Lancaster County, SC
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 34.69, -80.70.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 83rd pct · 502nd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 88th pct · 6th of 46 South Carolina counties · median $218,959
- 40th pct · 7th of 11 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro · median $383,492
- 10th pct · 2,746th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 20th pct · 37th of 46 South Carolina counties · median +1.2%
- 0th pct · 11th of 11 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro · median -0.4%
- 69th pct · 424th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 76th pct · 7th of 27 South Carolina counties · median $1,528
- 62nd pct · 4th of 9 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro · median $1,701
- 77th pct · 736th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 66th pct · 16th of 46 South Carolina counties · median 18,411
- 30th pct · 8th of 11 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro · median 79,207
- 95th pct · 150th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 100th pct · 1st of 46 South Carolina counties · median $1,061
- 90th pct · 2nd of 11 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro · median $1,230
- 54th pct · 1,397th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 62nd pct · 18th of 46 South Carolina counties · median 4.1
- 40th pct · 7th 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 $382,049 (Aug 2026), -2.0% over one year, +19.8% over five
- 83rd pct · 502nd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 88th pct · 6th of 46 South Carolina counties · median $218,959
- 40th pct · 7th of 11 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro · median $383,492
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Lancaster County, SC | $382,049 · -2.0% 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 $1,746/mo (Aug 2026), +3.2% over one year; price-to-rent 18.2
- 69th pct · 424th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 76th pct · 7th of 27 South Carolina counties · median $1,528
- 62nd pct · 4th of 9 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro · median $1,701
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Lancaster County, SC | $1,746/mo · +3.2% 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 $2,091 a month on $382,049 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $7,085 a month: 29.5% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $382,049 × 80% = $305,639, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $2,091/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,635 × 52 / 12 = $7,085) = 30% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $382,049 / ($1,635 × 52) = 4.5
- price-to-rent = $382,049 / ($1,746 × 12) = 18.2
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 #
28,907 jobs at 2,374 employers (2026 Q1); 0.0% jobs and +20.7% average weekly wage over the year
- 77th pct · 736th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 66th pct · 16th of 46 South Carolina counties · median 18,411
- 30th pct · 8th of 11 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro · median 79,207
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Lancaster County, SC | 28,907 jobs · $1,635/wk · 0.0% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 4,000 | $685 | 1.42 | +11.1% |
| Health care and social assistance | 3,653 | $1,417 | 0.84 | +4.6% |
| Manufacturing | 2,762 | $1,442 | 1.19 | +1.6% |
| Accommodation and food services | 2,522 | $412 | 0.97 | +9.9% |
| Professional and technical services | 1,863 | $5,803 | 0.93 | -18.0% |
| Administrative and waste services | 1,700 | $881 | 1.03 | +2.8% |
| Finance and insurance | 1,100 | $2,457 | 0.93 | -19.7% |
| Management of companies | 1,098 | $2,756 | 2.27 | -6.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 946 | $2,452 | 0.85 | -2.5% |
| Educational services | 292 | $723 | 0.47 | +40.4% |
| Real estate and rental | 281 | $1,028 | 0.63 | -25.3% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 251 | $384 | 0.53 | +10.6% |
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 #
11 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 11, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| NEAL SHOALS RESERVOIR NEAR CARLISLE, SC | 333.1 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 68 km |
| MONTICELLO RES NR JENKINSVILLE, SC | 422.4 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 71 km |
| PARR SHOALS RESERVOIR AT PARR, SC | 261.2 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 75 km |
| NINETYNINE ISLAND RES. BELOW CHEROKEE FALLS, SC | 99.4 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 82 km |
| LAKE MURRAY NEAR COLUMBIA, SC | 355.4 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 85 km |
| GASTON SHOALS RESERVOIR ABOVE BLACKSBURG, SC | 79.1 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 96 km |
| LAKE BLALOCK NEAR COWPENS, SC | 710.6 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 113 km |
| LAKE GREENWOOD NEAR CHAPPELLS, SC | 438.9 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 124 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 #
120 gauges · 0 flooding · 8 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 30 stale
Sites found: 120, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| LITTLE LYNCHES RIVER ABOVE KERSHAW, SC | stage 3.76 ft | 16 km |
| WAXHAW CREEK AT SR1103 NEAR JACKSON, NC | flow 0.12 ft³/s · STALE | 19 km |
| Catawba River at Fishing Creek Reservoir and Dam | no flooding | 20 km |
| CATAWBA RIVER AT GREAT FALLS, SC | stage 352.5 ft · quality 100 % (2) | 20 km |
| LITTLE LYNCHES RIVER NEAR KERSHAW, SC | flow 13.6 ft³/s | 21 km |
| FISHING CREEK BELOW FORT LAWN, SC | flow 7.34 ft³/s | 21 km |
| HANGING ROCK CREEK NR KERSHAW, SC | flow 1.22 ft³/s | 22 km |
| Catawba River at Great Falls Reservoir/Great Falls-Dearborn Dams | no flooding | 22 km |
| GREAT FALLS RESERVOIR TAILRACE BL GREAT FALLS, SC | stage 282.5 ft · quality 100 % (2) | 23 km |
| CEDAR CREEK RES TAILRACE BELOW GREAT FALLS, SC | stage 7.95 ft · quality 100 % (2) · no flooding | 23 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 #
20 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 20, 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-344333080503600 | depth 34.9 ft · 2026-10-05 | 13 km |
| USGS-344333080503601 | depth 38.1 ft · 2026-10-05 | 13 km |
| USGS-345609080415103 | depth 46.1 ft · 2026-10-05 | 28 km |
| USGS-345609080415102 | depth 34.0 ft · 2026-10-05 | 28 km |
| USGS-342440080443900 | depth 55.9 ft · 2026-10-05 | 31 km |
| USGS-342440080443901 | depth 49.2 ft · 2026-10-05 | 31 km |
| USGS-343907080164400 | depth 123.9 ft · 2013-07-23 | 39 km |
| USGS-343144080184101 | depth 111.5 ft · 2026-10-05 | 40 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 #
$947.7 m in deposits at 14 offices of 10 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,847, highly concentrated. $730.4 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $767.3 m, grants $30.4 m), $25,266 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company | $283.4 m · 29.9% share · 2 offices | |
| Truist Bank | $208.5 m · 22.0% share · 2 offices | |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $151.4 m · 16.0% share · 2 offices | |
| Lancaster, SC | $730.4 m FY2026 · $25,266/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $762.1 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company | $283,400,000 | 29.9% | 2 |
| Truist Bank | $208,517,000 | 22.0% | 2 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $151,435,000 | 16.0% | 2 |
| Movement Bank | $78,081,000 | 8.2% | 1 |
| First Palmetto Bank | $72,958,000 | 7.7% | 2 |
| Bank of America, National Association | $64,400,000 | 6.8% | 1 |
| Fifth Third Bank, National Association | $53,028,000 | 5.6% | 1 |
| TD Bank, National Association | $26,306,000 | 2.8% | 1 |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $7,713,000 | 0.8% | 1 |
| Woodforest National Bank | $1,864,000 | 0.2% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,847 across 10 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 10 banks with deposits in the county = 29.9² + 22.0² + 16.0² + … (7 more) = 1,847
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 | $664,051,220 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $96,912,123 |
| Department of Transportation | $11,196,619 |
| Department of Education | $9,916,959 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $7,795,283 |
| Department of Agriculture | $2,267,776 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $1,501,234 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $1,410,740 |
| Department of Defense | $939,534 |
| Department of Justice | $196,784 |
| Department of Homeland Security | $107,840 |
| Small Business Administration | -$51,286 |
That is $25,266 per covered job, against 28,907 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $730.4 m / 28,907 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $25,266
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 | 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 #
Lancaster County, SC: 11 findings, 1 at a watch level and 10 noted
watchLancaster County, SC's typical home value is -2.0% 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 = -1.9873206664931375 < 0
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; not an official level
noteLancaster County, SC's average weekly wage was 20.7% 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
- +20.7 % = 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
noteLancaster County, SC's typical asking rent rose 0.5% from $1,738 in July 2026 to $1,746 in August 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.5% = (1746.0784867306604 - 1737.6174848072192) / 1737.6174848072192 × 100
- 1746.0784867306604 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
- 1737.6174848072192 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-07
noteLancaster County, SC's typical home value fell 0.4% from $383,631 in July 2026 to $382,049 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- -0.4% = (382048.80640447536 - 383631.2793856115) / 383631.2793856115 × 100
- 382048.80640447536 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 383631.2793856115 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
noteLancaster County, SC's typical home value of -2.0% ranks 11th of 11 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro, against a median of -0.4%.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- 0 on the 0-to-100 scale across 11 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro that published home.yoyPct
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
Read all 11 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.