Chester County, SC
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 34.69, -81.16.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 42nd pct · 1,755th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 48th pct · 24th of 46 South Carolina counties · median $213,114
- 10th pct · 10th of 11 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro · median $380,437
- 17th pct · 2,521st of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 28th pct · 33rd of 46 South Carolina counties · median +1.2%
- 40th pct · 7th of 11 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro · median -0.3%
- US counties: not published this period
- South Carolina counties: not published this period
- counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro: not published this period
- 56th pct · 1,408th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 40th pct · 28th of 46 South Carolina counties · median 18,411
- 10th pct · 10th of 11 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro · median 79,207
- 79th pct · 672nd of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 73rd pct · 13th of 46 South Carolina counties · median $1,061
- 50th pct · 6th of 11 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro · median $1,230
- 28th pct · 2,184th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 28th pct · 33rd of 46 South Carolina counties · median 4.0
- 10th pct · 10th of 11 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro · median 5.3
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 $211,424 (Sep 2026), -0.4% over one year, +17.3% over five
- 42nd pct · 1,755th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 48th pct · 24th of 46 South Carolina counties · median $213,114
- 10th pct · 10th of 11 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro · median $380,437
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Chester County, SC | $211,424 · -0.4% 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 #
Zillow publishes no rent index for this area (ZORI covers about 1,400 counties)
- US counties: not published this period
- South Carolina counties: not published this period
- counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro: 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 $1,171 a month on $211,424 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $5,330 a month: 22.0% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $211,424 × 80% = $169,140, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $1,171/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,230 × 52 / 12 = $5,330) = 22% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $211,424 / ($1,230 × 52) = 3.3
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 #
10,678 jobs at 661 employers (2026 Q1); +1.1% jobs and +4.4% average weekly wage over the year
- 56th pct · 1,408th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 40th pct · 28th of 46 South Carolina counties · median 18,411
- 10th pct · 10th of 11 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro · median 79,207
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Chester County, SC | 10,678 jobs · $1,230/wk · +1.1% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 3,650 | $1,374 | 4.25 | -0.5% |
| Wholesale trade | 1,220 | $1,475 | 2.98 | +11.0% |
| Construction | 767 | $1,401 | 1.37 | -2.4% |
| Retail trade | 767 | $600 | 0.74 | -3.6% |
| Administrative and waste services | 322 | $613 | 0.53 | +68.6% |
| Health care and social assistance | 283 | $845 | 0.18 | -3.4% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 170 | $1,202 | 0.38 | -43.7% |
| Other services | 165 | $665 | 0.52 | -0.6% |
| Information | 151 | $2,377 | 0.77 | -4.4% |
| Finance and insurance | 132 | $1,465 | 0.30 | -2.2% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 92 | $1,128 | 1.19 | +0.0% |
| Real estate and rental | 32 | $1,201 | 0.20 | +100.0% |
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 #
13 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 13, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| NEAL SHOALS RESERVOIR NEAR CARLISLE, SC | 331.9 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 26 km |
| MONTICELLO RES NR JENKINSVILLE, SC | 424.0 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 46 km |
| NINETYNINE ISLAND RES. BELOW CHEROKEE FALLS, SC | 99.4 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 49 km |
| PARR SHOALS RESERVOIR AT PARR, SC | 260.6 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 50 km |
| GASTON SHOALS RESERVOIR ABOVE BLACKSBURG, SC | 94.0 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 64 km |
| LAKE MURRAY NEAR COLUMBIA, SC | 355.6 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 71 km |
| LAKE BLALOCK NEAR COWPENS, SC | 710.1 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 76 km |
| LAKE GREENWOOD NEAR CHAPPELLS, SC | 438.9 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 89 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 #
135 gauges · 0 flooding · 13 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 41 stale
Sites found: 135, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| SOUTH FORK FISHING CREEK BELOW McCONNELLS,SC | flow 0.84 ft³/s · STALE | 14 km |
| ROCKY CREEK AT SC 901 ABOVE GREAT FALLS, SC | stage 8.62 ft | 18 km |
| FISHING CREEK BELOW FORT LAWN, SC | flow 14.0 ft³/s | 22 km |
| TURKEY CREEK NEAR LOWRYS, SC | flow 9.30 ft³/s · STALE | 23 km |
| WILDCAT CREEK BELOW ROCK HILL, SC | flow 2.31 ft³/s | 24 km |
| BROAD RIVER NEAR CARLISLE, SC | flow 1,590 ft³/s · quality 100 % (4) | 26 km |
| ROCKY CREEK AT GREAT FALLS, SC | flow 2.88 ft³/s | 26 km |
| BROAD RIVER BELOW NEAL SHOALS RES NR CARLISLE, SC | flow 1,580 ft³/s | 26 km |
| CATAWBA RIVER AT GREAT FALLS, SC | stage 353.1 ft · quality 100 % (2) | 27 km |
| NEALS CREEK NR CARLISLE, SC | flow 628.0 ft³/s · STALE | 27 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 #
17 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 17, 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-344000081250011 | depth 94.2 ft · 2026-10-18 | 23 km |
| USGS-344333080503600 | depth 34.9 ft · 2026-10-18 | 29 km |
| USGS-344333080503601 | depth 38.2 ft · 2026-10-18 | 29 km |
| USGS-345830081033100 | depth 26.9 ft · 2026-10-18 | 33 km |
| USGS-345830081033101 | depth 24.3 ft · 2026-10-18 | 33 km |
| USGS-350150081012500 | depth 19.0 ft · 2003-02-13 | 39 km |
| USGS-342440080443901 | depth 49.3 ft · 2026-10-18 | 49 km |
| USGS-342440080443900 | depth 56.1 ft · 2026-10-18 | 49 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 #
low (0.16)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.25 + 0.2×0.00 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$367.0 m in deposits at 5 offices of 3 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 4,789, highly concentrated. $231.8 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $219.7 m, grants $11.8 m), $21,711 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company | $221.0 m · 60.2% share · 1 office | |
| Spratt Savings Bank | $123.0 m · 33.5% share · 3 offices | |
| Truist Bank | $23.0 m · 6.3% share · 1 office | |
| Chester, SC | $231.8 m FY2026 · $21,711/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $216.0 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company | $220,992,000 | 60.2% | 1 |
| Spratt Savings Bank | $123,035,000 | 33.5% | 3 |
| Truist Bank | $22,971,000 | 6.3% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 4,789 across 3 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 3 banks with deposits in the county = 60.2² + 33.5² + 6.3² = 4,789
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 | $188,226,347 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $27,169,189 |
| Department of Transportation | $9,436,658 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $2,866,370 |
| Department of Agriculture | $1,813,862 |
| Department of Justice | $750,000 |
| Department of Energy | $734,983 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $698,404 |
| Department of Defense | $94,875 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $22,769 |
| Small Business Administration | $12,900 |
| Environmental Protection Agency | $0 |
That is $21,711 per covered job, against 10,678 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $231.8 m / 10,678 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $21,711
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 #
Chester County, SC: 9 findings, 1 at a watch level and 8 noted
watchChester County, SC's typical home value is -0.4% against a year earlier, a watch level here: typical home value below a year ago (arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; 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: home.yoyPct = -0.43830556505537205 < 0
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; not an official level
noteChester County, SC's average weekly wage was 4.4% 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
- +4.4 % = 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
noteChester County, SC's covered employment was 1.1% 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
- +1.1 % = 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
noteChester County, SC's typical home value rose 0.3% from $210,694 in August 2026 to $211,424 in September 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- +0.3% = (211424.4473114117 - 210693.52556570162) / 210693.52556570162 × 100
- 211424.4473114117 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-09
- 210693.52556570162 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
noteChester County, SC's typical home value of $211,424 ranks 10th of 11 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro, against a median of $380,437.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 10 on the 0-to-100 scale across 11 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro that published home.latest
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
Read all 9 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.