Union County, NC
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 34.99, -80.53.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 90th pct · 300th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 89th pct · 11th of 100 North Carolina counties · median $270,749
- 100th pct · 1st of 11 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro · median $380,437
- 16th pct · 2,572nd of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 16th pct · 84th of 100 North Carolina counties · median +1.1%
- 30th pct · 8th of 11 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro · median -0.3%
- 86th pct · 185th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 96th pct · 3rd of 62 North Carolina counties · median $1,550
- 100th pct · 1st of 9 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro · median $1,732
- 88th pct · 361st of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 86th pct · 14th of 100 North Carolina counties · median 16,739
- 50th pct · 6th of 11 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro · median 79,207
- 87th pct · 415th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 93rd pct · 7th of 100 North Carolina counties · median $984
- 80th pct · 3rd of 11 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro · median $1,230
- 83rd pct · 513th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 76th pct · 24th of 100 North Carolina counties · median 5.0
- 90th pct · 2nd 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 $444,831 (Sep 2026), -0.7% over one year, +22.0% over five
- 90th pct · 300th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 89th pct · 11th of 100 North Carolina counties · median $270,749
- 100th pct · 1st of 11 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro · median $380,437
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Union County, NC | $444,831 · -0.7% 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 #
Typical rent $2,075/mo (Sep 2026), +4.0% over one year; price-to-rent 17.9
- 86th pct · 185th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 96th pct · 3rd of 62 North Carolina counties · median $1,550
- 100th pct · 1st of 9 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro · median $1,732
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Union County, NC | $2,075/mo · +4.0% 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 $2,464 a month on $444,831 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $5,807 a month: 42.4% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $444,831 × 80% = $355,865, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $2,464/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,340 × 52 / 12 = $5,807) = 42% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $444,831 / ($1,340 × 52) = 6.4
- price-to-rent = $444,831 / ($2,075 × 12) = 17.9
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 #
79,207 jobs at 8,335 employers (2026 Q1); +2.0% jobs and +3.9% average weekly wage over the year
- 88th pct · 361st of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 86th pct · 14th of 100 North Carolina counties · median 16,739
- 50th pct · 6th of 11 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro · median 79,207
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Union County, NC | 79,207 jobs · $1,340/wk · +2.0% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 12,479 | $1,597 | 1.96 | +1.9% |
| Construction | 10,470 | $1,558 | 2.52 | +0.6% |
| Retail trade | 8,207 | $769 | 1.06 | -1.7% |
| Accommodation and food services | 6,463 | $414 | 0.91 | +3.4% |
| Health care and social assistance | 5,235 | $1,100 | 0.44 | +3.6% |
| Administrative and waste services | 4,761 | $1,333 | 1.06 | +1.5% |
| Wholesale trade | 3,727 | $2,402 | 1.23 | +9.8% |
| Professional and technical services | 3,379 | $1,886 | 0.62 | +2.4% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 2,672 | $1,202 | 0.80 | +2.6% |
| Other services | 2,538 | $852 | 1.07 | +2.6% |
| Educational services | 1,909 | $873 | 1.12 | +3.8% |
| Finance and insurance | 1,809 | $3,015 | 0.56 | +4.0% |
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 #
9 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 9, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| NINETYNINE ISLAND RES. BELOW CHEROKEE FALLS, SC | 99.4 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 88 km |
| NEAL SHOALS RESERVOIR NEAR CARLISLE, SC | 331.9 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 91 km |
| GASTON SHOALS RESERVOIR ABOVE BLACKSBURG, SC | 93.9 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 99 km |
| MONTICELLO RES NR JENKINSVILLE, SC | 424.0 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 106 km |
| PARR SHOALS RESERVOIR AT PARR, SC | 260.9 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 109 km |
| LAKE BLALOCK NEAR COWPENS, SC | 710.1 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 122 km |
| LAKE MURRAY NEAR COLUMBIA, SC | 355.6 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 122 km |
| LAKE WILLIAM C. BOWEN NEAR FINGERVILLE, SC | 815.1 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 138 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 #
137 gauges · 0 flooding · 10 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 27 stale
Sites found: 137, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| GOOSE CREEK AT SR1525 NR INDIAN TRAIL, NC | flow 0.78 ft³/s · no flooding | 16 km |
| GOOSE CR AT FAIRVIEW, NC | flow 15.6 ft³/s · STALE | 18 km |
| GOOSE CR AT SR1524 NEAR INDIAN TRAIL, NC | flow 0.58 ft³/s · no flooding | 18 km |
| ROCKY RIVER NR STANFIELD, NC | flow 173.0 ft³/s · STALE | 20 km |
| LANE'S CR NR MARSHVILLE, NC | flow 2,760 ft³/s · STALE | 21 km |
| TWELVE MILE CREEK NEAR WAXHAW, NC | flow 482.0 ft³/s · STALE | 21 km |
| IRVIN'S CREEK AT LEBANON RD NR MINT HILL, NC | flow 0.83 ft³/s · STALE | 24 km |
| CLEAR CREEK AT SR3181 NR MINT HILL, NC | flow 0.95 ft³/s · no flooding | 24 km |
| IRVINS CREEK AT SR3168 NR CHARLOTTE, NC | flow 0.22 ft³/s · no flooding | 25 km |
| MCALPINE CREEK AT SR3150 NR IDLEWILD, NC | flow 0.66 ft³/s · no flooding | 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-345609080415102 | depth 34.2 ft · 2026-10-18 | 16 km |
| USGS-345609080415103 | depth 46.3 ft · 2026-10-18 | 16 km |
| USGS-344333080503601 | depth 38.2 ft · 2026-10-18 | 41 km |
| USGS-344333080503600 | depth 34.9 ft · 2026-10-18 | 41 km |
| USGS-343907080164400 | depth 123.9 ft · 2013-07-23 | 44 km |
| USGS-350150081012500 | depth 19.0 ft · 2003-02-13 | 46 km |
| USGS-345830081033100 | depth 26.9 ft · 2026-10-18 | 48 km |
| USGS-345830081033101 | depth 24.3 ft · 2026-10-18 | 48 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 #
$3.3 bn in deposits at 33 offices of 12 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,558, moderately concentrated. $1.3 bn federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $1.2 bn, grants $30.6 m), $15,892 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Truist Bank | $949.9 m · 28.4% share · 7 offices | |
| First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company | $543.6 m · 16.2% share · 4 offices | |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $436.9 m · 13.0% share · 3 offices | |
| Union, NC | $1.3 bn FY2026 · $15,892/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $1.2 bn · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Truist Bank | $949,923,000 | 28.4% | 7 |
| First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company | $543,574,000 | 16.2% | 4 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $436,894,000 | 13.0% | 3 |
| Fifth Third Bank, National Association | $390,265,000 | 11.7% | 3 |
| Bank of America, National Association | $301,193,000 | 9.0% | 3 |
| First National Bank of Pennsylvania | $200,306,000 | 6.0% | 2 |
| American Bank of the Carolinas | $183,791,000 | 5.5% | 3 |
| Pinnacle Bank | $165,650,000 | 4.9% | 1 |
| SouthState Bank, National Association | $115,408,000 | 3.4% | 3 |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $33,203,000 | 1.0% | 2 |
Deposit concentration is 1,558 across 12 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 12 banks with deposits in the county = 28.4² + 16.2² + 13.0² + … (9 more) = 1,558
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 | $1,031,869,490 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $147,244,055 |
| Department of Transportation | $24,984,070 |
| Department of Defense | $17,936,106 |
| Department of Education | $8,715,636 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $8,465,269 |
| Department of Agriculture | $7,310,616 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $4,114,652 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $3,748,256 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $1,583,850 |
| National Science Foundation | $750,000 |
| Department of Justice | $736,278 |
That is $15,892 per covered job, against 79,207 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $1.3 bn / 79,207 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $15,892
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 #
Union County, NC: 14 findings, 1 at a watch level and 13 noted
watchUnion County, NC's typical home value is -0.7% 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 = -0.7288069371897298 < 0
arithmetic on Zillow ZHVI, county and metro files; not an official level
noteUnion County, NC's average weekly wage was 3.9% 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
- +3.9 % = 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
noteUnion County, NC's covered employment was 2.0% 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 % = 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
noteUnion County, NC's typical asking rent fell 0.3% from $2,082 in August 2026 to $2,075 in September 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- -0.3% = (2075.4701435847624 - 2082.082657913978) / 2082.082657913978 × 100
- 2075.4701435847624 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-09
- 2082.082657913978 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
noteUnion County, NC's typical home value of $444,831 ranks 1st of 11 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro, against a median of $380,437.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 100 on the 0-to-100 scale across 11 counties in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro that published home.latest
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
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.