Van Buren County, Arkansas: commercial real estate data.
Van Buren County, Arkansas has a population of 15,998 across 708 square miles, up 2.3 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $483.8 m in 2024, 319 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 10 7(a) approvals worth $8.4 m.
119 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Van Buren County
How many people live in Van Buren County
- Population15,998
- Households7,432
- Average household size2.15
- Median household income$50,354
- Median age49.6
- Median gross rent$722 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$135,700
- Home value to household income2.7 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income17.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher15.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree5.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over11,950
- Population under 183,076
- Share under 1819.2 percent
- Population 65 and over4,337
- Share 65 and over27.1 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 648,585
- Civilian labor force5,945
- Unemployment rate3.8 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over46.0 percent
- Rank by population among Arkansas counties48th of 75
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents2100th
Van Buren County is the 48th largest of 75 Arkansas counties by population. A median home costs 2.7 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 27.1 percent against 19.2 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.
Van Buren County
Is Van Buren County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base2.28 percent
- Census 2020 base population15,792
- Births, 2024134
- Deaths, 2024289
- Natural change, 2024-155
- Net domestic migration, 2024146
- Net international migration, 20248
- Total net migration, 2024154
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024915
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1080th
The county has grown 2.28 percent since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration alone is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Van Buren County
Where people moving to Van Buren County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving574
- People arriving, from those returns1,180
- Adjusted gross income arriving$34.4 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$59,904
- Largest single originVan Buren County Non-migrants (5,206 households)
- Largest single destination (5,206 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Van Buren County Non-migrants | 5,206 | 10,960 | $282.8 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 227 | 461 | $15.0 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 178 | 350 | $7.9 m |
| Other flows - South | 123 | 226 | $8.9 m |
| Faulkner County | 99 | 219 | $6.3 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 52 | 118 | $2.8 m |
| Other flows - West | 52 | 117 | $3.3 m |
| Pulaski County | 39 | 75 | $3.2 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Van Buren 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.
Van Buren County
What the Van Buren County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$483.8 m
- County GDP, 2023$479.1 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20241.0 percent
- GDP change over five years33.0 percent
- Rank by GDP among Arkansas counties54th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents2423rd
- GDP per resident$30,240
Output grew 1.0 percent in the latest year and 33.0 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.
Van Buren County
Who employs people in Van Buren County
- Covered employment, annual average3,804
- Establishments reporting350
- Average annual pay$43,889
- Average weekly wage$844
- Sector 44-45, employment651
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$30,868
- Sector 48-49, employment338
- Sector 48-49, average annual pay$87,547
- Sector 72, employment249
- Sector 72, average annual pay$17,443
- Sector 81, employment173
- Sector 81, average annual pay$33,600
- Sector 23, employment168
- Sector 31-33, employment158
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 44-45 | 651 | 48 | $30,868 |
| Sector 48-49 | 338 | 24 | $87,547 |
| Sector 72 | 249 | 24 | $17,443 |
| Sector 81 | 173 | 20 | $33,600 |
| Sector 23 | 168 | 38 | $41,977 |
| Sector 31-33 | 158 | 10 | $39,384 |
| Sector 56 | 117 | 14 | $34,417 |
| Sector 52 | 102 | 26 | $56,716 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 651 jobs, 17.1 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.
Van Buren County
What businesses operate in Van Buren County
- Establishments, all industries319
- Employment at those establishments3,279
- Annual payroll$114.2 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents19.9
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.
Van Buren County
What is being built in Van Buren County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 202416
- Declared construction value permitted$7.0 m
- Single family units authorised16
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$436,375
- Units authorised per 1,000 households2.2
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Van Buren County
How much SBA lending happens in Van Buren County
- 7(a) approvals recorded10
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$8.4 m
- Average 7(a) approval$835,210
- Median 7(a) approval$250,000
- 10th percentile approval$18,000
- 90th percentile approval$3,675,000
- Largest single approval$3,675,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)46
- Jobs per approval4.6
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active5
- Distinct industries receiving approvals8
- Median 7(a) term120 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 shorter7
- Franchise loans1
- Franchise share of approvals10.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countBroilers and Other Meat Type Chicken Production (2)
- Most active lenderFirst Service Bank (5)
- 504 approvals recorded1
- 504 gross approval dollars$3.7 m
- Average 504 approval$3,683,000
- Median 504 approval$3,683,000
- Distinct CDCs active1
- 504 jobs per approval15.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved4.1
- Most active CDCCapital Certified Development Corporation (1)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals90.9 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$12.0 m
The average approval of $835,210 sits well above the median of $250,000, 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 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. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Van Buren County
Do SBA loans in Van Buren County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded4
- Paid in full4
- Charged off0
- Status: Cancelled1
- Status: Paid in full4
- Status: Exempt from disclosure5
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.
Van Buren County
Which parts of Van Buren County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending5
- DAMASCUS, approvals3
- BEE BRANCH, approvals3
- Harrison, approvals2
- HIGDEN, approvals1
- SHIRLEY, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| DAMASCUS | 3 | $274,200 |
| BEE BRANCH | 3 | $6,459,000 |
| Harrison | 2 | $1,350,900 |
| HIGDEN | 1 | $250,000 |
| SHIRLEY | 1 | $18,000 |
DAMASCUS accounts for 3 approvals against 3 in BEE BRANCH. 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.
Van Buren County
How big is Van Buren County
- Land area708 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Arkansas counties27th of 75
- Width, east to west34.3 mi
- Height, north to south29.5 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land23
- Establishments per square mile0.45
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 Van Buren 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 Van Buren County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population15,998
- Households7,432
- Average household size2.15
- Median household income$50,354
- Median age49.6
Common questions
Van Buren County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Van Buren County, Arkansas?
15,998, in 7,432 households, ranking 48th of 75 Arkansas counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Van Buren County growing?
The population has grown 2.28 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 134 births against 289 deaths, with net migration of 154. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Van Buren County?
$50,354. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $135,700, which is 2.7 times income, and median gross rent is $722 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Van Buren County?
319 establishments, employing 3,279 people with an annual payroll of $114.2 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 Van Buren County?
Average annual pay is $43,889, or $844 a week, across 3,804 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Van Buren County?
10 7(a) approvals totalling $8.4 m since FY2020, across 5 lenders, with a median approval of $250,000, plus 1 504 approvals worth $3.7 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Van Buren County?
16 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $7.0 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Van Buren 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 Van Buren County come from?
The largest single origin is Van Buren County Non-migrants, with 5,206 households. Arriving households report an average income of $59,904 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 Van Buren 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 Van Buren 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.