Lexington County, SC
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 33.89, -81.27.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 63rd pct · 1,130th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 64th pct · 17th of 46 South Carolina counties · median $213,114
- 100th pct · 1st of 6 counties in the Columbia metro · median $225,434
- 35th pct · 1,964th of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 60th pct · 19th of 46 South Carolina counties · median +1.2%
- 20th pct · 5th of 6 counties in the Columbia metro · median +3.1%
- 63rd pct · 501st of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 62nd pct · 10th of 25 South Carolina counties · median $1,574
- counties in the Columbia metro: only 3 of counties in the Columbia metro published this metric; fewer than 5 is too few to rank
- 92nd pct · 237th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 88th pct · 6th of 46 South Carolina counties · median 18,411
- 80th pct · 2nd of 6 counties in the Columbia metro · median 12,641
- 66th pct · 1,078th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 66th pct · 16th of 46 South Carolina counties · median $1,061
- 40th pct · 4th of 6 counties in the Columbia metro · median $1,187
- 59th pct · 1,249th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 66th pct · 16th of 46 South Carolina counties · median 4.0
- 80th pct · 2nd of 6 counties in the Columbia metro · median 3.8
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 $271,722 (Sep 2026), +1.6% over one year, +27.8% over five
- 63rd pct · 1,130th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 64th pct · 17th of 46 South Carolina counties · median $213,114
- 100th pct · 1st of 6 counties in the Columbia metro · median $225,434
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Lexington County, SC | $271,722 · +1.6% 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 $1,662/mo (Sep 2026), +2.2% over one year; price-to-rent 13.6
- 63rd pct · 501st of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 62nd pct · 10th of 25 South Carolina counties · median $1,574
- counties in the Columbia metro: only 3 of counties in the Columbia metro published this metric; fewer than 5 is too few to rank
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Lexington County, SC | $1,662/mo · +2.2% 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 $1,505 a month on $271,722 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,866 a month: 30.9% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $271,722 × 80% = $217,377, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $1,505/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,123 × 52 / 12 = $4,866) = 31% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $271,722 / ($1,123 × 52) = 4.7
- price-to-rent = $271,722 / ($1,662 × 12) = 13.6
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 #
132,965 jobs at 8,923 employers (2026 Q1); -0.1% jobs and +1.7% average weekly wage over the year
- 92nd pct · 237th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 88th pct · 6th of 46 South Carolina counties · median 18,411
- 80th pct · 2nd of 6 counties in the Columbia metro · median 12,641
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Lexington County, SC | 132,965 jobs · $1,123/wk · -0.1% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 17,945 | $713 | 1.38 | -1.5% |
| Health care and social assistance | 17,109 | $1,017 | 0.86 | -1.7% |
| Accommodation and food services | 12,686 | $411 | 1.06 | +3.0% |
| Manufacturing | 12,314 | $1,487 | 1.15 | -3.9% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 9,036 | $974 | 1.61 | -3.1% |
| Construction | 8,181 | $1,398 | 1.17 | +0.0% |
| Administrative and waste services | 7,483 | $780 | 0.99 | +5.2% |
| Wholesale trade | 6,158 | $1,819 | 1.21 | +7.2% |
| Professional and technical services | 4,909 | $1,520 | 0.54 | +0.7% |
| Other services | 4,119 | $1,256 | 1.04 | -9.3% |
| Finance and insurance | 2,716 | $2,020 | 0.50 | -10.5% |
| Real estate and rental | 1,626 | $1,049 | 0.80 | -1.0% |
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 #
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 #
$6.9 bn in deposits at 59 offices of 19 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,160, moderately concentrated. $2.3 bn federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $2.0 bn, grants $203.6 m), $17,332 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Truist Bank | $1.3 bn · 18.8% share · 10 offices | |
| Bank of America, National Association | $1.1 bn · 16.4% share · 4 offices | |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $1.0 bn · 15.2% share · 5 offices | |
| Lexington, SC | $2.3 bn FY2026 · $17,332/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $2.0 bn · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Truist Bank | $1,292,185,000 | 18.8% | 10 |
| Bank of America, National Association | $1,131,401,000 | 16.4% | 4 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $1,043,730,000 | 15.2% | 5 |
| First Community Bank | $779,226,000 | 11.3% | 6 |
| First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company | $592,617,000 | 8.6% | 6 |
| Southern First Bank | $348,786,000 | 5.1% | 1 |
| SouthState Bank, National Association | $334,287,000 | 4.9% | 3 |
| TD Bank, National Association | $291,920,000 | 4.2% | 4 |
| Pinnacle Bank | $285,216,000 | 4.1% | 3 |
| Ameris Bank | $207,409,000 | 3.0% | 2 |
Deposit concentration is 1,160 across 19 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 19 banks with deposits in the county = 18.8² + 16.4² + 15.2² + … (16 more) = 1,160
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 | $1,575,950,636 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $401,623,973 |
| Department of Transportation | $102,320,219 |
| Department of Education | $73,657,948 |
| Department of Defense | $60,027,346 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $29,166,910 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $20,205,598 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $18,025,707 |
| Department of Agriculture | $8,892,558 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $7,667,922 |
| Department of Justice | $4,969,096 |
| Department of Energy | $761,512 |
That is $17,332 per covered job, against 132,965 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $2.3 bn / 132,965 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $17,332
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 #
Lexington County, SC: 8 findings, 1 at a watch level and 7 noted
watchLexington County, SC's covered employment is -0.1% 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 = -0.1 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteLexington County, SC's average weekly wage was 1.7% 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
- +1.7 % = 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
noteLexington County, SC's covered employment was 0.1% 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
- -0.1 % = 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
noteLexington County, SC's typical home value of $271,722 ranks 1st of 6 counties in the Columbia metro, against a median of $225,434.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 100 on the 0-to-100 scale across 6 counties in the Columbia metro that published home.latest
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteLexington County, SC's covered employment of 132,965 ranks 237th of 3,221 US counties, against a median of 8,232.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 93 on the 0-to-100 scale across 3221 US counties that published jobs.emp
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
Read all 8 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.