Dorchester County, SC
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 33.08, -80.40.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 79th pct · 642nd of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 84th pct · 8th 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.
- 15th pct · 2,599th of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 26th pct · 34th 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.
- 70th pct · 398th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 79th pct · 6th 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.
- 81st pct · 594th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 71st pct · 14th 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.
- 58th pct · 1,327th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 53rd pct · 22nd 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.
- 81st pct · 563rd of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 86th pct · 7th 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 $348,212 (Sep 2026), -0.9% over one year, +19.7% over five
- 79th pct · 642nd of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 84th pct · 8th 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Dorchester County, SC | $348,212 · -0.9% 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 $1,768/mo (Sep 2026), +5.2% over one year; price-to-rent 16.4
- 70th pct · 398th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 79th pct · 6th 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Dorchester County, SC | $1,768/mo · +5.2% 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 $1,929 a month on $348,212 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,684 a month: 41.2% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $348,212 × 80% = $278,570, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $1,929/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,081 × 52 / 12 = $4,684) = 41% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $348,212 / ($1,081 × 52) = 6.2
- price-to-rent = $348,212 / ($1,768 × 12) = 16.4
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 #
41,002 jobs at 3,762 employers (2026 Q1); -2.2% jobs and +1.2% average weekly wage over the year
- 81st pct · 594th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 71st pct · 14th 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Dorchester County, SC | 41,002 jobs · $1,081/wk · -2.2% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 5,540 | $1,613 | 1.68 | -8.2% |
| Retail trade | 5,269 | $706 | 1.32 | +2.7% |
| Accommodation and food services | 4,714 | $464 | 1.28 | -2.5% |
| Health care and social assistance | 4,025 | $1,012 | 0.65 | +3.1% |
| Construction | 2,501 | $1,328 | 1.16 | +5.2% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 2,236 | $985 | 1.29 | +3.9% |
| Administrative and waste services | 2,139 | $1,189 | 0.92 | -2.6% |
| Other services | 1,425 | $768 | 1.16 | -1.2% |
| Professional and technical services | 1,420 | $1,506 | 0.50 | -16.3% |
| Wholesale trade | 1,230 | $2,107 | 0.78 | -8.1% |
| Finance and insurance | 734 | $1,720 | 0.44 | +0.0% |
| Real estate and rental | 695 | $1,199 | 1.11 | -13.8% |
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 #
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 #
moderate (0.25)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.25 / 0.35
Banks & federal dollars #
$2.8 bn in deposits at 37 offices of 20 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 981, unconcentrated. $1.1 bn federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $1.1 bn, contracts $13.9 m), $27,310 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company | $469.8 m · 16.7% share · 3 offices | |
| Bank of America, National Association | $403.5 m · 14.3% share · 3 offices | |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $388.4 m · 13.8% share · 2 offices | |
| Dorchester, SC | $1.1 bn FY2026 · $27,310/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $1.1 bn · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company | $469,812,000 | 16.7% | 3 |
| Bank of America, National Association | $403,495,000 | 14.3% | 3 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $388,394,000 | 13.8% | 2 |
| SouthState Bank, National Association | $311,921,000 | 11.1% | 3 |
| Truist Bank | $187,482,000 | 6.7% | 3 |
| Pinnacle Bank | $154,069,000 | 5.5% | 3 |
| First National Bank of South Carolina | $153,956,000 | 5.5% | 4 |
| United Bank | $134,013,000 | 4.8% | 3 |
| First Capital Bank | $128,646,000 | 4.6% | 1 |
| ServisFirst Bank | $79,666,000 | 2.8% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 981 across 20 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls unconcentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 20 banks with deposits in the county = 16.7² + 14.3² + 13.8² + … (17 more) = 981
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 | $796,534,831 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $293,033,964 |
| Department of Defense | $12,133,654 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $6,091,548 |
| Department of Transportation | $4,619,491 |
| Department of Agriculture | $3,151,626 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $1,471,617 |
| Department of Homeland Security | $1,370,229 |
| Department of Justice | $611,990 |
| Department of Education | $338,241 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $267,777 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $139,000 |
That is $27,310 per covered job, against 41,002 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $1.1 bn / 41,002 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $27,310
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 #
Dorchester County, SC: 7 findings, 2 at a watch level and 5 noted
watchDorchester County, SC's covered employment is -2.2% 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 = -2.2 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchDorchester County, SC's typical home value is -0.9% 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 = -0.8595232491297455 < 0
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; not an official level
noteDorchester County, SC's covered employment was 2.2% lower 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
- -2.2 % = 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
noteDorchester County, SC's average weekly wage 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
noteThe next Unemployment rate (BLS Employment Situation, monthly) covering Dorchester County, SC 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 7 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.