Saluda County, SC
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 34.01, -81.73.
Assembled 2026-10-07. Read the brief.
- 43rd pct · 1,733rd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 48th pct · 24th of 46 South Carolina counties · median $218,959
- 20th pct · 5th of 6 counties in the Columbia metro · median $231,846
- 51st pct · 1,488th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 71st pct · 14th of 46 South Carolina counties · median +1.2%
- 40th pct · 4th 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 · 2,090th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 11th pct · 41st of 46 South Carolina counties · median 18,411
- 0th pct · 6th of 6 counties in the Columbia metro · median 12,641
- 34th pct · 2,101st of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 22nd pct · 36th of 46 South Carolina counties · median $1,061
- 0th pct · 6th of 6 counties in the Columbia metro · median $1,187
- 51st pct · 1,501st of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 55th pct · 21st of 46 South Carolina counties · median 4.1
- 60th pct · 3rd 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 $218,311 (Aug 2026), +3.0% over one year, +14.9% over five
- 43rd pct · 1,733rd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 48th pct · 24th of 46 South Carolina counties · median $218,959
- 20th pct · 5th of 6 counties in the Columbia metro · median $231,846
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Saluda County, SC | $218,311 · +3.0% 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 #
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 $1,195 a month on $218,311 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,203 a month: 28.4% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $218,311 × 80% = $174,649, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,195/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $970 × 52 / 12 = $4,203) = 28% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $218,311 / ($970 × 52) = 4.3
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 #
4,624 jobs at 308 employers (2026 Q1); +3.7% jobs and -0.4% average weekly wage over the year
- 35th pct · 2,090th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 11th pct · 41st of 46 South Carolina counties · median 18,411
- 0th pct · 6th of 6 counties in the Columbia metro · median 12,641
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Saluda County, SC | 4,624 jobs · $970/wk · +3.7% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 1,736 | $1,193 | 4.67 | +4.3% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 401 | $917 | 12.01 | -10.5% |
| Retail trade | 304 | $710 | 0.67 | +7.4% |
| Health care and social assistance | 267 | $842 | 0.38 | -19.1% |
| Accommodation and food services | 180 | $299 | 0.43 | +35.3% |
| Construction | 125 | $867 | 0.52 | -1.6% |
| Administrative and waste services | 114 | $697 | 0.43 | +0.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 70 | $1,215 | 0.40 | +16.7% |
| Educational services | 54 | $436 | 0.54 | +0.0% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 44 | $654 | 0.58 | -8.3% |
| Finance and insurance | 41 | $1,378 | 0.22 | -4.7% |
| Utilities | 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 #
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 #
15 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 15, 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 GREENWOOD NEAR CHAPPELLS, SC | 438.8 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 25 km |
| PARR SHOALS RESERVOIR AT PARR, SC | 261.4 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 46 km |
| LAKE MURRAY NEAR COLUMBIA, SC | 355.3 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 47 km |
| MONTICELLO RES NR JENKINSVILLE, SC | 422.3 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 50 km |
| SAVANNAH RVR AT STEVENS CREEK DAM NR MORGANA, SC | 186.4 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 58 km |
| THURMOND LAKE NEAR PLUM BRANCH, SC | 320.0 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 60 km |
| BUTLER CREEK RESERVOIR AT FORT GORDON, GA | 27.4 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 73 km |
| NEAL SHOALS RESERVOIR NEAR CARLISLE, SC | 333.3 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 78 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 #
88 gauges · 0 flooding · 12 with quality panels averaging 98 % · 30 stale
Sites found: 88, 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 SALUDA RIVER AT SALUDA,SC | flow 166.0 ft³/s · STALE | 1 km |
| LITTLE SALUDA RIVER NEAR SALUDA, SC | flow 2.47 ft³/s | 5 km |
| BIG CREEK AT BIG CREEK RD NEAR SALUDA, SC | flow 0.14 ft³/s | 8 km |
| LITTLE SALUDA R NEAR PROSPERITY, SC | DO 9.00 mg/l · quality 100 % (2) | 17 km |
| SALUDA R NEAR PROSPERITY, SC | DO 8.30 mg/l · quality 100 % (2) | 18 km |
| BUSH RIVER NR PROSPERITY, SC | flow 21.9 ft³/s | 21 km |
| SALUDA RIVER AT CHAPPELLS, SC | flow 345.0 ft³/s | 23 km |
| LITTLE RIVER NR SILVERSTREET, SC | flow 20.9 ft³/s | 23 km |
| LAKE GREENWOOD TAILRACE NR CHAPPELLS, SC | flow 332.0 ft³/s | 25 km |
| BUSH RIVER AT NEWBERRY, SC | flow 7.40 ft³/s · STALE | 27 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 #
21 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 21, 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-340517081401300 | depth 9.34 ft · 2003-07-30 | 11 km |
| USGS-342948081451001 | depth 51.2 ft · 1997-07-23 | 55 km |
| USGS-342947081454900 | depth 56.0 ft · 1995-09-28 | 55 km |
| USGS-333235081290801 | depth 25.9 ft · 2001-09-29 | 56 km |
| USGS-333233081290802 | depth 28.4 ft · 2002-09-29 | 56 km |
| USGS-333230081290501 | depth 23.8 ft · 2001-09-29 | 56 km |
| USGS-333232081290605 | depth 42.0 ft · 2003-08-10 | 56 km |
| USGS-333234081290703 | depth 29.6 ft · 2002-09-29 | 56 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 (0.01)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.02 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$180.7 m in deposits at 3 offices of 3 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 3,972, highly concentrated. $122.5 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $122.9 m, loans $35,371), $26,482 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company | $88.4 m · 48.9% share · 1 office | |
| SouthState Bank, National Association | $67.4 m · 37.3% share · 1 office | |
| Security Federal Bank | $25.0 m · 13.8% share · 1 office | |
| Saluda, SC | $122.5 m FY2026 · $26,482/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $121.6 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company | $88,404,000 | 48.9% | 1 |
| SouthState Bank, National Association | $67,363,000 | 37.3% | 1 |
| Security Federal Bank | $24,976,000 | 13.8% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 3,972 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 = 48.9² + 37.3² + 13.8² = 3,972
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 | $110,753,305 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $10,690,835 |
| Department of Agriculture | $913,835 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $366,849 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $217,574 |
| Small Business Administration | $0 |
| Department of Justice | -$44,266 |
| Department of Transportation | -$446,199 |
That is $26,482 per covered job, against 4,624 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $122.5 m / 4,624 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $26,482
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 #
Saluda County, SC: 10 findings, 1 at a watch level and 9 noted
watchSaluda County, SC's average weekly wage is -0.4% 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 = -0.4 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published, nominal dollars; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
noteSaluda County, SC's covered employment was 3.7% 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
- +3.7 % = 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
noteSaluda County, SC's average weekly wage was 0.4% 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
- -0.4 % = 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
noteSaluda County, SC's average weekly wage of $970 ranks 6th of 6 counties in the Columbia metro, against a median of $1,187.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 0 on the 0-to-100 scale across 6 counties in the Columbia metro that published jobs.avgWeeklyWage
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteSaluda County, SC's covered employment of 4,624 ranks 6th of 6 counties in the Columbia metro, against a median of 12,641.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 0 on the 0-to-100 scale across 6 counties in the Columbia metro that published jobs.emp
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
Read all 10 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.