Calhoun County, SC
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 33.67, -80.78.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 44th pct · 1,715th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 51st pct · 23rd of 46 South Carolina counties · median $218,959
- 40th pct · 4th of 6 counties in the Columbia metro · median $231,846
- 68th pct · 954th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 86th pct · 7th of 46 South Carolina counties · median +1.2%
- 100th pct · 1st of 6 counties in the Columbia metro · median +3.1%
- US counties: not published this period
- South Carolina counties: not published this period
- counties in the Columbia metro: not published this period
- 35th pct · 2,089th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 13th pct · 40th of 46 South Carolina counties · median 18,411
- 20th pct · 5th of 6 counties in the Columbia metro · median 12,641
- 80th pct · 614th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 82nd pct · 9th of 46 South Carolina counties · median $1,061
- 60th pct · 3rd of 6 counties in the Columbia metro · median $1,187
- 29th pct · 2,170th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 31st pct · 32nd of 46 South Carolina counties · median 4.1
- 20th pct · 5th of 6 counties in the Columbia metro · median 3.9
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 $219,607 (Aug 2026), +4.7% over one year, +15.8% over five
- 44th pct · 1,715th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 51st pct · 23rd of 46 South Carolina counties · median $218,959
- 40th pct · 4th of 6 counties in the Columbia metro · median $231,846
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Calhoun County, SC | $219,607 · +4.7% 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
- South Carolina counties: not published this period
- counties in the Columbia metro: 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 $1,202 a month on $219,607 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $5,417 a month: 22.2% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $219,607 × 80% = $175,685, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,202/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,250 × 52 / 12 = $5,417) = 22% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $219,607 / ($1,250 × 52) = 3.4
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 #
4,627 jobs at 273 employers (2026 Q1); +1.4% jobs and -4.6% average weekly wage over the year
- 35th pct · 2,089th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 13th pct · 40th of 46 South Carolina counties · median 18,411
- 20th pct · 5th of 6 counties in the Columbia metro · median 12,641
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Calhoun County, SC | 4,627 jobs · $1,250/wk · +1.4% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 1,417 | $1,761 | 3.81 | -0.9% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 540 | $1,052 | 2.77 | +0.0% |
| Construction | 510 | $1,223 | 2.10 | +7.6% |
| Retail trade | 216 | $484 | 0.48 | -7.7% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 185 | $915 | 5.54 | -9.8% |
| Utilities | 97 | $2,035 | 5.31 | -1.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 79 | $1,356 | 0.45 | +0.0% |
| Other services | 64 | $880 | 0.46 | +0.0% |
| Information | withheld | |||
| Finance and insurance | withheld | |||
| Real estate and rental | withheld | |||
| Professional and technical services | withheld |
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 #
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 MARION NEAR ELLOREE, SC | 71.8 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 29 km |
| LAKE MURRAY NEAR COLUMBIA, SC | 355.4 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 58 km |
| LAKE MARION NEAR PINEVILLE, SC | 72.9 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 62 km |
| LK MOULTRIE AT REDIVERSION NR RUSSELLVILLE, SC | 71.9 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 79 km |
| PARR SHOALS RESERVOIR AT PARR, SC | 261.7 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 83 km |
| MONTICELLO RES NR JENKINSVILLE, SC | 422.1 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 86 km |
| LAKE MOULTRIE NEAR PINOPOLIS, SC | 72.8 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 87 km |
| LAKE GREENWOOD NEAR CHAPPELLS, SC | 438.9 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 117 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 #
66 gauges · 0 flooding · 7 with quality panels averaging 98 % · 22 stale
Sites found: 66, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| CONGAREE RIVER AT U.S. HWY 601 NR. FORT MOTTE, SC | stage 73.2 ft | 15 km |
| Santee River at Trezesvants Landing | out of service | 15 km |
| CEDAR CREEK AT CONGAREE NP NEAR GADSDEN, SC | stage 2.51 ft · no flooding | 16 km |
| CONGAREE RIVER AT CONGAREE NP NEAR GADSDEN, SC | flow 2,470 ft³/s · no flooding | 17 km |
| BIG BEAVER CREEK NEAR ST. MATTHEWS, SC | flow 7.00 ft³/s · STALE | 18 km |
| SUNNYSIDE CANAL AT ORANGEBURG, SC | stage 0.48 ft | 22 km |
| WATEREE R. BL EASTOVER, SC | flow 2,400 ft³/s · quality 88 % (4) · STALE | 23 km |
| N. Fork Edisto River at Orangeburg | no flooding | 23 km |
| NORTH FORK EDISTO RIVER AT ORANGEBURG, SC | flow 279.0 ft³/s | 24 km |
| BULL SWAMP CREEK BELOW SWANSEA, SC | flow 6.40 ft³/s · STALE | 30 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 #
39 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 39, 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-334613080470400 | depth 10.9 ft · 2006-09-29 | 11 km |
| USGS-334616080470600 | depth 5.81 ft · 2005-08-25 | 11 km |
| USGS-334741080465400 | depth -0.79 ft · 2005-07-03 | 13 km |
| USGS-334548080403100 | depth 7.85 ft · 2005-05-30 | 14 km |
| USGS-334751080424200 | depth 2.71 ft · 2005-07-25 | 15 km |
| USGS-334852080471400 | depth 1.25 ft · 2005-07-20 | 16 km |
| USGS-334859080493900 | depth 6.84 ft · 2005-09-29 | 16 km |
| USGS-334833080515800 | depth 13.6 ft · 2006-09-19 | 17 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 (0.17)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.25 + 0.2×0.02 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$119.8 m in deposits at 3 offices of 3 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 4,649, highly concentrated. $205.8 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $108.7 m, grants $96.7 m), $44,485 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $75.2 m · 62.7% share · 1 office | |
| Truist Bank | $26.0 m · 21.7% share · 1 office | |
| Farmers and Merchants Bank of South Carolina | $18.7 m · 15.6% share · 1 office | |
| Calhoun, SC | $205.8 m FY2026 · $44,485/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $103.7 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $75,196,000 | 62.7% | 1 |
| Truist Bank | $25,951,000 | 21.7% | 1 |
| Farmers and Merchants Bank of South Carolina | $18,697,000 | 15.6% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 4,649 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 = 62.7² + 21.7² + 15.6² = 4,649
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 |
|---|---|
| Department of Transportation | $96,560,546 |
| Social Security Administration | $91,796,459 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $11,852,865 |
| Department of Agriculture | $4,301,606 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $502,551 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $351,395 |
| Department of Defense | $207,450 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $164,758 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $74,429 |
| Department of Justice | $18,399 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
| Department of Energy | $0 |
That is $44,485 per covered job, against 4,627 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $205.8 m / 4,627 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $44,485
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 #
Calhoun County, SC: 7 findings, 1 at a watch level and 6 noted
watchCalhoun County, SC's average weekly wage is -4.6% 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 = -4.6 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published, nominal dollars; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
noteCalhoun County, SC's average weekly wage was 4.6% 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
- -4.6 % = 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
noteCalhoun County, SC's covered employment 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
noteCalhoun County, SC's typical home value fell 0.4% from $220,502 in July 2026 to $219,607 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- -0.4% = (219606.52849632435 - 220502.4416408815) / 220502.4416408815 × 100
- 219606.52849632435 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 220502.4416408815 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
noteCalhoun County, SC's typical home value of +4.7% ranks 1st of 6 counties in the Columbia metro, against a median of +3.1%.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 100 on the 0-to-100 scale across 6 counties in the Columbia metro that published home.yoyPct
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.