Henderson County, NC
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 35.34, -82.48.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 88th pct · 352nd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 86th pct · 14th of 100 North Carolina counties · median $273,108
- counties in the Asheville metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Asheville metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 11th pct · 2,710th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 10th pct · 90th of 100 North Carolina counties · median +1.1%
- counties in the Asheville metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Asheville metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 75th pct · 338th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 85th pct · 10th of 63 North Carolina counties · median $1,573
- counties in the Asheville metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Asheville metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 82nd pct · 563rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 78th pct · 22nd of 100 North Carolina counties · median 16,739
- counties in the Asheville metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Asheville metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 56th pct · 1,409th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 69th pct · 31st of 100 North Carolina counties · median $984
- counties in the Asheville metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Asheville metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 91st pct · 258th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 88th pct · 12th of 100 North Carolina counties · median 5.0
- counties in the Asheville metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Asheville 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 $423,812 (Aug 2026), -1.7% over one year, +21.5% over five
- 88th pct · 352nd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 86th pct · 14th of 100 North Carolina counties · median $273,108
- counties in the Asheville metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Asheville metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Henderson County, NC | $423,812 · -1.7% 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 #
Typical rent $1,838/mo (Aug 2026), +2.1% over one year; price-to-rent 19.2
- 75th pct · 338th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 85th pct · 10th of 63 North Carolina counties · median $1,573
- counties in the Asheville metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Asheville metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Henderson County, NC | $1,838/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 $2,320 a month on $423,812 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,628 a month: 50.1% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $423,812 × 80% = $339,049, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $2,320/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,068 × 52 / 12 = $4,628) = 50% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $423,812 / ($1,068 × 52) = 7.6
- price-to-rent = $423,812 / ($1,838 × 12) = 19.2
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 #
44,580 jobs at 4,182 employers (2026 Q1); +3.3% jobs and +0.6% average weekly wage over the year
- 82nd pct · 563rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 78th pct · 22nd of 100 North Carolina counties · median 16,739
- counties in the Asheville metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 3 counties in the Asheville metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Henderson County, NC | 44,580 jobs · $1,068/wk · +3.3% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 6,705 | $1,277 | 1.00 | +0.9% |
| Retail trade | 5,996 | $749 | 1.38 | +10.2% |
| Manufacturing | 5,511 | $1,351 | 1.54 | -4.0% |
| Accommodation and food services | 4,158 | $489 | 1.04 | +3.6% |
| Administrative and waste services | 2,347 | $934 | 0.93 | +7.7% |
| Wholesale trade | 1,988 | $1,295 | 1.16 | +8.3% |
| Professional and technical services | 1,739 | $1,361 | 0.57 | +4.4% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 1,668 | $800 | 0.89 | +17.3% |
| Other services | 1,556 | $833 | 1.17 | +2.2% |
| Educational services | 684 | $820 | 0.71 | -1.7% |
| Finance and insurance | 612 | $1,960 | 0.34 | -11.9% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 566 | $652 | 0.77 | +11.6% |
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 #
10 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 10, 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) | 41 km |
| LAKE WILLIAM C. BOWEN NEAR FINGERVILLE, SC | 815.3 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 47 km |
| LAKE BLALOCK NEAR COWPENS, SC | 710.5 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 64 km |
| GASTON SHOALS RESERVOIR ABOVE BLACKSBURG, SC | 79.1 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 83 km |
| NINETYNINE ISLAND RES. BELOW CHEROKEE FALLS, SC | 99.3 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 96 km |
| HARTWELL LAKE NEAR ANDERSON, SC | 649.1 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 98 km |
| NEAL SHOALS RESERVOIR NEAR CARLISLE, SC | 333.3 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 120 km |
| RUSSELL LAKE ABOVE CALHOUN FALLS, SC | 473.0 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 138 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 #
148 gauges · 0 flooding · 24 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 29 stale
Sites found: 148, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| MUD CREEK AT SECONDARY ROAD 1503 NEAR BALFOUR, NC | flow 37.1 ft³/s · no flooding | 1 km |
| Mud Creek (NC) at Erkwood Dr. 1 S Hendersonville | observation not current | 5 km |
| Bat Fork Creek near Hendersonville | observation not current | 5 km |
| Cane River (NC) at Mills Gap rd near Fletcher | observation not current | 11 km |
| FRENCH BROAD RIVER NEAR FLETCHER, NC | flow 539.0 ft³/s · quality 100 % (5) · no flooding | 12 km |
| MILLS RIVER NEAR MILLS RIVER, NC | flow 44.3 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) · no flooding | 13 km |
| Green River (NC) at Lake Summit Dam | no flooding | 14 km |
| FRENCH BROAD RIVER AT BLANTYRE, NC | flow 281.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 14 km |
| Little River at Merrill Ln, 3 S Penrose | out of service | 18 km |
| DINGLE CREEK NEAR SKYLAND, NC | flow 2.00 ft³/s · STALE | 19 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 #
8 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 8, 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-351808082374302 | depth 35.9 ft · 2026-10-05 | 14 km |
| USGS-351709082434101 | depth 17.3 ft · 2026-10-05 | 23 km |
| USGS-350622082373608 | depth 30.8 ft · 2003-07-14 | 29 km |
| USGS-352315082484401 | depth 5.91 ft · 2024-09-22 | 31 km |
| USGS-345415082154900 | depth 35.6 ft · 2003-07-14 | 52 km |
| USGS-345335082185800 | depth 36.5 ft · 2001-05-30 | 52 km |
| USGS-354133082042203 | depth 29.1 ft · 2026-10-05 | 54 km |
| USGS-354133082042201 | depth 28.8 ft · 2026-10-05 | 54 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 (0.16)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.25 + 0.2×0.00 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$2.6 bn in deposits at 18 offices of 12 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,094, highly concentrated. $1.3 bn federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $961.9 m, contracts $233.6 m), $30,199 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company | $1.0 bn · 40.3% share · 5 offices | |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $317.1 m · 12.3% share · 1 office | |
| Bank of America, National Association | $255.7 m · 9.9% share · 1 office | |
| Henderson, NC | $1.3 bn FY2026 · $30,199/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $944.3 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company | $1,039,814,000 | 40.3% | 5 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $317,107,000 | 12.3% | 1 |
| Bank of America, National Association | $255,723,000 | 9.9% | 1 |
| United Community Bank | $182,341,000 | 7.1% | 2 |
| Truist Bank | $176,763,000 | 6.8% | 1 |
| TD Bank, National Association | $175,867,000 | 6.8% | 1 |
| First Bank | $157,005,000 | 6.1% | 2 |
| HomeTrust Bank | $135,576,000 | 5.3% | 1 |
| PNC Bank, National Association | $82,629,000 | 3.2% | 1 |
| The Park National Bank | $51,132,000 | 2.0% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,094 across 12 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 12 banks with deposits in the county = 40.3² + 12.3² + 9.9² + … (9 more) = 2,094
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 | $857,371,059 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $297,682,574 |
| Department of Transportation | $133,376,552 |
| Department of Defense | $17,411,549 |
| Department of Agriculture | $12,828,249 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $9,409,915 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $8,206,543 |
| Department of Education | $5,281,048 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $2,598,909 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $1,202,361 |
| Department of the Interior | $680,613 |
| Department of Homeland Security | $448,586 |
That is $30,199 per covered job, against 44,580 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $1.3 bn / 44,580 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $30,199
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 #
Henderson County, NC: 8 findings, 2 at a watch level and 6 noted
watchHenderson County, NC's typical home value is -1.7% 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 = -1.6761581711845563 < 0
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; not an official level
watchHenderson County, NC's years of wages of 7.6 ranks 258th 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 = 91.60679294578706 >= 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
noteHenderson County, NC's covered employment was 3.3% 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
- +3.3 % = 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
noteHenderson County, NC's typical asking rent fell 0.6% from $1,849 in July 2026 to $1,838 in August 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- -0.6% = (1837.5393762183237 - 1848.909318639002) / 1848.909318639002 × 100
- 1837.5393762183237 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
- 1848.909318639002 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-07
noteHenderson County, NC's average weekly wage was 0.6% 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
- +0.6 % = 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
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.