Desha County, Arkansas: commercial real estate data.
Desha County, Arkansas has a population of 10,786 across 768 square miles, down 9.4 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $724.0 m in 2024, 270 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 10 7(a) approvals worth $8.8 m.
106 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Desha County
How many people live in Desha County
- Population10,786
- Households4,610
- Average household size2.34
- Median household income$37,662
- Median age41.6
- Median gross rent$718 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$90,900
- Home value to household income2.4 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income22.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher12.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree5.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over7,357
- Population under 182,690
- Share under 1824.9 percent
- Population 65 and over2,168
- Share 65 and over20.1 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 645,928
- Civilian labor force4,020
- Unemployment rate8.0 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over49.7 percent
- Rank by population among Arkansas counties58th of 75
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents2433rd
Desha County is the 58th largest of 75 Arkansas counties by population. A median home costs 2.4 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 24.9 percent against 20.1 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Desha County
Is Desha County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base-9.43 percent
- Census 2020 base population11,395
- Births, 2024106
- Deaths, 2024131
- Natural change, 2024-25
- Net domestic migration, 2024-129
- Net international migration, 2024-2
- Total net migration, 2024-131
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-810
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents3117th
The county has lost 9.43 percent of its population since the 2020 census base.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Desha County
Where people moving to Desha County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving191
- People arriving, from those returns365
- Adjusted gross income arriving$5.0 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$26,257
- Largest single originDesha County Non-migrants (3,725 households)
- Largest single destination (3,725 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desha County Non-migrants | 3,725 | 7,635 | $181.8 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 88 | 160 | $1.9 m |
| Drew County | 32 | 60 | $1.2 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 31 | 63 | $823,000 |
| Other flows - South | 31 | 63 | $823,000 |
| Chicot County | 20 | 46 | $441,000 |
| Lincoln County | 20 | 36 | $592,000 |
The largest single source of arrivals is Desha 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.
Desha County
What the Desha County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$724.0 m
- County GDP, 2023$727.2 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 2024-0.4 percent
- GDP change over five years27.5 percent
- Rank by GDP among Arkansas counties44th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents2115th
- GDP per resident$67,123
Output grew -0.4 percent in the latest year and 27.5 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.
Desha County
Who employs people in Desha County
- Covered employment, annual average4,132
- Establishments reporting433
- Average annual pay$47,354
- Average weekly wage$911
- Sector 31-33, employment927
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$69,265
- Sector 62, employment464
- Sector 62, average annual pay$37,414
- Sector 44-45, employment453
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$28,014
- Sector 72, employment298
- Sector 72, average annual pay$17,402
- Sector 11, employment271
- Sector 42, employment204
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 927 | 17 | $69,265 |
| Sector 62 | 464 | 74 | $37,414 |
| Sector 44-45 | 453 | 46 | $28,014 |
| Sector 72 | 298 | 28 | $17,402 |
| Sector 11 | 271 | 76 | $46,863 |
| Sector 42 | 204 | 18 | $68,016 |
| Sector 52 | 125 | 14 | $69,838 |
| Sector 23 | 82 | 15 | $48,136 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 927 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.
Desha County
What businesses operate in Desha County
- Establishments, all industries270
- Employment at those establishments3,283
- Annual payroll$154.7 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents25.0
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.
Desha County
What is being built in Desha County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 20242
- Declared construction value permitted$506,434
- Single family units authorised2
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$253,217
- Units authorised per 1,000 households0.4
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Desha County
How much SBA lending happens in Desha County
- 7(a) approvals recorded10
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$8.8 m
- Average 7(a) approval$880,240
- Median 7(a) approval$215,100
- 10th percentile approval$28,000
- 90th percentile approval$3,500,000
- Largest single approval$3,500,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)189
- Jobs per approval18.9
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active8
- Distinct industries receiving approvals8
- Median 7(a) term180 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer20.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms2
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter4
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countOffices of Physicians (except Mental Health Specialists) (2)
- Most active lenderBankFirst Financial Services (2)
The average approval of $880,240 sits well above the median of $215,100, 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 20.0 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.
Desha County
Do SBA loans in Desha County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded4
- Paid in full4
- Charged off0
- Status: Exempt from disclosure4
- Status: Paid in full4
- Status: Cancelled2
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 4 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.
Desha County
Which parts of Desha County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending2
- DUMAS, approvals7
- MC GEHEE, approvals3
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| DUMAS | 7 | $6,029,300 |
| MC GEHEE | 3 | $2,773,100 |
DUMAS accounts for 7 approvals against 3 in MC GEHEE. 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.
Desha County
How big is Desha County
- Land area768 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Arkansas counties19th of 75
- Width, east to west39 mi
- Height, north to south41.9 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land14
- Establishments per square mile0.35
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 504 approvals recorded in this county in the FOIA release covering FY2010 onward.
- 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 Desha 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 Desha County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population10,786
- Households4,610
- Average household size2.34
- Median household income$37,662
- Median age41.6
Common questions
Desha County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Desha County, Arkansas?
10,786, in 4,610 households, ranking 58th of 75 Arkansas counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Desha County growing?
The population has fallen 9.43 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 106 births against 131 deaths, with net migration of -131. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Desha County?
$37,662. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $90,900, which is 2.4 times income, and median gross rent is $718 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Desha County?
270 establishments, employing 3,283 people with an annual payroll of $154.7 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 Desha County?
Average annual pay is $47,354, or $911 a week, across 4,132 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Desha County?
10 7(a) approvals totalling $8.8 m since FY2020, across 8 lenders, with a median approval of $215,100. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Desha County?
2 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $506,434. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Desha 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 Desha County come from?
The largest single origin is Desha County Non-migrants, with 3,725 households. Arriving households report an average income of $26,257 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 Desha 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 Desha 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.