Haywood County, NC
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 35.56, -82.98.
Assembled 2026-10-20. Read the brief.
- 77th pct · 679th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 71st pct · 29th of 100 North Carolina counties · median $270,749
- 7th pct · 2,843rd of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 3rd pct · 97th of 100 North Carolina counties · median +1.1%
- 54th pct · 616th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 50th pct · 31st of 62 North Carolina counties · median $1,550
- 67th pct · 1,034th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 50th pct · 50th of 100 North Carolina counties · median 16,739
- 28th pct · 2,316th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 30th pct · 70th of 100 North Carolina counties · median $984
- 87th pct · 374th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 79th pct · 21st 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 $338,535 (Sep 2026), -3.0% over one year, +17.5% over five
- 77th pct · 679th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 71st pct · 29th of 100 North Carolina counties · median $270,749
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Haywood County, NC | $338,535 · -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 #
Typical rent $1,568/mo (Sep 2026), +2.9% over one year; price-to-rent 18.0
- 54th pct · 616th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 50th pct · 31st of 62 North Carolina counties · median $1,550
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Haywood County, NC | $1,568/mo · +2.9% 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 $1,875 a month on $338,535 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,091 a month: 45.8% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $338,535 × 80% = $270,828, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $1,875/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $944 × 52 / 12 = $4,091) = 46% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $338,535 / ($944 × 52) = 6.9
- price-to-rent = $338,535 / ($1,568 × 12) = 18.0
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 #
17,146 jobs at 1,985 employers (2026 Q1); -1.4% jobs and 0.0% average weekly wage over the year
- 67th pct · 1,034th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 50th pct · 50th of 100 North Carolina counties · median 16,739
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Haywood County, NC | 17,146 jobs · $944/wk · -1.4% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 3,221 | $691 | 1.93 | +2.9% |
| Accommodation and food services | 2,427 | $483 | 1.58 | -2.8% |
| Health care and social assistance | 2,420 | $1,052 | 0.94 | +0.7% |
| Manufacturing | 1,347 | $1,328 | 0.98 | -4.5% |
| Administrative and waste services | 784 | $822 | 0.80 | -8.7% |
| Professional and technical services | 674 | $1,364 | 0.57 | -1.0% |
| Other services | 608 | $736 | 1.19 | +5.2% |
| Finance and insurance | 352 | $1,425 | 0.50 | -22.0% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 342 | $1,205 | 1.21 | -13.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 262 | $1,380 | 0.40 | -8.4% |
| Real estate and rental | 186 | $759 | 0.71 | -5.1% |
| Educational services | 165 | $704 | 0.45 | -5.7% |
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 #
6 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 6, 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 LOGAN AT DAM NEAR HAZELWOOD, NC | 52.9 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 16 km |
| LAKE WILLIAM C. BOWEN NEAR FINGERVILLE, SC | 815.1 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 99 km |
| LAKE BLALOCK NEAR COWPENS, SC | 710.0 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 116 km |
| HARTWELL LAKE NEAR ANDERSON, SC | 648.9 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 117 km |
| GASTON SHOALS RESERVOIR ABOVE BLACKSBURG, SC | 93.8 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 134 km |
| NINETYNINE ISLAND RES. BELOW CHEROKEE FALLS, SC | 99.3 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 147 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 #
73 gauges · 0 flooding · 25 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 24 stale
Sites found: 73, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| PIGEON RIVER NEAR HEPCO, NC | flow 178.0 ft³/s | 8 km |
| PIGEON RIVER NEAR CANTON, NC | flow 94.5 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 13 km |
| WEST FORK PIGEON RIVER AT BETHEL, NC | flow 32.5 ft³/s | 13 km |
| CATALOOCHEE CREEK NEAR CATALOOCHEE, NC | flow 42.0 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 15 km |
| EAST FORK PIGEON RIVER NEAR CANTON, NC | flow 59.8 ft³/s | 15 km |
| WEST FORK PIGEON RIVER NEAR RETREAT, NC | flow 35.7 ft³/s · STALE | 16 km |
| W F PIGEON R ABOVE LAKE LOGAN NR HAZELWOOD, NC | flow 25.5 ft³/s · quality 100 % (1) | 19 km |
| SCOTT CREEK AT WILLITS-OCHRE HILL, NC | flow 18.0 ft³/s · STALE | 22 km |
| UNNMD TRIB TO PISGAH CR AT FLAT LAUREL GAP, NC | flow 0.93 ft³/s · STALE | 27 km |
| PIGEON R BL POWER PLANT NR WATERVILLE, NC | flow 142.0 ft³/s | 28 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 #
6 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 6, 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-352315082484401 | depth 5.91 ft · 2024-09-22 | 24 km |
| USGS-351709082434101 | depth 15.8 ft · 2026-10-19 | 38 km |
| USGS-351808082374302 | depth 35.8 ft · 2026-10-19 | 43 km |
| USGS-352519083272401 | depth 5.05 ft · 2009-10-06 | 44 km |
| USGS-353922083345600 | depth 9.19 ft · 2026-10-19 | 55 km |
| USGS-350622082373608 | depth 30.8 ft · 2003-07-14 | 60 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 #
$929.5 m in deposits at 9 offices of 6 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,140, highly concentrated. $1.8 bn federal obligations in FY2026 (grants $1.2 bn, direct payments $518.2 m), $102,964 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company | $260.6 m · 28.0% share · 3 offices | |
| HomeTrust Bank | $212.1 m · 22.8% share · 2 offices | |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $195.2 m · 21.0% share · 1 office | |
| Haywood, NC | $1.8 bn FY2026 · $102,964/job | |
| TRANSPORTATION NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT | $1.2 bn · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company | $260,551,000 | 28.0% | 3 |
| HomeTrust Bank | $212,075,000 | 22.8% | 2 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $195,188,000 | 21.0% | 1 |
| Truist Bank | $137,440,000 | 14.8% | 1 |
| United Community Bank | $122,549,000 | 13.2% | 1 |
| Woodforest National Bank | $1,730,000 | 0.2% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,140 across 6 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 6 banks with deposits in the county = 28.0² + 22.8² + 21.0² + … (3 more) = 2,140
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 | $1,247,019,410 |
| Social Security Administration | $442,047,875 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $59,614,862 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $9,590,930 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $2,179,095 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $1,892,810 |
| Department of Education | $1,418,808 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $744,368 |
| Department of Agriculture | $699,250 |
| Environmental Protection Agency | $601,768 |
| Small Business Administration | $129,980 |
| Department of the Interior | $25,275 |
That is $102,964 per covered job, against 17,146 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $1.8 bn / 17,146 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $102,964
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 | 17.95 | 2026-10-18 | -2.6% |
| 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 · % | 72.20 | 2026-10-19 | +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 | 7.00 | 2026-10-13 | +133.3% |
| 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 | 101.91 | 2026-10-14 | +1.0% |
| 30-year fixed mortgage rate · % | 7.40 | 2026-10-15 | +0.0% |
| 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 | 652,115.00 | 2026-09-01 | +0.7% |
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 #
Haywood County, NC: 13 findings, 3 at a watch level and 10 noted
watchHaywood County, NC's typical home value is -3.0% 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 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- test: home.yoyPct = -2.9730694489765725 < 0
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; not an official level
watchHaywood County, NC's covered employment is -1.4% against a year earlier, a watch level here: covered employment below the same quarter a year earlier (BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; 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.emp = -1.4 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchHaywood County, NC's typical asking rent is -1.1% against the previous month, a watch level here: typical asking rent at least 1 percent below the previous month (arithmetic on the Zillow ZORI month columns; 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 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- test: rent.momPct = -1.117493433344143 <= -1
- month-over-month percent change = (newest month − previous month) / |previous month| × 100, from Zillow's own published month columns
arithmetic on the Zillow ZORI month columns; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
noteHaywood County, NC's covered employment was 1.4% 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
- -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
noteHaywood County, NC's typical asking rent fell 1.1% from $1,586 in August 2026 to $1,568 in September 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- -1.1% = (1567.8703703703704 - 1585.5892258490458) / 1585.5892258490458 × 100
- 1567.8703703703704 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-09
- 1585.5892258490458 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
Read all 12 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.