Rowan County, NC
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 35.64, -80.52.
Assembled 2026-10-07. Read the brief.
- 63rd pct · 1,111th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 53rd pct · 47th of 100 North Carolina counties · median $273,108
- 20th pct · 9th of 11 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro · median $383,492
- 24th pct · 2,318th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 37th pct · 63rd of 100 North Carolina counties · median +1.1%
- 80th pct · 3rd of 11 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro · median -0.4%
- 42nd pct · 811th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 35th pct · 41st of 63 North Carolina counties · median $1,573
- 0th pct · 9th of 9 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro · median $1,701
- 84th pct · 492nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 81st pct · 19th of 100 North Carolina counties · median 16,739
- 40th pct · 7th of 11 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro · median 79,207
- 75th pct · 787th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 84th pct · 16th of 100 North Carolina counties · median $984
- 30th pct · 8th of 11 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro · median $1,230
- 53rd pct · 1,418th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 38th pct · 62nd of 100 North Carolina counties · median 5.0
- 30th pct · 8th of 11 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro · median 5.3
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 $277,472 (Aug 2026), +0.4% over one year, +23.7% over five
- 63rd pct · 1,111th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 53rd pct · 47th of 100 North Carolina counties · median $273,108
- 20th pct · 9th of 11 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro · median $383,492
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Rowan County, NC | $277,472 · +0.4% 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 $1,404/mo (Aug 2026), +1.6% over one year; price-to-rent 16.5
- 42nd pct · 811th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 35th pct · 41st of 63 North Carolina counties · median $1,573
- 0th pct · 9th of 9 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro · median $1,701
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Rowan County, NC | $1,404/mo · +1.6% 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 $1,519 a month on $277,472 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $5,183 a month: 29.3% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $277,472 × 80% = $221,978, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,519/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,196 × 52 / 12 = $5,183) = 29% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $277,472 / ($1,196 × 52) = 4.5
- price-to-rent = $277,472 / ($1,404 × 12) = 16.5
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 #
51,839 jobs at 3,431 employers (2026 Q1); +2.1% jobs and +1.4% average weekly wage over the year
- 84th pct · 492nd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 81st pct · 19th of 100 North Carolina counties · median 16,739
- 40th pct · 7th of 11 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro · median 79,207
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Rowan County, NC | 51,839 jobs · $1,196/wk · +2.1% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 6,869 | $1,478 | 1.65 | -0.4% |
| Retail trade | 6,536 | $940 | 1.29 | +1.4% |
| Health care and social assistance | 5,779 | $1,046 | 0.74 | +2.2% |
| Accommodation and food services | 4,414 | $453 | 0.95 | -1.0% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 3,920 | $1,274 | 1.79 | +12.4% |
| Construction | 3,115 | $1,235 | 1.15 | +0.1% |
| Administrative and waste services | 2,562 | $944 | 0.87 | +3.7% |
| Wholesale trade | 2,378 | $1,428 | 1.20 | +4.3% |
| Management of companies | 1,350 | $2,521 | 1.56 | +2.6% |
| Professional and technical services | 1,212 | $1,595 | 0.34 | +0.7% |
| Educational services | 1,155 | $960 | 1.04 | +6.8% |
| Other services | 1,037 | $857 | 0.67 | +2.5% |
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 #
Surface water layer not loaded
Sites found: 0, 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.
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 #
Surface water layer not loaded
Sites found: 0, 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.
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 #
No USGS monitoring wells within 75 km (or above 1,500 km)
Sites found: 0, 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.
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 / 0.35
Banks & federal dollars #
$2.0 bn in deposits at 25 offices of 13 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,560, moderately concentrated. $1.1 bn federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $977.5 m, contracts $89.3 m), $21,080 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Farmers & Merchants Bank | $619.7 m · 31.1% share · 9 offices | |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $327.1 m · 16.4% share · 2 offices | |
| Truist Bank | $209.7 m · 10.5% share · 2 offices | |
| Rowan, NC | $1.1 bn FY2026 · $21,080/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $925.6 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farmers & Merchants Bank | $619,682,000 | 31.1% | 9 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $327,054,000 | 16.4% | 2 |
| Truist Bank | $209,688,000 | 10.5% | 2 |
| Bank OZK | $135,808,000 | 6.8% | 1 |
| Bank of America, National Association | $114,769,000 | 5.8% | 1 |
| Fifth Third Bank, National Association | $114,344,000 | 5.7% | 1 |
| SouthState Bank, National Association | $104,595,000 | 5.3% | 2 |
| First Bank | $90,219,000 | 4.5% | 1 |
| First Horizon Bank | $89,592,000 | 4.5% | 2 |
| Pinnacle Bank | $88,403,000 | 4.4% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,560 across 13 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 13 banks with deposits in the county = 31.1² + 16.4² + 10.5² + … (10 more) = 1,560
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 | $797,800,223 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $216,441,960 |
| Department of Education | $25,289,247 |
| Department of Agriculture | $16,127,135 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $14,362,329 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $9,328,850 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $5,371,016 |
| Department of Transportation | $4,941,066 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $1,470,304 |
| National Science Foundation | $750,000 |
| Department of Homeland Security | $402,534 |
| General Services Administration | $238,367 |
That is $21,080 per covered job, against 51,839 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $1.1 bn / 51,839 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $21,080
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 #
Rowan County, NC: 7 findings, 7 noted
noteRowan County, NC's covered employment was 2.1% 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
- +2.1 % = 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
noteRowan County, NC's average weekly wage was 1.4% 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
- +1.4 % = 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
noteRowan County, NC's typical asking rent rose 0.3% from $1,400 in July 2026 to $1,404 in August 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.3% = (1403.8785996612085 - 1400.3026175488887) / 1400.3026175488887 × 100
- 1403.8785996612085 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
- 1400.3026175488887 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-07
noteRowan County, NC's typical asking rent of $1,404 ranks 9th of 9 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro, against a median of $1,701.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 0 on the 0-to-100 scale across 9 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro that published rent.latest
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteThe next Zillow ZHVI typical home value (monthly) covering Rowan County, NC is due between 2026-10-14 and 2026-10-21, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern.
Show the arithmetic
- window = 2026-10-14 to 2026-10-21, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern
estimated from the publisher's past release pattern; not an announced date
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.