Charleston County, SC
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 32.80, -79.94.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 96th pct · 102nd of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 100th pct · 1st of 46 South Carolina counties · median $213,114
- counties in the Charleston-North Charleston metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Charleston-North Charleston metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 34th pct · 2,017th of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 53rd pct · 22nd of 46 South Carolina counties · median +1.2%
- counties in the Charleston-North Charleston metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Charleston-North Charleston metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 88th pct · 154th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 100th pct · 1st of 25 South Carolina counties · median $1,574
- counties in the Charleston-North Charleston metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Charleston-North Charleston metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 96th pct · 113th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 97th pct · 2nd of 46 South Carolina counties · median 18,411
- counties in the Charleston-North Charleston metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Charleston-North Charleston metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 92nd pct · 243rd of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 97th pct · 2nd of 46 South Carolina counties · median $1,061
- counties in the Charleston-North Charleston metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Charleston-North Charleston metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 92nd pct · 225th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 97th pct · 2nd of 46 South Carolina counties · median 4.0
- counties in the Charleston-North Charleston metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Charleston-North Charleston 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 $609,591 (Sep 2026), +1.5% over one year, +39.0% over five
- 96th pct · 102nd of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 100th pct · 1st of 46 South Carolina counties · median $213,114
- counties in the Charleston-North Charleston metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Charleston-North Charleston metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Charleston County, SC | $609,591 · +1.5% 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 $2,150/mo (Sep 2026), +4.4% over one year; price-to-rent 23.6
- 88th pct · 154th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 100th pct · 1st of 25 South Carolina counties · median $1,574
- counties in the Charleston-North Charleston metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Charleston-North Charleston metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Charleston County, SC | $2,150/mo · +4.4% 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 $3,377 a month on $609,591 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $6,465 a month: 52.2% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $609,591 × 80% = $487,673, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $3,377/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,492 × 52 / 12 = $6,465) = 52% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $609,591 / ($1,492 × 52) = 7.9
- price-to-rent = $609,591 / ($2,150 × 12) = 23.6
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 #
285,447 jobs at 22,622 employers (2026 Q1); +1.2% jobs and +6.0% average weekly wage over the year
- 96th pct · 113th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 97th pct · 2nd of 46 South Carolina counties · median 18,411
- counties in the Charleston-North Charleston metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Charleston-North Charleston metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Charleston County, SC | 285,447 jobs · $1,492/wk · +1.2% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and food services | 36,313 | $666 | 1.42 | -0.5% |
| Health care and social assistance | 32,538 | $1,404 | 0.76 | +1.4% |
| Retail trade | 29,545 | $890 | 1.06 | -2.1% |
| Professional and technical services | 21,543 | $2,077 | 1.09 | -0.2% |
| Administrative and waste services | 19,432 | $953 | 1.20 | -4.8% |
| Manufacturing | 18,693 | $2,176 | 0.81 | +10.1% |
| Construction | 17,451 | $1,833 | 1.17 | +7.7% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 10,969 | $1,269 | 0.91 | +5.1% |
| Finance and insurance | 8,136 | $4,067 | 0.70 | +4.0% |
| Other services | 7,644 | $1,076 | 0.90 | -1.4% |
| Wholesale trade | 7,435 | $2,023 | 0.68 | +0.6% |
| Real estate and rental | 6,791 | $1,867 | 1.55 | +3.1% |
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 #
D0 abnormally dry
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 #
$20.4 bn in deposits at 133 offices of 32 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,069, moderately concentrated. $4.7 bn federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $2.6 bn, contracts $1.6 bn), $16,331 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $4.5 bn · 22.1% share · 16 offices | |
| Bank of America, National Association | $3.1 bn · 15.0% share · 8 offices | |
| SouthState Bank, National Association | $2.3 bn · 11.5% share · 13 offices | |
| Charleston, SC | $4.7 bn FY2026 · $16,331/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $2.4 bn · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $4,506,325,000 | 22.1% | 16 |
| Bank of America, National Association | $3,052,382,000 | 15.0% | 8 |
| SouthState Bank, National Association | $2,342,020,000 | 11.5% | 13 |
| Pinnacle Bank | $1,964,516,000 | 9.6% | 12 |
| Truist Bank | $1,286,295,000 | 6.3% | 8 |
| First Capital Bank | $880,142,000 | 4.3% | 2 |
| First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company | $862,900,000 | 4.2% | 9 |
| Southern First Bank | $760,604,000 | 3.7% | 2 |
| Beacon Community Bank | $730,612,000 | 3.6% | 5 |
| Fifth Third Bank, National Association | $434,414,000 | 2.1% | 3 |
Deposit concentration is 1,069 across 31 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 31 banks with deposits in the county = 22.1² + 15.0² + 11.5² + … (28 more) = 1,069
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 | $2,025,691,653 |
| Department of Defense | $864,974,049 |
| Department of Homeland Security | $527,734,422 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $399,742,121 |
| Department of Transportation | $320,020,385 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $208,690,757 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $85,578,704 |
| Department of State | $69,476,675 |
| Department of Education | $61,331,601 |
| Department of Commerce | $52,898,975 |
| Department of Agriculture | $11,704,073 |
| General Services Administration | $10,198,658 |
That is $16,331 per covered job, against 285,447 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $4.7 bn / 285,447 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $16,331
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 #
Charleston County, SC: 16 findings, 1 at a watch level and 15 noted
watchCharleston County, SC's years of wages of 7.9 ranks 225th of 3,063 US counties, a watch level here: years of wages in the top tenth of US counties (position among the counties that published both a ZHVI value and a QCEW average weekly wage; not an official level). The previous published period is not in this table, so this is a standing level rather than a change.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- test: yearsOfWages percentile = 92.68451992161985 >= 90
- typical home value / (average weekly wage × 52); one average covered job, not a household
position among the counties that published both a ZHVI value and a QCEW average weekly wage; not an official level
noteCharleston County, SC's average weekly wage was 6.0% 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
- +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
noteCharleston County, SC's covered employment was 1.2% 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
- +1.2 % = 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
noteCharleston County, SC's typical asking rent fell 0.3% from $2,156 in August 2026 to $2,150 in September 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- -0.3% = (2149.807132750728 - 2155.7983465975985) / 2155.7983465975985 × 100
- 2149.807132750728 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-09
- 2155.7983465975985 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
noteCharleston County, SC's typical home value of $609,591 ranks 1st of 46 South Carolina counties, against a median of $213,114.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 100 on the 0-to-100 scale across 46 South Carolina counties that published home.latest
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.