Clarke County, Alabama: commercial real estate data.
Clarke County, Alabama has a population of 22,543 across 1,238 square miles, down 4.1 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $1.13 bn in 2024, 581 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 11 7(a) approvals worth $7.4 m.
116 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Clarke County
How many people live in Clarke County
- Population22,543
- Households8,423
- Average household size2.68
- Median household income$49,249
- Median age42.8
- Median gross rent$782 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$121,700
- Home value to household income2.5 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income19.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher15.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree5.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over15,834
- Population under 184,858
- Share under 1821.5 percent
- Population 65 and over4,748
- Share 65 and over21.1 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6412,937
- Civilian labor force9,252
- Unemployment rate9.2 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over52.3 percent
- Rank by population among Alabama counties43rd of 67
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1744th
Clarke County is the 43rd largest of 67 Alabama counties by population. A median home costs 2.5 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 21.5 percent against 21.1 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Clarke County
Is Clarke County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base-4.11 percent
- Census 2020 base population23,091
- Births, 2024298
- Deaths, 2024336
- Natural change, 2024-38
- Net domestic migration, 2024-129
- Net international migration, 20243
- Total net migration, 2024-126
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-477
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2909th
The county has lost 4.11 percent of its population since the 2020 census base.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Clarke County
Where people moving to Clarke County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving302
- People arriving, from those returns585
- Adjusted gross income arriving$14.4 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$47,765
- Largest single originClarke County Non-migrants (8,003 households)
- Largest single destination (8,003 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clarke County Non-migrants | 8,003 | 16,636 | $468.4 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 100 | 192 | $4.1 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 72 | 145 | $3.8 m |
| Other flows - South | 72 | 145 | $3.8 m |
| Mobile County | 41 | 71 | $1.4 m |
| Washington County | 31 | 61 | $1.6 m |
| Wilcox County | 31 | 65 | $995,000 |
| Marengo County | 27 | 53 | $1.3 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Clarke County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Clarke County
What the Clarke County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$1.13 bn
- County GDP, 2023$1.10 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20242.3 percent
- GDP change over five years24.9 percent
- Rank by GDP among Alabama counties40th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1746th
- GDP per resident$50,120
Output grew 2.3 percent in the latest year and 24.9 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Clarke County
Who employs people in Clarke County
- Covered employment, annual average8,150
- Establishments reporting730
- Average annual pay$51,247
- Average weekly wage$986
- Sector 31-33, employment1,829
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$82,601
- Sector 44-45, employment1,325
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$32,098
- Sector 62, employment817
- Sector 62, average annual pay$41,972
- Sector 72, employment748
- Sector 72, average annual pay$15,778
- Sector 52, employment269
- Sector 56, employment166
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 1,829 | 33 | $82,601 |
| Sector 44-45 | 1,325 | 130 | $32,098 |
| Sector 62 | 817 | 130 | $41,972 |
| Sector 72 | 748 | 58 | $15,778 |
| Sector 52 | 269 | 65 | $59,079 |
| Sector 56 | 166 | 20 | $45,144 |
| Sector 23 | 162 | 29 | $60,792 |
| Sector 42 | 154 | 15 | $47,894 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 1,829 jobs, 22.4 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job exceeds median household income, which usually means single earner households and a wage base that can carry rent.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Clarke County
What businesses operate in Clarke County
- Establishments, all industries581
- Employment at those establishments6,615
- Annual payroll$346.2 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents25.8
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Clarke County
What is being built in Clarke County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 202410
- Declared construction value permitted$2.2 m
- Single family units authorised10
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$216,600
- Units authorised per 1,000 households1.2
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Clarke County
How much SBA lending happens in Clarke County
- 7(a) approvals recorded11
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$7.4 m
- Average 7(a) approval$673,455
- Median 7(a) approval$285,000
- 10th percentile approval$98,600
- 90th percentile approval$1,365,000
- Largest single approval$2,629,700
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)50
- Jobs per approval4.5
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active9
- Distinct industries receiving approvals8
- Median 7(a) term300 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer63.6 percent
- Loans on real estate terms7
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter4
- Franchise loans1
- Franchise share of approvals9.1 percent
- Leading industry by approval countHotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (3)
- Most active lenderGBank (2)
- 504 approvals recorded6
- 504 gross approval dollars$10.2 m
- Average 504 approval$1,700,167
- Median 504 approval$2,249,000
- Distinct CDCs active4
- 504 jobs per approval9.8
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved5.8
- Most active CDCFlorida Business Development Corporation (2)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals64.7 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$17.6 m
The average approval of $673,455 sits well above the median of $285,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. 63.6 percent of approvals run on real estate terms of 240 months or more, so this is a market where SBA credit is buying buildings, not just funding operations.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Clarke County
Do SBA loans in Clarke County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded0
- Paid in full0
- Charged off0
- Status: Exempt from disclosure10
- Status: Cancelled1
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 0 resolved loans, too few to publish a rate. A rate computed on a handful of loans is noise, so none is shown.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Clarke County
Which parts of Clarke County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending3
- Grove Hill, approvals4
- THOMASVILLE, approvals4
- Jackson, approvals3
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Grove Hill | 4 | $1,128,200 |
| THOMASVILLE | 4 | $3,447,000 |
| Jackson | 3 | $2,832,800 |
Grove Hill accounts for 4 approvals against 4 in THOMASVILLE. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Clarke County
How big is Clarke County
- Land area1,238 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Alabama counties3rd of 67
- Width, east to west40 mi
- Height, north to south55.5 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land18
- Establishments per square mile0.47
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Clarke County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Clarke County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population22,543
- Households8,423
- Average household size2.68
- Median household income$49,249
- Median age42.8
Common questions
Clarke County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Clarke County, Alabama?
22,543, in 8,423 households, ranking 43rd of 67 Alabama counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Clarke County growing?
The population has fallen 4.11 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 298 births against 336 deaths, with net migration of -126. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Clarke County?
$49,249. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $121,700, which is 2.5 times income, and median gross rent is $782 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Clarke County?
581 establishments, employing 6,615 people with an annual payroll of $346.2 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Clarke County?
Average annual pay is $51,247, or $986 a week, across 8,150 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Clarke County?
11 7(a) approvals totalling $7.4 m since FY2020, across 9 lenders, with a median approval of $285,000, plus 6 504 approvals worth $10.2 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Clarke County?
10 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $2.2 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Clarke County?
Zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Clarke County come from?
The largest single origin is Clarke County Non-migrants, with 8,003 households. Arriving households report an average income of $47,765 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Clarke County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Clarke County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.