Colleton County, SC
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 32.85, -80.66.
Assembled 2026-10-20. Read the brief.
- 57th pct · 1,305th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 60th pct · 19th of 46 South Carolina counties · median $213,114
- 23rd pct · 2,340th of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 40th pct · 28th of 46 South Carolina counties · median +1.2%
- US counties: not published this period
- South Carolina counties: not published this period
- 54th pct · 1,461st of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 37th pct · 29th of 46 South Carolina counties · median 18,411
- 25th pct · 2,401st of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 11th pct · 41st of 46 South Carolina counties · median $1,061
- 68th pct · 960th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 80th pct · 10th of 46 South Carolina counties · median 4.0
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 $251,954 (Sep 2026), +0.3% over one year, +21.0% over five
- 57th pct · 1,305th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 60th pct · 19th of 46 South Carolina counties · median $213,114
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Colleton County, SC | $251,954 · +0.3% 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
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 $1,396 a month on $251,954 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,030 a month: 34.6% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $251,954 × 80% = $201,563, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $1,396/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $930 × 52 / 12 = $4,030) = 35% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $251,954 / ($930 × 52) = 5.2
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 #
9,737 jobs at 923 employers (2026 Q1); -3.4% jobs and +0.6% average weekly wage over the year
- 54th pct · 1,461st of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 37th pct · 29th of 46 South Carolina counties · median 18,411
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Colleton County, SC | 9,737 jobs · $930/wk · -3.4% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 1,404 | $1,000 | 0.96 | -16.8% |
| Retail trade | 1,394 | $634 | 1.47 | -7.7% |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,140 | $434 | 1.30 | +1.8% |
| Manufacturing | 797 | $1,107 | 1.02 | +1.3% |
| Administrative and waste services | 654 | $707 | 1.18 | +8.5% |
| Construction | 436 | $1,036 | 0.85 | +14.4% |
| Wholesale trade | 299 | $1,752 | 0.80 | +13.7% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 208 | $1,461 | 0.51 | +35.9% |
| Other services | 202 | $848 | 0.69 | +8.6% |
| Finance and insurance | 198 | $1,738 | 0.50 | -11.2% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 139 | $610 | 0.87 | +13.0% |
| Information | 132 | $1,822 | 0.74 | +0.0% |
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 #
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 MOULTRIE NEAR PINOPOLIS, SC | 73.8 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 76 km |
| LAKE MARION NEAR ELLOREE, SC | 72.9 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 79 km |
| LAKE MARION NEAR PINEVILLE, SC | 74.0 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 81 km |
| LK MOULTRIE AT REDIVERSION NR RUSSELLVILLE, SC | 72.5 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 87 km |
| LAKE MURRAY NEAR COLUMBIA, SC | 355.5 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 144 km |
| BUTLER CREEK RESERVOIR AT FORT GORDON, GA | 27.4 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 149 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 #
67 gauges · 0 flooding · 19 with quality panels averaging 71 % · 17 stale
Sites found: 67, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| STONO RIVER AT MAIN RD BELOW RANTOWLES, SC | stage 16.5 ft · quality 50 % (2) | 52 km |
| USGS-321603080432202 | temp 21.3 °C · quality 50 % (2) · STALE | 65 km |
| COOPER RIVER ABOVE GOOSE CREEK, SC | stage 8.28 ft · quality 50 % (2) | 72 km |
| COOPER RIVER AT S. ADGERS WHARF AT CHARLESTON, SC | stage 17.9 ft · quality 50 % (2) · no flooding | 69 km |
| COOPER RIVER AT U.S. HWY 17 AT CHARLESTON, SC | stage 6.16 ft · quality 67 % (3) | 70 km |
| WANDO RIVER ABOVE MT PLEASANT, SC | flow 72,800 ft³/s · quality 67 % (3) | 71 km |
| COLLETON RIVER AT BLUFFTON, SC | stage -4.25 ft · quality 25 % (2) · STALE | 64 km |
| COOPER R AT CUSTOMS HOUSE AUX AT CHARLESTON, SC | stage 21.1 ft · quality 50 % (2) · STALE | 69 km |
| ASHLEY RIVER NEAR NORTH CHARLESTON, SC | stage 8.18 ft · quality 67 % (3) | 59 km |
| COOPER R AT PORTS AUTHORITY PIER K CHARLESTON, SC | stage 12.2 ft · quality 67 % (3) | 66 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 #
28 wells in 1 named aquifer: Floridan aquifer system
Sites found: 28, 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-330256080354500 | depth 50.1 ft · 2001-09-29 | 23 km |
| USGS-324143080505900 | depth 38.8 ft · 2009-07-01 | 25 km |
| USGS-323704080594509 | depth 64.2 ft · 2026-10-19 | 41 km |
| USGS-322745080435800 | depth 9.27 ft · 1996-09-29 | 44 km |
| USGS-323048080181401 | depth 7.75 ft · 1994-09-29 | 50 km |
| USGS-330218080080700 | depth 138.2 ft · 1992-06-15 | 53 km |
| USGS-324741080041400 | depth 30.8 ft · 2001-09-13 | 55 km |
| USGS-321603080432203 | depth 11.4 ft · 1994-09-11 | 65 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 #
moderate (0.27)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.25 + 0.2×0.29 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$683.7 m in deposits at 10 offices of 6 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,223, highly concentrated. $294.1 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $280.4 m, grants $12.6 m), $30,204 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Bank of the Lowcountry | $206.5 m · 30.2% share · 1 office | |
| SouthState Bank, National Association | $162.2 m · 23.7% share · 2 offices | |
| 1st Federal Savings Bank of SC, Inc. | $134.3 m · 19.6% share · 2 offices | |
| Colleton, SC | $294.1 m FY2026 · $30,204/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $276.6 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank of the Lowcountry | $206,519,000 | 30.2% | 1 |
| SouthState Bank, National Association | $162,160,000 | 23.7% | 2 |
| 1st Federal Savings Bank of SC, Inc. | $134,339,000 | 19.6% | 2 |
| Enterprise Bank of South Carolina | $112,001,000 | 16.4% | 3 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $66,058,000 | 9.7% | 1 |
| Woodforest National Bank | $2,602,000 | 0.4% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 2,223 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 = 30.2² + 23.7² + 19.6² + … (3 more) = 2,223
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 | $233,254,979 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $42,823,084 |
| Department of Transportation | $12,546,493 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $2,124,177 |
| Department of Agriculture | $1,578,591 |
| Department of Defense | $918,292 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $632,734 |
| Federal Communications Commission | $229,452 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | -$40 |
| Small Business Administration | -$5,307 |
| Department of Justice | -$9,557 |
That is $30,204 per covered job, against 9,737 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $294.1 m / 9,737 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $30,204
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 | 17.40 | 2026-10-19 | -3.1% |
| 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 | 2026-10-20 | +0.0% |
| Laredo truck crossings, monthly · trucks | 255,129.00 | 2026-09-01 | -1.4% |
| 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 | 1,221.00 | 2026-09-01 | -5.2% |
| Building permits, annual rate · thousands of units | 1,400.00 | 2026-09-01 | -0.2% |
| 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 #
Colleton County, SC: 9 findings, 1 at an alert level, 2 at a watch level and 6 noted
alertColleton County, SC's covered employment is -3.4% against a year earlier, an alert level here: covered employment at least 3 percent below the same quarter a year earlier (BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; 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.emp = -3.4 <= -3
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchColleton County, SC's covered employment is -3.4% 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 = -3.4 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
watchColleton County, SC's momentum index is -0.31, a watch level here: momentum index in the cooling band (the cooling band of the momentum index computed here, score at or below -0.25; 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: momentum = -0.31235011434905 <= -0.25
- momentum = Σ wᵢ · clip(changeᵢ / scaleᵢ, −1, 1) / Σ wᵢ over the terms present; weights and scales: home value 1-yr change 0.3 (±10%), rent 1-yr change 0.15 (±10%), jobs over-the-year change 0.3 (±3%), avg weekly wage over-the-year change 0.25 (±6%)
the cooling band of the momentum index computed here, score at or below -0.25; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
noteColleton County, SC's covered employment was 3.4% 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
- -3.4 % = 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
noteColleton County, SC's average weekly wage was 0.6% 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
- +0.6 % = 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
Read all 9 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.