Lee County, Arkansas: commercial real estate data.
Lee County, Arkansas has a population of 8,359 across 603 square miles, down 5.7 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $244.8 m in 2024, 102 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 1 7(a) approvals worth $1.9 m.
98 sourced county values · tier FULL · 10 sections
Lee County
How many people live in Lee County
- Population8,359
- Households2,690
- Average household size3.11
- Median household income$34,375
- Median age41.9
- Median gross rent$667 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$75,300
- Home value to household income2.2 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income23.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher7.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree2.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over5,913
- Population under 181,581
- Share under 1818.9 percent
- Population 65 and over1,707
- Share 65 and over20.4 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 645,071
- Civilian labor force2,560
- Unemployment rate19.1 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over37.8 percent
- Rank by population among Arkansas counties65th of 75
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents2623rd
Lee County is the 65th largest of 75 Arkansas counties by population. A median home costs 2.2 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 20.4 percent against 18.9 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single storey product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Lee County
Is Lee County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base-5.73 percent
- Census 2020 base population8,597
- Births, 202485
- Deaths, 2024124
- Natural change, 2024-39
- Net domestic migration, 2024-79
- Net international migration, 20241
- Total net migration, 2024-78
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-214
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents3031st
The county has lost 5.73 percent of its population since the 2020 census base.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Lee County
Where people moving to Lee County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving162
- People arriving, from those returns320
- Adjusted gross income arriving$4.3 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$26,302
- Largest single originLee County Non-migrants (2,107 households)
- Largest single destination (2,107 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lee County Non-migrants | 2,107 | 4,268 | $106.4 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 84 | 142 | $1.6 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 34 | 72 | $1.3 m |
| Other flows - South | 34 | 72 | $1.3 m |
| St. Francis County | 24 | 58 | $703,000 |
| Phillips County | 20 | 48 | $674,000 |
The largest single source of arrivals is Lee 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.
Lee County
What the Lee County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$244.8 m
- County GDP, 2023$233.8 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20244.7 percent
- GDP change over five years41.3 percent
- Rank by GDP among Arkansas counties70th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents2814th
- GDP per resident$29,284
Output grew 4.7 percent in the latest year and 41.3 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.
Lee County
Who employs people in Lee County
- Covered employment, annual average1,623
- Establishments reporting212
- Average annual pay$43,972
- Average weekly wage$846
- Sector 44-45, employment183
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$27,586
- Sector 11, employment163
- Sector 11, average annual pay$45,155
- Sector 42, employment71
- Sector 42, average annual pay$74,483
- Sector 53, employment58
- Sector 53, average annual pay$40,309
- Sector 48-49, employment33
- Sector 54, employment25
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 44-45 | 183 | 20 | $27,586 |
| Sector 11 | 163 | 34 | $45,155 |
| Sector 42 | 71 | 9 | $74,483 |
| Sector 53 | 58 | 11 | $40,309 |
| Sector 48-49 | 33 | 8 | $62,791 |
| Sector 54 | 25 | 8 | $42,523 |
| Sector 52 | 23 | 3 | $50,809 |
| Sector 22 | 21 | 3 | $78,435 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 183 jobs, 11.3 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.
Lee County
What businesses operate in Lee County
- Establishments, all industries102
- Employment at those establishments868
- Annual payroll$42.6 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents12.2
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.
Lee County
What is being built in Lee County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 20240
- Declared construction value permitted$0
- Single family units authorised0
- Multifamily units authorised0
No residential units were authorised by permit in 2024. In a small county this is common and is not by itself a sign of distress, but it does mean there is no recent residential pipeline to read demand from.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Lee County
How much SBA lending happens in Lee County
- 7(a) approvals recorded1
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$1.9 m
- Average 7(a) approval$1,890,000
- Median 7(a) approval$1,890,000
- 10th percentile approval$1,890,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,890,000
- Largest single approval$1,890,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)16
- Jobs per approval16.0
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active1
- Distinct industries receiving approvals1
- Median 7(a) term168 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer0.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms0
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter0
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countPharmacies and Drug Retailers (1)
- Most active lenderFirst Financial Bank (1)
The average approval of $1,890,000 sits close to the median of $1,890,000, so lending here is fairly evenly sized rather than driven by a few large deals. Only 0.0 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.
Lee County
Do SBA loans in Lee County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded0
- Paid in full0
- Charged off0
- Status: Exempt from disclosure1
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.
Lee County
How big is Lee County
- Land area603 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Arkansas counties56th of 75
- Width, east to west39.5 mi
- Height, north to south18.7 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land14
- Establishments per square mile0.17
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 Lee 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 Lee County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population8,359
- Households2,690
- Average household size3.11
- Median household income$34,375
- Median age41.9
Common questions
Lee County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Lee County, Arkansas?
8,359, in 2,690 households, ranking 65th of 75 Arkansas counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Lee County growing?
The population has fallen 5.73 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 85 births against 124 deaths, with net migration of -78. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Lee County?
$34,375. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $75,300, which is 2.2 times income, and median gross rent is $667 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Lee County?
102 establishments, employing 868 people with an annual payroll of $42.6 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 Lee County?
Average annual pay is $43,972, or $846 a week, across 1,623 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Lee County?
1 7(a) approvals totalling $1.9 m since FY2020, across 1 lenders, with a median approval of $1,890,000. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Lee County?
No residential units were authorised by permit in 2024. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Lee 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 Lee County come from?
The largest single origin is Lee County Non-migrants, with 2,107 households. Arriving households report an average income of $26,302 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 Lee 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 Lee 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.