Ward County, ND
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 48.22, -101.54.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 65th pct · 1,048th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 80th pct · 9th of 43 North Dakota counties · median $196,408
- counties in the Minot metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Minot metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 55th pct · 1,372nd of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 19th pct · 35th of 43 North Dakota counties · median +5.9%
- counties in the Minot metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Minot metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 25th pct · 1,010th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 66th pct · 4th of 10 North Dakota counties · median $1,235
- counties in the Minot metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Minot metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 77th pct · 716th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 94th pct · 4th of 53 North Dakota counties · median 1,520
- counties in the Minot metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Minot metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 79th pct · 662nd of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 75th pct · 14th of 53 North Dakota counties · median $1,064
- counties in the Minot metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Minot metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 53rd pct · 1,420th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 85th pct · 7th of 43 North Dakota counties · median 3.3
- counties in the Minot metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Minot 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 $281,678 (Sep 2026), +3.3% over one year, +26.9% over five
- 65th pct · 1,048th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 80th pct · 9th of 43 North Dakota counties · median $196,408
- counties in the Minot metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Minot metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Ward County, ND | $281,678 · +3.3% 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 $1,254/mo (Sep 2026), +6.4% over one year; price-to-rent 18.7
- 25th pct · 1,010th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 66th pct · 4th of 10 North Dakota counties · median $1,235
- counties in the Minot metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Minot metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Ward County, ND | $1,254/mo · +6.4% 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 $1,560 a month on $281,678 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $5,347 a month: 29.2% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $281,678 × 80% = $225,342, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $1,560/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,234 × 52 / 12 = $5,347) = 29% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $281,678 / ($1,234 × 52) = 4.4
- price-to-rent = $281,678 / ($1,254 × 12) = 18.7
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 #
30,481 jobs at 2,671 employers (2026 Q1); -0.8% jobs and +2.2% average weekly wage over the year
- 77th pct · 716th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 94th pct · 4th of 53 North Dakota counties · median 1,520
- counties in the Minot metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Minot metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Ward County, ND | 30,481 jobs · $1,234/wk · -0.8% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 5,397 | $1,409 | 1.18 | +8.2% |
| Retail trade | 4,410 | $755 | 1.48 | -4.5% |
| Accommodation and food services | 3,198 | $442 | 1.17 | -2.7% |
| Construction | 1,649 | $1,309 | 1.03 | -1.4% |
| Wholesale trade | 1,508 | $1,694 | 1.29 | -7.5% |
| Mining, oil and gas | 1,261 | $3,483 | 11.62 | -10.2% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 1,208 | $1,307 | 0.94 | +3.2% |
| Finance and insurance | 1,030 | $1,977 | 0.83 | -2.0% |
| Other services | 1,030 | $1,024 | 1.13 | -1.8% |
| Administrative and waste services | 955 | $1,001 | 0.55 | +0.7% |
| Professional and technical services | 914 | $1,571 | 0.43 | -6.4% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 572 | $429 | 1.14 | +5.7% |
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 #
$3.5 bn in deposits at 20 offices of 11 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,718, moderately concentrated. $481.6 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $369.5 m, contracts $75.2 m), $15,801 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| First Western Bank & Trust | $1.2 bn · 33.9% share · 3 offices | |
| First International Bank & Trust | $532.5 m · 15.4% share · 3 offices | |
| Gate City Bank | $301.4 m · 8.7% share · 2 offices | |
| Ward, ND | $481.6 m FY2026 · $15,801/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $333.4 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Western Bank & Trust | $1,170,842,000 | 33.9% | 3 |
| First International Bank & Trust | $532,531,000 | 15.4% | 3 |
| Gate City Bank | $301,383,000 | 8.7% | 2 |
| Old National Bank | $293,247,000 | 8.5% | 2 |
| Bravera Bank | $253,348,000 | 7.3% | 2 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $249,533,000 | 7.2% | 1 |
| State Bank & Trust of Kenmare | $182,804,000 | 5.3% | 3 |
| Peoples State Bank of Velva | $127,768,000 | 3.7% | 1 |
| Cornerstone Bank | $123,118,000 | 3.6% | 1 |
| U.S. Bank National Association | $109,022,000 | 3.2% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,718 across 11 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 11 banks with deposits in the county = 33.9² + 15.4² + 8.7² + … (8 more) = 1,718
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 | $245,449,128 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $75,234,736 |
| Department of Defense | $57,063,657 |
| Department of Transportation | $27,268,249 |
| Department of Agriculture | $24,169,328 |
| Department of Education | $15,508,244 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $12,660,135 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $10,236,238 |
| Department of Labor | $8,970,862 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $4,947,783 |
| General Services Administration | $304,117 |
| Department of Homeland Security | $13,363 |
That is $15,801 per covered job, against 30,481 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $481.6 m / 30,481 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $15,801
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 #
Ward County, ND: 12 findings, 5 at a watch level and 7 noted
watchWard County, ND's covered employment is -0.8% 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 = -0.8 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchWard County, ND's price-to-rent ratio of 18.7 scores 65 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 11 across North Dakota counties, a gap of 54 points.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 54 = |65 across US counties - 11 across North 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
watchWard County, ND's typical asking rent of $1,254 scores 26 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 67 across North Dakota counties, a gap of 41 points.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 41 = |26 across US counties - 67 across North Dakota counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchWard County, ND's typical home value of +3.3% scores 55 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 19 across North Dakota counties, a gap of 36 points.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 36 = |55 across US counties - 19 across North Dakota counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchWard County, ND's years of wages of 4.4 scores 54 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 86 across North Dakota counties, a gap of 32 points.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 32 = |54 across US counties - 86 across North Dakota counties|
- typical home value / (average weekly wage × 52); one average covered job, not a household
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.