Craighead County, Arkansas: commercial real estate data.
Craighead County, Arkansas has a population of 113,249 across 707 square miles, up 4.1 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $7.26 bn in 2024, 2,788 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 53 7(a) approvals worth $41.0 m.
119 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Craighead County
How many people live in Craighead County
- Population113,249
- Households44,437
- Average household size2.55
- Median household income$59,548
- Median age34.5
- Median gross rent$958 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$210,400
- Home value to household income3.5 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income19.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher29.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree11.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over72,548
- Population under 1828,553
- Share under 1825.2 percent
- Population 65 and over15,723
- Share 65 and over13.9 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6468,973
- Civilian labor force55,535
- Unemployment rate5.6 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over65.6 percent
- Rank by population among Arkansas counties7th of 75
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents554th
Craighead County is the 7th largest of 75 Arkansas counties by population. A median home costs 3.5 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 25.2 percent against 13.9 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Craighead County
Is Craighead County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base4.14 percent
- Census 2020 base population111,242
- Births, 20241,499
- Deaths, 20241,127
- Natural change, 2024372
- Net domestic migration, 20241,186
- Net international migration, 202455
- Total net migration, 20241,241
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20242,612
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents666th
The county has grown 4.14 percent since the 2020 census base. Migration contributed more to 2024 change than births over deaths, so demand here follows people arriving rather than families forming.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Craighead County
Where people moving to Craighead County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving2,971
- People arriving, from those returns5,551
- Adjusted gross income arriving$139.7 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$47,024
- Largest single originCraighead County Non-migrants (36,000 households)
- Largest single destination (36,000 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Craighead County Non-migrants | 36,000 | 77,091 | $2.81 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 944 | 1,808 | $51.4 m |
| Other flows - South | 486 | 915 | $28.9 m |
| Greene County | 282 | 490 | $12.6 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 270 | 511 | $11.4 m |
| Poinsett County | 255 | 503 | $10.1 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 237 | 407 | $9.4 m |
| Mississippi County | 223 | 457 | $10.4 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Craighead 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.
Craighead County
What the Craighead County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$7.26 bn
- County GDP, 2023$6.88 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20245.6 percent
- GDP change over five years38.4 percent
- Rank by GDP among Arkansas counties5th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents568th
- GDP per resident$64,098
Output grew 5.6 percent in the latest year and 38.4 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.
Craighead County
Who employs people in Craighead County
- Covered employment, annual average55,053
- Establishments reporting3,006
- Average annual pay$51,690
- Average weekly wage$994
- Sector 62, employment12,454
- Sector 62, average annual pay$61,911
- Sector 31-33, employment7,497
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$59,822
- Sector 44-45, employment6,534
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$36,378
- Sector 72, employment5,715
- Sector 72, average annual pay$22,460
- Sector 56, employment2,746
- Sector 23, employment2,617
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 62 | 12,454 | 423 | $61,911 |
| Sector 31-33 | 7,497 | 89 | $59,822 |
| Sector 44-45 | 6,534 | 435 | $36,378 |
| Sector 72 | 5,715 | 269 | $22,460 |
| Sector 56 | 2,746 | 155 | $31,509 |
| Sector 23 | 2,617 | 286 | $63,086 |
| Sector 42 | 2,106 | 173 | $70,045 |
| Sector 48-49 | 1,918 | 108 | $56,008 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 12,454 jobs, 22.6 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Craighead County
What businesses operate in Craighead County
- Establishments, all industries2,788
- Employment at those establishments48,791
- Annual payroll$2.49 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents24.6
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.
Craighead County
What is being built in Craighead County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024923
- Declared construction value permitted$120.5 m
- Single family units authorised610
- Multifamily units authorised313
- Multifamily share of units33.9 percent
- Average declared value per unit$130,603
- Units authorised per 1,000 households20.8
Multifamily is 33.9 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Craighead County
How much SBA lending happens in Craighead County
- 7(a) approvals recorded53
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$41.0 m
- Average 7(a) approval$774,125
- Median 7(a) approval$384,000
- 10th percentile approval$50,000
- 90th percentile approval$2,014,100
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)750
- Jobs per approval14.2
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active23
- Distinct industries receiving approvals36
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer24.5 percent
- Loans on real estate terms13
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter30
- Franchise loans16
- Franchise share of approvals30.2 percent
- Leading industry by approval countLimited-Service Restaurants (4)
- Most active lenderFNBC Bank (10)
- 504 approvals recorded3
- 504 gross approval dollars$1.8 m
- Average 504 approval$606,000
- Median 504 approval$710,000
- Distinct CDCs active2
- 504 jobs per approval10.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved16.5
- Most active CDCRural Missouri, Inc. (2)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals94.6 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$42.8 m
The average approval of $774,125 sits well above the median of $384,000, 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. Only 24.5 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
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.
Craighead County
Do SBA loans in Craighead County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded12
- Paid in full12
- Charged off0
- Charge off rate on resolved loans0.0 percent
- Status: Paid in full12
- Status: Exempt from disclosure33
- Status: Cancelled7
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed1
Of the 12 loans that have reached a final outcome, 0.0 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Craighead County
Which parts of Craighead County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending3
- Jonesboro, approvals45
- BROOKLAND, approvals4
- Bono, approvals4
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Jonesboro | 45 | $36,216,800 |
| BROOKLAND | 4 | $3,410,100 |
| Bono | 4 | $1,401,700 |
Jonesboro accounts for 45 approvals against 4 in BROOKLAND. 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.
Craighead County
How big is Craighead County
- Land area707 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Arkansas counties29th of 75
- Width, east to west42 mi
- Height, north to south20.5 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land160
- Establishments per square mile3.94
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 Craighead 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 Craighead County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population113,249
- Households44,437
- Average household size2.55
- Median household income$59,548
- Median age34.5
Common questions
Craighead County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Craighead County, Arkansas?
113,249, in 44,437 households, ranking 7th of 75 Arkansas counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Craighead County growing?
The population has grown 4.14 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 1,499 births against 1,127 deaths, with net migration of 1,241. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Craighead County?
$59,548. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $210,400, which is 3.5 times income, and median gross rent is $958 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Craighead County?
2,788 establishments, employing 48,791 people with an annual payroll of $2.49 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Craighead County?
Average annual pay is $51,690, or $994 a week, across 55,053 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Craighead County?
53 7(a) approvals totalling $41.0 m since FY2020, across 23 lenders, with a median approval of $384,000, plus 3 504 approvals worth $1.8 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Craighead County get paid back?
Of the 12 loans that have reached a final outcome, 12 were paid in full and 0 charged off, a charge off rate of 0.0 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Craighead County?
923 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $120.5 m. Multifamily was 33.9 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Craighead 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 Craighead County come from?
The largest single origin is Craighead County Non-migrants, with 36,000 households. Arriving households report an average income of $47,024 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 Craighead 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 Craighead 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.