Chatham County, NC
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 35.70, -79.25.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 95th pct · 139th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 98th pct · 2nd of 100 North Carolina counties · median $273,108
- counties in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 4 counties in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 23rd pct · 2,346th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 34th pct · 66th of 100 North Carolina counties · median +1.1%
- counties in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 4 counties in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 76th pct · 324th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 87th pct · 9th of 63 North Carolina counties · median $1,573
- counties in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 4 counties in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 71st pct · 925th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 57th pct · 43rd of 100 North Carolina counties · median 16,739
- counties in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 4 counties in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 67th pct · 1,030th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 80th pct · 20th of 100 North Carolina counties · median $984
- counties in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 4 counties in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 96th pct · 101st of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 95th pct · 5th of 100 North Carolina counties · median 5.0
- counties in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 4 counties in the Durham-Chapel Hill 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 $561,813 (Aug 2026), +0.3% over one year, +29.9% over five
- 95th pct · 139th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 98th pct · 2nd of 100 North Carolina counties · median $273,108
- counties in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 4 counties in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Chatham County, NC | $561,813 · +0.3% 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 $1,859/mo (Aug 2026), +2.1% over one year; price-to-rent 25.2
- 76th pct · 324th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 87th pct · 9th of 63 North Carolina counties · median $1,573
- counties in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 4 counties in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Chatham County, NC | $1,859/mo · +2.1% 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 $3,075 a month on $561,813 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,914 a month: 62.6% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $561,813 × 80% = $449,451, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $3,075/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,134 × 52 / 12 = $4,914) = 63% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $561,813 / ($1,134 × 52) = 9.5
- price-to-rent = $561,813 / ($1,859 × 12) = 25.2
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 #
20,019 jobs at 2,546 employers (2026 Q1); -0.5% jobs and +3.9% average weekly wage over the year
- 71st pct · 925th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 57th pct · 43rd of 100 North Carolina counties · median 16,739
- counties in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 4 counties in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Chatham County, NC | 20,019 jobs · $1,134/wk · -0.5% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 3,135 | $933 | 1.04 | +2.6% |
| Construction | 2,028 | $1,635 | 1.93 | +8.6% |
| Retail trade | 1,916 | $669 | 0.98 | -1.7% |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,860 | $450 | 1.03 | -1.1% |
| Professional and technical services | 1,470 | $1,873 | 1.06 | +6.6% |
| Manufacturing | 1,459 | $1,381 | 0.91 | -12.2% |
| Administrative and waste services | 1,172 | $1,059 | 1.03 | -9.4% |
| Other services | 771 | $1,067 | 1.29 | -2.2% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 736 | $774 | 0.87 | +0.4% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 678 | $1,427 | 4.69 | +0.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 498 | $1,653 | 0.65 | -1.6% |
| Educational services | 401 | $763 | 0.93 | -11.3% |
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 #
5 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 5, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| B. EVERETT JORDAN LAKE AT DAM NR MONCURE, NC | 213.9 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 17 km |
| BEAVERDAM CREEK AT DAM NEAR CREEDMOOR, NC | 248.5 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 62 km |
| FALLS LAKE ABOVE DAM NR FALLS, NC | 246.5 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 66 km |
| HYCO LAKE AT DAM NR ROXBORO, NC | 7.99 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 92 km |
| AFTERBAY RESERVOIR AT DAM NR MCGEHEES MILL, NC | 364.6 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 94 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 #
150 gauges · 0 flooding · 2 with quality panels averaging 83 % · 29 stale
Sites found: 150, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| CAPE FEAR RIVER AT LILLINGTON, NC | flow 704.0 ft³/s · quality 67 % (3) · no flooding | 52 km |
| HAW RIVER NEAR BYNUM, NC | flow 97.6 ft³/s · no flooding | 12 km |
| TICK CREEK NEAR MOUNT VERNON SPRINGS, NC | flow 0.00 ft³/s · no flooding | 14 km |
| DEEP RIVER AT MONCURE, NC | flow 250.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 15 km |
| ROCKY R AT US 64 NEAR SILER CITY, NC | flow 1.21 ft³/s · quality 100 % (4) · no flooding | 16 km |
| HAW R BELOW B. EVERETT JORDAN DAM NR MONCURE, NC | flow 278.0 ft³/s · STALE | 18 km |
| HAW RIVER NEAR MONCURE, NC | flow 310.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 19 km |
| CAPE FEAR PWR PLT DISCHARGE CANAL NR BRICKHAVEN NC | flow 107.0 ft³/s · STALE | 23 km |
| COLLINS CREEK AT HWY 54 NEAR WHITE CROSS, NC | flow 0.40 ft³/s · STALE | 26 km |
| Morgan Creek at Smith Level Rd in Chapel Hill | no readings | 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 #
29 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 29, 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-355522079043001 | depth 46.6 ft · 2012-09-29 | 29 km |
| USGS-354855078553201 | depth 46.8 ft · 2026-10-05 | 32 km |
| USGS-355944079013401 | depth 39.2 ft · 2026-10-05 | 38 km |
| USGS-353833078493301 | depth 27.2 ft · 2026-10-05 | 39 km |
| USGS-354144078460102 | depth 40.8 ft · 2026-10-05 | 44 km |
| USGS-354359078403104 | depth 32.0 ft · 2026-10-05 | 52 km |
| USGS-354404078403101 | depth 25.7 ft · 2013-07-22 | 52 km |
| USGS-354649078400702 | depth 6.60 ft · 2026-10-05 | 53 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 (0.22)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.25 + 0.2×0.17 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$1.1 bn in deposits at 17 offices of 10 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,358, moderately concentrated. $639.3 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $627.0 m, grants $6.7 m), $31,935 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Truist Bank | $236.0 m · 22.1% share · 3 offices | |
| Pinnacle Bank | $144.1 m · 13.5% share · 1 office | |
| The Fidelity Bank | $142.1 m · 13.3% share · 2 offices | |
| Chatham, NC | $639.3 m FY2026 · $31,935/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $619.8 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Truist Bank | $235,963,000 | 22.1% | 3 |
| Pinnacle Bank | $144,090,000 | 13.5% | 1 |
| The Fidelity Bank | $142,120,000 | 13.3% | 2 |
| First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company | $122,393,000 | 11.5% | 2 |
| First Bank | $115,115,000 | 10.8% | 2 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $114,218,000 | 10.7% | 1 |
| First Horizon Bank | $103,860,000 | 9.7% | 2 |
| PNC Bank, National Association | $79,961,000 | 7.5% | 2 |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $7,323,000 | 0.7% | 1 |
| Woodforest National Bank | $3,718,000 | 0.3% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,358 across 10 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 10 banks with deposits in the county = 22.1² + 13.5² + 13.3² + … (7 more) = 1,358
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 | $586,416,408 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $33,471,573 |
| Department of Transportation | $6,314,700 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $3,829,953 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $3,285,137 |
| Department of Agriculture | $3,002,633 |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | $860,787 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $568,198 |
| Department of Defense | $557,389 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $513,442 |
| Department of Justice | $165,198 |
| Department of Commerce | $164,340 |
That is $31,935 per covered job, against 20,019 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $639.3 m / 20,019 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $31,935
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 #
Chatham County, NC: 11 findings, 4 at a watch level and 7 noted
watchChatham County, NC's years of wages of 9.5 ranks 101st 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 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- test: yearsOfWages percentile = 96.73416067929458 >= 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
watchChatham County, NC's price-to-rent ratio of 25.2 ranks 82nd of 1,399 US counties, a watch level here: price-to-rent in the top tenth of US counties (position among the counties that published both ZHVI and ZORI this month; not an official level). The previous published period is not in this table, so this is a standing level rather than a change.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- test: priceToRent percentile = 94.20600858369099 >= 90
- typical home value / (typical rent × 12); Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month
position among the counties that published both ZHVI and ZORI this month; not an official level
watchChatham County, NC's covered employment is -0.5% 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 = -0.5 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchChatham County, NC's price-to-rent ratio is 25.2, a watch level here: typical home value worth 25 or more years of typical rent (typical home value / (typical rent × 12), Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level). The previous published period is not in this table, so this is a standing level rather than a change.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- test: priceToRent = 25.185788932277706 >= 25
- typical home value / (typical rent × 12); Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month
typical home value / (typical rent × 12), Zillow ZHVI over ZORI, same month; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
noteChatham County, NC's average weekly wage 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
Read all 11 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.