Polk County, MO
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 37.62, -93.40.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 63rd pct · 1,108th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 83rd pct · 19th of 113 Missouri counties · median $221,167
- 75th pct · 2nd of 5 counties in the Springfield metro · median $268,140
- 39th pct · 1,850th of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 12th pct · 99th of 113 Missouri counties · median +4.5%
- 0th pct · 5th of 5 counties in the Springfield metro · median +3.2%
- 9th pct · 1,227th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 29th pct · 25th of 35 Missouri counties · median $1,229
- counties in the Springfield metro: only 4 of counties in the Springfield metro published this metric; fewer than 5 is too few to rank
- 54th pct · 1,473rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 71st pct · 34th of 115 Missouri counties · median 4,996
- 50th pct · 3rd of 5 counties in the Springfield metro · median 9,637
- 32nd pct · 2,158th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 69th pct · 36th of 115 Missouri counties · median $902
- 75th pct · 2nd of 5 counties in the Springfield metro · median $905
- 72nd pct · 834th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 78th pct · 25th of 113 Missouri counties · median 4.7
- 25th pct · 4th of 5 counties in the Springfield metro · median 5.7
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 $274,050 (Sep 2026), +2.0% over one year, +32.7% over five
- 63rd pct · 1,108th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 83rd pct · 19th of 113 Missouri counties · median $221,167
- 75th pct · 2nd of 5 counties in the Springfield metro · median $268,140
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Polk County, MO | $274,050 · +2.0% 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 $1,038/mo (Sep 2026), n/a over one year; price-to-rent 22.0
- 9th pct · 1,227th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 29th pct · 25th of 35 Missouri counties · median $1,229
- counties in the Springfield metro: only 4 of counties in the Springfield metro published this metric; fewer than 5 is too few to rank
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Polk County, MO | $1,038/mo · n/a 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 $1,518 a month on $274,050 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,177 a month: 36.3% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $274,050 × 80% = $219,240, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $1,518/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $964 × 52 / 12 = $4,177) = 36% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $274,050 / ($964 × 52) = 5.5
- price-to-rent = $274,050 / ($1,038 × 12) = 22.0
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 #
9,637 jobs at 856 employers (2026 Q1); +5.4% jobs and +7.2% average weekly wage over the year
- 54th pct · 1,473rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 71st pct · 34th of 115 Missouri counties · median 4,996
- 50th pct · 3rd of 5 counties in the Springfield metro · median 9,637
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Polk County, MO | 9,637 jobs · $964/wk · +5.4% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 1,427 | $871 | 0.98 | -2.6% |
| Retail trade | 1,301 | $652 | 1.39 | +1.4% |
| Accommodation and food services | 748 | $383 | 0.86 | +8.6% |
| Manufacturing | 725 | $965 | 0.94 | +38.4% |
| Educational services | 464 | $608 | 2.24 | -3.1% |
| Construction | 423 | $945 | 0.84 | +5.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 360 | $1,261 | 0.98 | +1.1% |
| Professional and technical services | 212 | $823 | 0.32 | +3.4% |
| Finance and insurance | 210 | $1,379 | 0.53 | +11.1% |
| Other services | 196 | $767 | 0.68 | +14.0% |
| Information | 96 | $2,963 | 0.54 | +118.2% |
| Real estate and rental | 79 | $672 | 0.53 | +1.3% |
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 #
D3 extreme 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 #
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 #
high (0.75)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.75 / 0.35
Banks & federal dollars #
$837.3 m in deposits at 10 offices of 7 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,879, highly concentrated. $189.7 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $184.0 m, grants $5.3 m), $19,686 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| The Bank of Missouri | $206.4 m · 24.7% share · 2 offices | |
| Oakstar Bank | $206.2 m · 24.6% share · 2 offices | |
| Mid-Missouri Bank | $136.2 m · 16.3% share · 1 office | |
| Polk, MO | $189.7 m FY2026 · $19,686/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $175.3 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Bank of Missouri | $206,443,000 | 24.7% | 2 |
| Oakstar Bank | $206,188,000 | 24.6% | 2 |
| Mid-Missouri Bank | $136,212,000 | 16.3% | 1 |
| Commerce Bank | $105,679,000 | 12.6% | 1 |
| Grand Missouri Bank | $100,121,000 | 12.0% | 2 |
| U.S. Bank National Association | $82,658,000 | 9.9% | 1 |
| Great Southern Bank | $0 | 0.0% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,879 across 6 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 6 banks with deposits in the county = 24.7² + 24.6² + 16.3² + … (3 more) = 1,879
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 | $147,848,127 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $24,093,052 |
| Department of Education | $4,876,871 |
| Department of Transportation | $4,830,124 |
| Department of Agriculture | $3,636,197 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $3,349,254 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $635,437 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $450,000 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
| Department of Defense | -$746 |
That is $19,686 per covered job, against 9,637 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $189.7 m / 9,637 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $19,686
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, MO: 14 findings, 1 at a watch level and 13 noted
watchPolk County, MO's average weekly wage of $964 scores 33 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 69 across Missouri counties, a gap of 36 points.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 36 = |33 across US counties - 69 across Missouri counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
notePolk County, MO's average weekly wage was 7.2% 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
- +7.2 % = 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
notePolk County, MO's covered employment was 5.4% 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
- +5.4 % = 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
notePolk County, MO's typical asking rent rose 0.8% from $1,030 in August 2026 to $1,038 in September 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- +0.8% = (1037.5 - 1029.5396953733407) / 1029.5396953733407 × 100
- 1037.5 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-09
- 1029.5396953733407 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
notePolk County, MO's typical home value of +2.0% ranks 5th of 5 counties in the Springfield metro, against a median of +3.2%.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 0 on the 0-to-100 scale across 5 counties in the Springfield metro that published home.yoyPct
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.