105/wk · -0.6% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and food services | 6,992 | $380 | 1.55 | +4.8% |
| Retail trade | 5,491 | $616 | 1.12 | -3.5% |
| Manufacturing | 4,893 | $1,291 | 1.21 | -3.2% |
| Health care and social assistance | 4,819 | $884 | 0.64 | -4.1% |
| Professional and technical services | 3,373 | $1,697 | 0.97 | -0.9% |
| Other services | 2,508 | $950 | 1.67 | +2.5% |
| Construction | 2,179 | $1,337 | 0.83 | +5.1% |
| Administrative and waste services | 1,270 | $909 | 0.44 | +9.2% |
| Finance and insurance | 1,145 | $1,866 | 0.56 | +0.6% |
| Educational services | 1,122 | $810 | 1.04 | -6.4% |
| Wholesale trade | 958 | $2,041 | 0.50 | -2.3% |
| Real estate and rental | 635 | $1,009 | 0.82 | +5.8% |
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 #
$3.6 bn in deposits at 44 offices of 22 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 972, unconcentrated. $763.5 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $623.7 m, grants $112.5 m), $15,194 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Capitol Federal Savings Bank | $580.4 m · 16.3% share · 3 offices | |
| U.S. Bank National Association | $500.2 m · 14.1% share · 3 offices | |
| Bank of America, National Association | $483.9 m · 13.6% share · 2 offices | |
| Douglas, KS | $763.5 m FY2026 · $15,194/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $569.1 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capitol Federal Savings Bank | $580,397,000 | 16.3% | 3 |
| U.S. Bank National Association | $500,175,000 | 14.1% | 3 |
| Bank of America, National Association | $483,852,000 | 13.6% | 2 |
| The Central Trust Bank | $298,475,000 | 8.4% | 7 |
| Commerce Bank | $293,748,000 | 8.3% | 2 |
| Great American Bank | $264,319,000 | 7.4% | 2 |
| Intrust Bank, National Association | $257,170,000 | 7.2% | 2 |
| Mid-America Bank | $247,167,000 | 6.9% | 3 |
| The Baldwin State Bank | $102,630,000 | 2.9% | 2 |
| The Farmers State Bank of Oakley, Kansas | $70,217,000 | 2.0% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 972 across 22 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls unconcentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 22 banks with deposits in the county = 16.3² + 14.1² + 13.6² + … (19 more) = 972
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 | $511,903,336 |
| Department of Education | $55,413,207 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $51,108,536 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $33,634,940 |
| National Science Foundation | $28,682,593 |
| Department of Transportation | $25,719,610 |
| Department of Defense | $12,504,726 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $11,866,626 |
| Department of the Interior | $9,199,770 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $7,293,518 |
| Department of Agriculture | $5,579,612 |
| Department of Energy | $4,143,333 |
That is $15,194 per covered job, against 50,249 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $763.5 m / 50,249 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $15,194
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 #
Douglas County, KS: 12 findings, 2 at a watch level and 10 noted
watchDouglas County, KS' covered employment is -0.6% 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 = -0.6 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchDouglas County, KS' typical asking rent of $1,563 scores 54 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 89 across Kansas counties, a gap of 34 points.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 34 = |54 across US counties - 89 across Kansas counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteDouglas County, KS' average weekly wage was 2.6% 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
- +2.6 % = 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
noteDouglas County, KS' covered employment was 0.6% 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
- -0.6 % = 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
noteDouglas County, KS' typical asking rent rose 0.4% from $1,558 in August 2026 to $1,563 in September 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- +0.4% = (1563.467035330261 - 1557.638505633469) / 1557.638505633469 × 100
- 1563.467035330261 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-09
- 1557.638505633469 = Zillow ZORI, 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.