Aiken County, SC
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 33.55, -81.63.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 54th pct · 1,397th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 57th pct · 20th of 46 South Carolina counties · median $213,114
- 50th pct · 4th of 7 counties in the Augusta-Richmond County metro · median $243,437
- 54th pct · 1,406th of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 73rd pct · 13th of 46 South Carolina counties · median +1.2%
- 50th pct · 4th of 7 counties in the Augusta-Richmond County metro · median +3.2%
- 44th pct · 751st of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 29th pct · 18th of 25 South Carolina counties · median $1,574
- counties in the Augusta-Richmond County metro: only 3 of counties in the Augusta-Richmond County metro published this metric; fewer than 5 is too few to rank
- 87th pct · 414th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 75th pct · 12th of 46 South Carolina counties · median 18,411
- 83rd pct · 2nd of 7 counties in the Augusta-Richmond County metro · median 7,442
- 86th pct · 450th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 88th pct · 6th of 46 South Carolina counties · median $1,061
- 83rd pct · 2nd of 7 counties in the Augusta-Richmond County metro · median $1,053
- 34th pct · 2,007th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 35th pct · 30th of 46 South Carolina counties · median 4.0
- 33rd pct · 5th of 7 counties in the Augusta-Richmond County metro · median 4.2
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 $243,437 (Sep 2026), +3.2% over one year, +15.6% over five
- 54th pct · 1,397th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 57th pct · 20th of 46 South Carolina counties · median $213,114
- 50th pct · 4th of 7 counties in the Augusta-Richmond County metro · median $243,437
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Aiken County, SC | $243,437 · +3.2% 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 $1,445/mo (Sep 2026), +1.3% over one year; price-to-rent 14.0
- 44th pct · 751st of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 29th pct · 18th of 25 South Carolina counties · median $1,574
- counties in the Augusta-Richmond County metro: only 3 of counties in the Augusta-Richmond County metro published this metric; fewer than 5 is too few to rank
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Aiken County, SC | $1,445/mo · +1.3% 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 $1,348 a month on $243,437 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $5,707 a month: 23.6% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $243,437 × 80% = $194,750, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $1,348/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,317 × 52 / 12 = $5,707) = 24% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $243,437 / ($1,317 × 52) = 3.6
- price-to-rent = $243,437 / ($1,445 × 12) = 14.0
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 #
66,659 jobs at 3,961 employers (2026 Q1); +0.2% jobs and +4.7% average weekly wage over the year
- 87th pct · 414th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 75th pct · 12th of 46 South Carolina counties · median 18,411
- 83rd pct · 2nd of 7 counties in the Augusta-Richmond County metro · median 7,442
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Aiken County, SC | 66,659 jobs · $1,317/wk · +0.2% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative and waste services | 10,305 | $1,860 | 2.72 | -4.6% |
| Manufacturing | 8,758 | $1,613 | 1.63 | +0.1% |
| Retail trade | 7,555 | $636 | 1.16 | +0.9% |
| Health care and social assistance | 7,540 | $1,036 | 0.75 | +3.3% |
| Construction | 6,519 | $1,891 | 1.87 | +2.2% |
| Accommodation and food services | 6,337 | $402 | 1.06 | -0.3% |
| Professional and technical services | 3,713 | $2,099 | 0.81 | -0.6% |
| Other services | 1,636 | $894 | 0.82 | -3.3% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 1,572 | $1,223 | 0.56 | -5.5% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 1,336 | $539 | 1.22 | +17.1% |
| Finance and insurance | 1,040 | $1,898 | 0.38 | -1.2% |
| Wholesale trade | 754 | $1,834 | 0.30 | +8.8% |
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 #
No drought class at this point (USDM covers the United States only)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| SAVANNAH RVR AT STEVENS CREEK DAM NR MORGANA, SC | 185.1 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 39 km |
| BUTLER CREEK RESERVOIR AT FORT GORDON, GA | 27.4 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 45 km |
| LAKE MURRAY NEAR COLUMBIA, SC | 355.6 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 68 km |
| THURMOND LAKE NEAR PLUM BRANCH, SC | 319.4 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 73 km |
| LAKE GREENWOOD NEAR CHAPPELLS, SC | 438.9 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 74 km |
| PARR SHOALS RESERVOIR AT PARR, SC | 262.1 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 84 km |
| MONTICELLO RES NR JENKINSVILLE, SC | 423.4 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 88 km |
| LAKE MARION NEAR ELLOREE, SC | 73.9 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 105 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 · 7 with quality panels averaging 93 % · 64 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 |
|---|---|---|
| STEVENS CREEK AT WOODLAWN RD NR MURPHY VILLAGE, SC | stage 16.5 ft · quality 50 % (2) | 37 km |
| SHAW CREEK AT WIRE RD NEAR AIKEN, SC | flow 23.9 ft³/s | 7 km |
| SHAW CREEK NEAR AIKEN, SC | stage 9.44 ft · out of service · STALE | 8 km |
| STEEL CREEK BELOW L-LAKE AT SRS, SC | flow 35.0 ft³/s · STALE | 14 km |
| UPPER THREE RUNS NEAR NEW ELLENTON, SC | flow 61.8 ft³/s | 18 km |
| MCTIER CREEK NEAR NEW HOLLAND, SC | flow 9.00 ft³/s · STALE | 19 km |
| SOUTH FORK EDISTO RIVER BELOW MONETTA, SC | flow 19.3 ft³/s | 20 km |
| SOUTH FORK EDISTO RIVER ABOVE SPRINGFIELD, SC | flow 199.0 ft³/s | 21 km |
| TINKER CREEK ON SRS RD 8-11 AT SRS, SC | flow 7.10 ft³/s · STALE | 22 km |
| LITTLE HORSE CREEK NEAR GRANITEVILLE, SC | flow 18.0 ft³/s · STALE | 22 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 #
63 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 63, 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-333235081290801 | depth 25.9 ft · 2001-09-29 | 14 km |
| USGS-333233081290802 | depth 28.4 ft · 2002-09-29 | 14 km |
| USGS-333230081290501 | depth 23.8 ft · 2001-09-29 | 14 km |
| USGS-333232081290605 | depth 42.0 ft · 2003-08-10 | 14 km |
| USGS-333234081290703 | depth 29.6 ft · 2002-09-29 | 14 km |
| USGS-333233081290704 | depth 36.0 ft · 2002-09-29 | 14 km |
| USGS-332617081462001 | depth 181.6 ft · 2001-09-29 | 18 km |
| USGS-332616081462001 | depth 184.0 ft · 2001-08-31 | 18 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 (0.03)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.07 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$3.7 bn in deposits at 28 offices of 12 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,938, highly concentrated. $6.3 bn federal obligations in FY2026 (contracts $4.9 bn, direct payments $1.3 bn), $94,182 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $1.1 bn · 29.6% share · 2 offices | |
| Security Federal Bank | $973.0 m · 26.2% share · 9 offices | |
| Bank of America, National Association | $448.1 m · 12.1% share · 2 offices | |
| Aiken, SC | $6.3 bn FY2026 · $94,182/job | |
| SAVANNAH RIVER NUCLEAR SOLUTIONS LLC | $3.4 bn · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $1,100,633,000 | 29.6% | 2 |
| Security Federal Bank | $973,026,000 | 26.2% | 9 |
| Bank of America, National Association | $448,081,000 | 12.1% | 2 |
| First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company | $431,131,000 | 11.6% | 3 |
| Regions Bank | $257,989,000 | 6.9% | 3 |
| SouthState Bank, National Association | $191,406,000 | 5.2% | 2 |
| Coastal Carolina National Bank | $104,269,000 | 2.8% | 1 |
| TD Bank, National Association | $83,936,000 | 2.3% | 1 |
| First Community Bank | $67,453,000 | 1.8% | 1 |
| Southern Bank | $38,211,000 | 1.0% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,938 across 12 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 12 banks with deposits in the county = 29.6² + 26.2² + 12.1² + … (9 more) = 1,938
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 Energy | $4,865,885,515 |
| Social Security Administration | $1,097,885,807 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $193,359,261 |
| Department of Defense | $40,520,262 |
| Department of Education | $18,517,621 |
| Department of Transportation | $17,442,224 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $14,400,427 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $8,279,405 |
| Department of Homeland Security | $8,086,835 |
| Department of Agriculture | $7,933,812 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $5,528,089 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $114,553 |
That is $94,182 per covered job, against 66,659 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $6.3 bn / 66,659 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $94,182
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 #
Aiken County, SC: 5 findings, 5 noted
noteAiken County, SC's average weekly wage was 4.7% 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
- +4.7 % = 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
noteAiken County, SC's covered employment was 0.2% 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
- +0.2 % = 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
noteThe next Unemployment rate (BLS Employment Situation, monthly) covering Aiken County, SC is due between 2026-10-30 and 2026-11-13, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern.
Show the arithmetic
- window = 2026-10-30 to 2026-11-13, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern
estimated from the publisher's past release pattern; not an announced date
noteThe next Zillow ZHVI typical home value (monthly) covering Aiken County, SC is due between 2026-11-14 and 2026-11-21, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern.
Show the arithmetic
- window = 2026-11-14 to 2026-11-21, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern
estimated from the publisher's past release pattern; not an announced date
noteThe next Zillow ZORI typical rent (monthly) covering Aiken County, SC is due between 2026-11-14 and 2026-11-21, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern.
Show the arithmetic
- window = 2026-11-14 to 2026-11-21, estimated from the publisher's past release pattern
estimated from the publisher's past release pattern; not an announced date
Every finding is produced by a fixed rule table and a fixed sentence for each rule. Nothing here is generated prose.