Ashe County, NC
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 36.44, -81.50.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 80th pct · 587th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 74th pct · 26th of 100 North Carolina counties · median $273,108
- 51st pct · 1,495th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 70th pct · 30th of 100 North Carolina counties · median +1.1%
- 39th pct · 842nd of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 22nd pct · 49th of 63 North Carolina counties · median $1,573
- 48th pct · 1,671st of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 26th pct · 74th of 100 North Carolina counties · median 16,739
- 34th pct · 2,101st of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 44th pct · 55th of 100 North Carolina counties · median $984
- 89th pct · 328th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 83rd pct · 17th of 100 North Carolina counties · median 5.0
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 $360,936 (Aug 2026), +3.0% over one year, +15.7% over five
- 80th pct · 587th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 74th pct · 26th of 100 North Carolina counties · median $273,108
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Ashe County, NC | $360,936 · +3.0% 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 $1,383/mo (Aug 2026), n/a over one year; price-to-rent 21.7
- 39th pct · 842nd of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 22nd pct · 49th of 63 North Carolina counties · median $1,573
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Ashe County, NC | $1,383/mo · n/a 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 $1,976 a month on $360,936 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,203 a month: 47.0% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $360,936 × 80% = $288,749, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,976/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $970 × 52 / 12 = $4,203) = 47% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $360,936 / ($970 × 52) = 7.2
- price-to-rent = $360,936 / ($1,383 × 12) = 21.7
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 #
7,639 jobs at 763 employers (2026 Q1); +3.9% jobs and +6.4% average weekly wage over the year
- 48th pct · 1,671st of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 26th pct · 74th of 100 North Carolina counties · median 16,739
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Ashe County, NC | 7,639 jobs · $970/wk · +3.9% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 1,215 | $675 | 1.63 | +7.6% |
| Manufacturing | 883 | $952 | 1.44 | +1.3% |
| Accommodation and food services | 726 | $347 | 1.06 | +4.2% |
| Wholesale trade | 461 | $2,246 | 1.58 | +0.2% |
| Administrative and waste services | 307 | $765 | 0.71 | +11.2% |
| Professional and technical services | 158 | $1,539 | 0.30 | -9.2% |
| Other services | 145 | $767 | 0.64 | +8.2% |
| Finance and insurance | 121 | $1,543 | 0.39 | -2.4% |
| Management of companies | 94 | $1,245 | 0.73 | -2.1% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 75 | $662 | 0.60 | +2.7% |
| Real estate and rental | 58 | $640 | 0.50 | +18.4% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | withheld |
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 #
3 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 3, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| W. KERR SCOTT RESERVOIR AT DAM NR WILKESBORO, NC | 30.0 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 42 km |
| LITTLE RIVER RESERVOIR NEAR RADFORD, VA | 231.0 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 109 km |
| GASTON SHOALS RESERVOIR ABOVE BLACKSBURG, SC | 79.1 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 145 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 #
69 gauges · 0 flooding · 3 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 4 stale
Sites found: 69, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Little Buffalo Creek near Jefferson | no flooding | 2 km |
| North Fork New River at Clifton | no flooding | 6 km |
| Big Horse Creek at Lansing | no flooding | 6 km |
| SOUTH FORK NEW RIVER NEAR JEFFERSON, NC | flow 165.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 10 km |
| North Fork New River at Ashland | no flooding | 14 km |
| South Fork New River at SR 1100 near Brownwood | no flooding | 19 km |
| New River at Mouth of Wilson | no readings | 23 km |
| Whitetop Laurel Creek Near Konnarock | no readings | 28 km |
| South Fork New River at US Hwy 221 | no flooding | 28 km |
| Little River near Sparta | no flooding | 30 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 #
5 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 5, 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-361646081430401 | depth 29.8 ft · 2026-10-05 | 27 km |
| USGS-360455081530101 | depth 2.21 ft · 2011-11-27 | 53 km |
| USGS-361738082132900 | depth 12.1 ft · 1989-09-30 | 67 km |
| USGS-355031081243203 | depth 23.5 ft · 2026-10-05 | 67 km |
| USGS-355031081243202 | depth 9.79 ft · 2026-10-05 | 67 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 (0.00)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.00 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$815.1 m in deposits at 7 offices of 5 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,858, highly concentrated. $204.5 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $206.5 m, grants $11.7 m), $26,773 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| LifeStore Bank | $318.6 m · 39.1% share · 3 offices | |
| First National Bank of Pennsylvania | $249.2 m · 30.6% share · 1 office | |
| First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company | $139.6 m · 17.1% share · 1 office | |
| Ashe, NC | $204.5 m FY2026 · $26,773/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $202.8 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| LifeStore Bank | $318,560,000 | 39.1% | 3 |
| First National Bank of Pennsylvania | $249,179,000 | 30.6% | 1 |
| First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company | $139,629,000 | 17.1% | 1 |
| Fifth Third Bank, National Association | $76,089,000 | 9.3% | 1 |
| SKYLINE NATIONAL BANK | $31,606,000 | 3.9% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,858 across 5 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 5 banks with deposits in the county = 39.1² + 30.6² + 17.1² + … (2 more) = 2,858
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 | $182,186,282 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $20,138,228 |
| Department of Transportation | $8,706,909 |
| Department of Agriculture | $3,657,338 |
| Department of Education | $2,020,977 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $383,268 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $353,453 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $342,439 |
| Department of the Interior | $33,000 |
| General Services Administration | $17,595 |
| Environmental Protection Agency | $0 |
| Department of Justice | $0 |
That is $26,773 per covered job, against 7,639 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $204.5 m / 7,639 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $26,773
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 | 12.69 | 2026-10-05 | +3.3% |
| 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 · % | 72.60 | 2026-10-06 | +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 | 6.00 | 2026-09-22 | -14.3% |
| Shanghai to Los Angeles container rate · $ per 40 ft box | 6,830.00 | 2026-08-01 | +7.4% |
| US diesel retail price · $ per gallon | unavailable | not published | |
| WTI crude oil, spot · $ per barrel | 96.16 | 2026-09-29 | -3.2% |
| 30-year fixed mortgage rate · % | 7.28 | 2026-10-01 | +3.6% |
| 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 | 646,347.00 | 2026-08-01 | +1.1% |
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 #
Ashe County, NC: 10 findings, 10 noted
noteAshe County, NC's average weekly wage was 6.4% 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
- +6.4 % = 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
noteAshe County, NC's covered employment was 3.9% 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
- +3.9 % = 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
noteAshe County, NC's typical home value rose 0.6% from $358,879 in July 2026 to $360,936 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.6% = (360936.31816534436 - 358879.49284836504) / 358879.49284836504 × 100
- 360936.31816534436 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 358879.49284836504 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
notetypical asking rent (rent.latest) and typical asking rent (rent.momPct) for Ashe County, NC could not be lined up against the previous published period this run, so no change is printed for them.
Show the arithmetic
- not comparable this run: rent.latest, rent.momPct
the two newest month columns in the published file are not the two this table carries
noteAshe County, NC's momentum index of 0.75 ranks 2nd of 100 North Carolina counties, against a median of 0.25.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 99 on the 0-to-100 scale across 100 North Carolina counties that published momentum
- momentum = Σ wᵢ · clip(changeᵢ / scaleᵢ, −1, 1) / Σ wᵢ over the terms present; weights and scales: home value 1-yr change 0.3 (±10%), rent 1-yr change 0.15 (±10%), jobs over-the-year change 0.3 (±3%), avg weekly wage over-the-year change 0.25 (±6%)
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
Read all 10 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.