Polk County, NC
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 35.28, -82.17.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 73rd pct · 817th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 67th pct · 33rd of 100 North Carolina counties · median $273,108
- 8th pct · 2,805th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 3rd pct · 97th of 100 North Carolina counties · median +1.1%
- US counties: not published this period
- North Carolina counties: not published this period
- 40th pct · 1,926th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 20th pct · 80th of 100 North Carolina counties · median 16,739
- 18th pct · 2,634th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 8th pct · 92nd of 100 North Carolina counties · median $984
- 87th pct · 396th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 78th pct · 22nd 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 $318,750 (Aug 2026), -2.5% over one year, +19.6% over five
- 73rd pct · 817th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 67th pct · 33rd of 100 North Carolina counties · median $273,108
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Polk County, NC | $318,750 · -2.5% 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 $1,745 a month on $318,750 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $3,878 a month: 45.0% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $318,750 × 80% = $255,000, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,745/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $895 × 52 / 12 = $3,878) = 45% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $318,750 / ($895 × 52) = 6.8
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 #
5,589 jobs at 745 employers (2026 Q1); +1.7% jobs and +2.9% average weekly wage over the year
- 40th pct · 1,926th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 20th pct · 80th of 100 North Carolina counties · median 16,739
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Polk County, NC | 5,589 jobs · $895/wk · +1.7% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 1,414 | $944 | 1.68 | -1.1% |
| Accommodation and food services | 445 | $397 | 0.89 | +10.4% |
| Administrative and waste services | 400 | $851 | 1.26 | +4.4% |
| Manufacturing | 397 | $928 | 0.88 | +1.8% |
| Retail trade | 383 | $623 | 0.70 | +1.9% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 350 | $622 | 3.80 | +2.9% |
| Construction | 347 | $990 | 1.18 | +0.0% |
| Other services | 153 | $719 | 0.92 | +3.4% |
| Wholesale trade | 128 | $1,726 | 0.60 | +17.4% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 116 | $724 | 2.87 | +0.0% |
| Finance and insurance | 103 | $1,778 | 0.45 | -15.6% |
| Real estate and rental | 60 | $656 | 0.70 | +17.6% |
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 #
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 #
12 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 12, 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 WILLIAM C. BOWEN NEAR FINGERVILLE, SC | 815.4 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 22 km |
| LAKE BLALOCK NEAR COWPENS, SC | 710.6 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 37 km |
| GASTON SHOALS RESERVOIR ABOVE BLACKSBURG, SC | 79.1 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 54 km |
| NINETYNINE ISLAND RES. BELOW CHEROKEE FALLS, SC | 99.4 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 67 km |
| LAKE LOGAN AT DAM NEAR HAZELWOOD, NC | 52.9 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 70 km |
| NEAL SHOALS RESERVOIR NEAR CARLISLE, SC | 332.6 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 95 km |
| HARTWELL LAKE NEAR ANDERSON, SC | 649.1 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 106 km |
| LAKE GREENWOOD NEAR CHAPPELLS, SC | 438.9 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 125 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 #
146 gauges · 0 flooding · 22 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 33 stale
Sites found: 146, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Broad River in NC/SC below Lake Lure Dam | out of service | 16 km |
| Broad River in NC/SC at Lake Lure Dam | no flooding | 16 km |
| COVE CREEK NEAR LAKE LURE, NC | flow 52.9 ft³/s · no flooding | 17 km |
| Broad River at highway 9 near Chimney Rock | no flooding | 19 km |
| SOUTH PACOLET RIVER NR CAMPOBELLO, SC | flow 83.7 ft³/s · no flooding | 19 km |
| Reedy Patch Creek near Bat Cave | observation not current | 21 km |
| Green River (NC) at Lake Summit Dam | no flooding | 22 km |
| NORTH SALUDA RIVER NEAR HIGHLAND, SC | flow 6.68 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 22 km |
| Rocky Broad River at Bat Cave | no flooding | 22 km |
| NORTH PACOLET RIVER AT FINGERVILLE, SC | flow 137.0 ft³/s · no flooding | 24 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 #
13 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 13, 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 | 42 km |
| USGS-345415082154900 | depth 35.6 ft · 2003-07-14 | 42 km |
| USGS-345335082185800 | depth 36.5 ft · 2001-05-30 | 44 km |
| USGS-350622082373608 | depth 30.8 ft · 2003-07-14 | 46 km |
| USGS-354133082042203 | depth 29.1 ft · 2026-10-05 | 47 km |
| USGS-354133082042201 | depth 28.8 ft · 2026-10-05 | 47 km |
| USGS-351709082434101 | depth 17.3 ft · 2026-10-05 | 51 km |
| USGS-345145081502900 | depth 43.6 ft · 2024-10-27 | 55 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 #
$392.0 m in deposits at 3 offices of 2 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 5,375, highly concentrated. $222.8 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $185.9 m, grants $36.8 m), $39,858 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| HomeTrust Bank | $249.7 m · 63.7% share · 2 offices | |
| First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company | $142.3 m · 36.3% share · 1 office | |
| Polk, NC | $222.8 m FY2026 · $39,858/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $184.6 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| HomeTrust Bank | $249,653,000 | 63.7% | 2 |
| First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company | $142,348,000 | 36.3% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 5,375 across 2 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 2 banks with deposits in the county = 63.7² + 36.3² = 5,375
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 | $168,854,592 |
| Department of Transportation | $35,760,432 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $15,059,601 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $808,135 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $779,088 |
| Department of Agriculture | $688,359 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $630,418 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $155,813 |
| Small Business Administration | $83,668 |
| Department of Justice | $8,140 |
| Department of Defense | -$10,741 |
| Department of Homeland Security | -$52,221 |
That is $39,858 per covered job, against 5,589 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $222.8 m / 5,589 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $39,858
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 | 12.28 | 2026-10-04 | -0.1% |
| 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 | -88,576.00 | 2026-07-01 | -24.4% |
| 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 #
Polk County, NC: 7 findings, 1 at a watch level and 6 noted
watchPolk County, NC's typical home value is -2.5% 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 = -2.5473472173195395 < 0
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; not an official level
notePolk County, NC's average weekly wage was 2.9% 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
- +2.9 % = 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
notePolk County, NC's covered employment 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
notePolk County, NC's typical home value of -2.5% ranks 97th of 100 North Carolina counties, against a median of +1.1%.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 3 on the 0-to-100 scale across 100 North Carolina counties that published home.yoyPct
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
notePolk County, NC's average weekly wage of $895 ranks 92nd of 100 North Carolina counties, against a median of $984.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 8 on the 0-to-100 scale across 100 North Carolina counties that published jobs.avgWeeklyWage
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
Read all 7 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.