Kay County, OK
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 36.81, -97.14.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 6th pct · 2,878th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 22nd pct · 60th of 77 Oklahoma counties · median $164,118
- 67th pct · 1,005th of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 64th pct · 28th of 77 Oklahoma counties · median +3.5%
- US counties: not published this period
- Oklahoma counties: not published this period
- 68th pct · 1,018th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 78th pct · 17th of 77 Oklahoma counties · median 7,282
- 56th pct · 1,395th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 78th pct · 17th of 77 Oklahoma counties · median $968
- 5th pct · 2,899th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 17th pct · 64th of 77 Oklahoma counties · median 3.3
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 $115,975 (Sep 2026), +4.3% over one year, +17.1% over five
- 6th pct · 2,878th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 22nd pct · 60th of 77 Oklahoma counties · median $164,118
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Kay County, OK | $115,975 · +4.3% 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 #
Zillow publishes no rent index for this area (ZORI covers about 1,400 counties)
- US counties: not published this period
- Oklahoma counties: not published this period
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 $642 a month on $115,975 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,637 a month: 13.9% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $115,975 × 80% = $92,780, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $642/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,070 × 52 / 12 = $4,637) = 14% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $115,975 / ($1,070 × 52) = 2.1
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 #
17,477 jobs at 1,183 employers (2026 Q1); +0.2% jobs and +4.6% average weekly wage over the year
- 68th pct · 1,018th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 78th pct · 17th of 77 Oklahoma counties · median 7,282
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Kay County, OK | 17,477 jobs · $1,070/wk · +0.2% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 2,313 | $694 | 1.36 | -6.0% |
| Manufacturing | 2,185 | $1,071 | 1.55 | +2.9% |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,477 | $353 | 0.94 | -5.0% |
| Construction | 1,176 | $1,245 | 1.28 | +17.8% |
| Administrative and waste services | 623 | $776 | 0.63 | -2.7% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 483 | $1,552 | 0.66 | +3.6% |
| Wholesale trade | 466 | $1,566 | 0.70 | +4.0% |
| Finance and insurance | 354 | $1,347 | 0.50 | -2.7% |
| Other services | 314 | $1,064 | 0.60 | -0.6% |
| Mining, oil and gas | 282 | $1,372 | 4.53 | -1.4% |
| Information | 112 | $705 | 0.35 | +14.3% |
| Utilities | 101 | $2,237 | 1.46 | -8.2% |
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 #
D1 moderate 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 #
2 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 2, 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.
| Site | Reading | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| CHENEY RE NR CHENEY, KS | 153,700 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 117 km |
| Lake Hefner at Oklahoma City, OK | 69,850 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 143 km |
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 #
16 gauges · 0 flooding · 0 with quality panels · 1 stale
Sites found: 16, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Chikaskia River near Blackwell, OK | flow 459.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 12 km |
| Salt Fork Arkansas River at Tonkawa, OK | flow 52.4 ft³/s · no flooding | 22 km |
| Arkansas River near Ponca City | no flooding | 23 km |
| Eastern Oklahoma Lakes at Kaw Lake | no flooding | 24 km |
| ARKANSAS R AT ARKANSAS CITY, KS | flow 882.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 26 km |
| WALNUT R AT ARKANSAS CITY, KS | stage 3.48 ft · no flooding | 29 km |
| Grouse Creek Near Silverdale | out of service | 33 km |
| WALNUT R AT WINFIELD, KS | flow 148.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 47 km |
| Arkansas River at Ralston, OK | flow 1,430 ft³/s · no flooding | 51 km |
| ARKANSAS R ON HWY 160 AT OXFORD, KS | flow 688.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 51 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 #
7 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 7, 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-363856097040401 | depth 19.5 ft · 2022-03-07 | 20 km |
| USGS-364112097310101 | depth 12.8 ft · 2021-06-16 | 36 km |
| USGS-363021096432402 | depth 0.11 ft · 2016-07-04 | 51 km |
| USGS-363021096432403 | depth -2.18 ft · 2016-03-06 | 51 km |
| USGS-363021096432404 | depth 14.9 ft · 2016-07-04 | 51 km |
| USGS-364337096315401 | depth 159.8 ft · 2026-10-18 | 55 km |
| USGS-364422097553901 | depth 9.33 ft · 2022-03-07 | 70 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 #
moderate (0.25)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.25 / 0.35
Banks & federal dollars #
$1.3 bn in deposits at 20 offices of 8 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,309, highly concentrated. $372.0 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $309.6 m, grants $34.3 m), $21,285 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| RCB Bank | $447.1 m · 34.1% share · 5 offices | |
| First National Bank of Oklahoma | $340.3 m · 26.0% share · 2 offices | |
| Equity Bank | $239.9 m · 18.3% share · 4 offices | |
| Kay, OK | $372.0 m FY2026 · $21,285/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $276.6 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| RCB Bank | $447,135,000 | 34.1% | 5 |
| First National Bank of Oklahoma | $340,253,000 | 26.0% | 2 |
| Equity Bank | $239,919,000 | 18.3% | 4 |
| Community National Bank & Trust | $107,688,000 | 8.2% | 2 |
| BancFirst | $88,816,000 | 6.8% | 2 |
| Stride Bank, National Association | $50,365,000 | 3.8% | 2 |
| Gateway First Bank | $30,788,000 | 2.4% | 2 |
| The City National Bank and Trust Company of Lawton, Oklahoma | $5,017,000 | 0.4% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,309 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 = 34.1² + 26.0² + 18.3² + … (5 more) = 2,309
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 | $238,364,547 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $36,650,406 |
| Department of Transportation | $26,438,930 |
| Department of Agriculture | $17,365,106 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $16,897,156 |
| Department of the Interior | $9,754,333 |
| Department of Education | $8,589,943 |
| Department of Commerce | $4,644,255 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $2,973,293 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $2,329,249 |
| Department of Justice | $2,171,133 |
| Department of Defense | $2,007,442 |
That is $21,285 per covered job, against 17,477 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $372.0 m / 17,477 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $21,285
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 #
Kay County, OK: 6 findings, 6 noted
noteKay County, OK's average weekly wage was 4.6% 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
- +4.6 % = 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
noteKay County, OK's covered employment was 0.2% 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
- +0.2 % = 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
noteKay County, OK's years of wages of 2.1 ranks 2,899th of 3,063 US counties, against a median of 4.2.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 5 on the 0-to-100 scale across 3063 US counties that published yearsOfWages
- 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
noteKay County, OK's typical home value of $115,975 ranks 2,878th of 3,063 US counties, against a median of $230,451.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 6 on the 0-to-100 scale across 3063 US counties that published home.latest
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteThe next Unemployment rate (BLS Employment Situation, monthly) covering Kay County, OK 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
Read all 6 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.