Clay County, NC
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 35.05, -83.75.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 77th pct · 680th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 71st pct · 29th of 100 North Carolina counties · median $273,108
- 16th pct · 2,564th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 14th pct · 86th of 100 North Carolina counties · median +1.1%
- US counties: not published this period
- North Carolina counties: not published this period
- 20th pct · 2,555th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 7th pct · 93rd of 100 North Carolina counties · median 16,739
- 20th pct · 2,556th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 16th pct · 84th of 100 North Carolina counties · median $984
- 89th pct · 316th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 84th pct · 16th 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 $340,609 (Aug 2026), -0.7% over one year, +25.6% over five
- 77th pct · 680th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 71st pct · 29th of 100 North Carolina counties · median $273,108
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Clay County, NC | $340,609 · -0.7% 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
- North Carolina counties: 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 $1,864 a month on $340,609 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $3,930 a month: 47.4% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $340,609 × 80% = $272,487, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,864/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $907 × 52 / 12 = $3,930) = 47% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $340,609 / ($907 × 52) = 7.2
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 #
2,533 jobs at 379 employers (2026 Q1); +14.6% jobs and -4.5% average weekly wage over the year
- 20th pct · 2,555th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 7th pct · 93rd of 100 North Carolina counties · median 16,739
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Clay County, NC | 2,533 jobs · $907/wk · +14.6% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 487 | $744 | 1.97 | +8.2% |
| Health care and social assistance | 288 | $947 | 0.76 | -13.3% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 279 | $642 | 2.61 | +5,480.0% |
| Construction | 200 | $1,111 | 1.51 | +0.0% |
| Professional and technical services | 84 | $2,375 | 0.48 | +9.1% |
| Administrative and waste services | 71 | $957 | 0.49 | +0.0% |
| Other services | 61 | $593 | 0.81 | +3.4% |
| Finance and insurance | 54 | $1,335 | 0.52 | +0.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 27 | $1,303 | 0.28 | -10.0% |
| Real estate and rental | 11 | $551 | 0.28 | +37.5% |
| Educational services | 7 | $1,297 | 0.13 | +0.0% |
| Management of companies | 5 | $2,456 | 0.12 | +0.0% |
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 #
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 #
9 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 9, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| LAKE LOGAN AT DAM NEAR HAZELWOOD, NC | 52.9 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 86 km |
| CARTERS LAKE NEAR CARTERS, GA | 1,072 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 97 km |
| CARTERS RE-REGULATION LAKE NEAR CARTERS, GA | 38.3 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 99 km |
| HARTWELL LAKE NEAR ANDERSON, SC | 649.1 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 102 km |
| LAKE SIDNEY LANIER NEAR BUFORD, GA | 1,064 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 103 km |
| ALLATOONA LAKE NEAR CARTERSVILLE, GA | 835.9 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 133 km |
| CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER AT MORGAN FALLS DAM, GA | 865.6 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 134 km |
| RANDY POYNTER LAKE AT SPILLWAY, NEAR MILSTEAD, GA | 731.7 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 148 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 #
50 gauges · 0 flooding · 10 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 19 stale
Sites found: 50, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| NANTAHALA RIVER NEAR RAINBOW SPRINGS, NC | flow 72.0 ft³/s | 15 km |
| BRASSTOWN CREEK AT BRASSTOWN, NC | flow 14.0 ft³/s · STALE | 19 km |
| HIWASSEE RIVER AT RIVERSIDE DR, NR HIAWASSEE, GA | flow 29.1 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 19 km |
| VALLEY RIVER AT TOMOTLA, NC | flow 87.1 ft³/s | 23 km |
| HIWASSEE RIVER ABOVE MURPHY, NC | flow 2,120 ft³/s · STALE | 23 km |
| BRIER CREEK NEAR HIAWASSEE, GA | flow 0.87 ft³/s · STALE | 25 km |
| TALLULAH RIVER NEAR CLAYTON, GA | flow 43.0 ft³/s | 27 km |
| NOTTELY RIVER NEAR BLAIRSVILLE, GA | flow 55.0 ft³/s | 29 km |
| NANTAHALA RIVER NEAR HEWITT, NC | flow 652.0 ft³/s | 29 km |
| CARTOOGECHAYE CREEK AT SR 1148 NEAR FRANKLIN, NC | flow 26.8 ft³/s | 32 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 #
6 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 6, 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-351117083545001 | depth 27.7 ft · 2009-10-04 | 21 km |
| USGS-351121083545002 | depth 6.78 ft · 2026-10-05 | 21 km |
| USGS-344314083433201 | depth 6.23 ft · 2026-10-05 | 37 km |
| USGS-352519083272401 | depth 5.05 ft · 2009-10-06 | 55 km |
| USGS-345051083041800 | depth 30.9 ft · 2026-10-05 | 66 km |
| USGS-353922083345600 | depth 9.24 ft · 2026-10-05 | 69 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 #
$244.7 m in deposits at 3 offices of 3 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 3,795, highly concentrated. $109.9 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $122.5 m, loans $21,477), $43,406 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| United Community Bank | $124.3 m · 50.8% share · 1 office | |
| Nantahala Bank & Trust Company | $63.7 m · 26.0% share · 1 office | |
| First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company | $56.7 m · 23.2% share · 1 office | |
| Clay, NC | $109.9 m FY2026 · $43,406/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $121.5 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Community Bank | $124,303,000 | 50.8% | 1 |
| Nantahala Bank & Trust Company | $63,728,000 | 26.0% | 1 |
| First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company | $56,674,000 | 23.2% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 3,795 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 = 50.8² + 26.0² + 23.2² = 3,795
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 | $106,500,664 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $14,466,050 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $564,400 |
| Department of Agriculture | $533,739 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $214,914 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $200,070 |
| Department of Justice | -$149 |
| Department of Transportation | -$12,532,590 |
That is $43,406 per covered job, against 2,533 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $109.9 m / 2,533 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $43,406
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 | 3.00 | 2026-10-06 | -50.0% |
| 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 | 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 #
Clay County, NC: 8 findings, 2 at a watch level and 6 noted
watchClay County, NC's average weekly wage is -4.5% against a year earlier, a watch level here: average weekly wage below the same quarter a year earlier, before inflation (BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published, nominal dollars; 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 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- test: jobs.yoy.avgWeeklyWage = -4.5 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published, nominal dollars; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchClay County, NC's typical home value is -0.7% 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 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- test: home.yoyPct = -0.7228119285568709 < 0
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; not an official level
noteClay County, NC's covered employment was 14.6% 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
- +14.6 % = 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
noteClay County, NC's average weekly wage was 4.5% 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
- -4.5 % = 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
noteClay County, NC's covered employment of +14.6% ranks 27th of 3,221 US counties, against a median of -0.2%.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 99 on the 0-to-100 scale across 3221 US counties that published jobs.yoy.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.