Hardee County, Florida: commercial real estate data.
Hardee County, Florida has a population of 25,675 across 638 square miles, up 2.9 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $1.48 bn in 2024, 436 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 9 7(a) approvals worth $8.4 m.
123 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Hardee County
How many people live in Hardee County
- Population25,675
- Households8,219
- Average household size3.12
- Median household income$60,489
- Median age35.8
- Median gross rent$962 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$153,600
- 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 higher12.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree4.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over16,675
- Population under 186,270
- Share under 1824.4 percent
- Population 65 and over4,138
- Share 65 and over16.1 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6415,267
- Civilian labor force10,567
- Unemployment rate5.9 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over54.5 percent
- Rank by population among Florida counties52nd of 67
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1630th
Hardee County is the 52nd largest of 67 Florida 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 24.4 percent against 16.1 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Hardee County
Is Hardee County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base2.91 percent
- Census 2020 base population25,332
- Births, 2024357
- Deaths, 2024321
- Natural change, 202436
- Net domestic migration, 2024-56
- Net international migration, 2024144
- Total net migration, 202488
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024215
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents894th
The county has grown 2.91 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.
Hardee County
Where people moving to Hardee County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving674
- People arriving, from those returns1,246
- Adjusted gross income arriving$40.9 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$60,678
- Largest single originHardee County Non-migrants (8,064 households)
- Largest single destination (8,064 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardee County Non-migrants | 8,064 | 17,761 | $468.1 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 170 | 309 | $8.0 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 155 | 263 | $20.0 m |
| Polk County | 129 | 246 | $4.6 m |
| Highlands County | 68 | 141 | $2.8 m |
| Other flows - South | 59 | 112 | $2.7 m |
| Manatee County | 55 | 106 | $2.3 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 53 | 98 | $3.4 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Hardee 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.
Hardee County
What the Hardee County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$1.48 bn
- County GDP, 2023$1.50 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 2024-1.9 percent
- GDP change over five years30.4 percent
- Rank by GDP among Florida counties48th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1529th
- GDP per resident$57,470
Output grew -1.9 percent in the latest year and 30.4 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.
Hardee County
Who employs people in Hardee County
- Covered employment, annual average7,044
- Establishments reporting596
- Average annual pay$47,192
- Average weekly wage$908
- Sector 72, employment960
- Sector 72, average annual pay$33,455
- Sector 62, employment915
- Sector 62, average annual pay$48,904
- Sector 44-45, employment814
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$33,175
- Sector 23, employment325
- Sector 23, average annual pay$50,012
- Sector 31-33, employment252
- Sector 52, employment156
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 72 | 960 | 43 | $33,455 |
| Sector 62 | 915 | 48 | $48,904 |
| Sector 44-45 | 814 | 80 | $33,175 |
| Sector 23 | 325 | 58 | $50,012 |
| Sector 31-33 | 252 | 12 | $44,944 |
| Sector 52 | 156 | 14 | $74,874 |
| Sector 48-49 | 145 | 20 | $53,185 |
| Sector 71 | 48 | 6 | $26,409 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 960 jobs, 13.6 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.
Hardee County
What businesses operate in Hardee County
- Establishments, all industries436
- Employment at those establishments4,829
- Annual payroll$218.0 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents17.0
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.
Hardee County
What is being built in Hardee County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024123
- Declared construction value permitted$34.1 m
- Single family units authorised101
- Multifamily units authorised22
- Multifamily share of units17.9 percent
- Average declared value per unit$277,246
- Units authorised per 1,000 households15.0
Multifamily is 17.9 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Hardee County
How much SBA lending happens in Hardee County
- 7(a) approvals recorded9
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$8.4 m
- Average 7(a) approval$929,444
- Median 7(a) approval$350,000
- 10th percentile approval$25,000
- 90th percentile approval$5,000,000
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)65
- Jobs per approval7.2
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active7
- Distinct industries receiving approvals7
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer22.2 percent
- Loans on real estate terms2
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter7
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countFruit and Vegetable Canning (2)
- Most active lenderHancock Whitney Bank (2)
- 504 approvals recorded2
- 504 gross approval dollars$330,000
- Average 504 approval$165,000
- Median 504 approval$179,000
- Distinct CDCs active2
- 504 jobs per approval2.5
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved15.2
- Most active CDCFlorida Business Development Corporation (1)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals81.8 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$8.7 m
The average approval of $929,444 sits well above the median of $350,000, 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 22.2 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.
Hardee County
Do SBA loans in Hardee County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded1
- Paid in full1
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full1
- Status: Exempt from disclosure7
- Status: Cancelled1
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 1 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.
Hardee County
Which parts of Hardee County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending3
- ZOLFO SPRINGS, approvals5
- WAUCHULA, approvals3
- BOWLING GREEN, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| ZOLFO SPRINGS | 5 | $1,670,000 |
| WAUCHULA | 3 | $1,695,000 |
| BOWLING GREEN | 1 | $5,000,000 |
ZOLFO SPRINGS accounts for 5 approvals against 3 in WAUCHULA. 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.
Hardee County
How big is Hardee County
- Land area638 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Florida counties40th of 67
- Width, east to west30.2 mi
- Height, north to south21.3 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land40
- Establishments per square mile0.68
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.
Hardee County
What hazards affect Hardee County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/LZone 3
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book4
- Of those, participating in the NFIP4
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Best Community Rating System class in the county A lower CRS class is a larger flood insurance premium discount.Class 10
- Communities carrying a CRS class1
The EPA places the county in radon zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. The best Community Rating System class in the county is 10, which carries a flood insurance premium discount for properties in the participating community.
US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001. FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Community Status Book, Community Status Book, as retrieved.
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.
- 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 Hardee 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 Hardee County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population25,675
- Households8,219
- Average household size3.12
- Median household income$60,489
- Median age35.8
Common questions
Hardee County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Hardee County, Florida?
25,675, in 8,219 households, ranking 52nd of 67 Florida counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Hardee County growing?
The population has grown 2.91 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 357 births against 321 deaths, with net migration of 88. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Hardee County?
$60,489. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $153,600, which is 2.5 times income, and median gross rent is $962 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Hardee County?
436 establishments, employing 4,829 people with an annual payroll of $218.0 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 Hardee County?
Average annual pay is $47,192, or $908 a week, across 7,044 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Hardee County?
9 7(a) approvals totalling $8.4 m since FY2020, across 7 lenders, with a median approval of $350,000, plus 2 504 approvals worth $330,000. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Hardee County?
123 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $34.1 m. Multifamily was 17.9 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Hardee 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 Hardee County come from?
The largest single origin is Hardee County Non-migrants, with 8,064 households. Arriving households report an average income of $60,678 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 Hardee 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 Hardee 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.