Clarke County, Georgia: commercial real estate data.
Clarke County, Georgia has a population of 129,609 across 119 square miles, up 1.0 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $10.82 bn in 2024, 3,307 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 106 7(a) approvals worth $67.5 m.
126 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Clarke County
How many people live in Clarke County
- Population129,609
- Households54,454
- Average household size2.38
- Median household income$53,625
- Median age29.6
- Median gross rent$1,219 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$298,900
- Home value to household income5.6 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income27.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher47.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree24.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over74,614
- Population under 1821,685
- Share under 1816.7 percent
- Population 65 and over16,200
- Share 65 and over12.5 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6491,724
- Civilian labor force68,422
- Unemployment rate5.2 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over63.4 percent
- Rank by population among Georgia counties19th of 159
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents507th
Clarke County is the 19th largest of 159 Georgia counties by population. A median home costs 5.6 times median household income, which is a stretched ownership market and usually shows up as rental demand. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 16.7 percent against 12.5 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Clarke County
Is Clarke County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base1.04 percent
- Census 2020 base population128,662
- Births, 20241,307
- Deaths, 2024991
- Natural change, 2024316
- Net domestic migration, 2024-1,584
- Net international migration, 2024937
- Total net migration, 2024-647
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-2,344
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1470th
The county has grown 1.04 percent since the 2020 census base. Births exceeded deaths in 2024 but more people left than arrived, so the population is being sustained internally rather than attracting.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Clarke County
Where people moving to Clarke County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving4,451
- People arriving, from those returns6,888
- Adjusted gross income arriving$309.1 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$69,446
- Largest single originClarke County Non-migrants (36,775 households)
- Largest single destination (36,775 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clarke County Non-migrants | 36,775 | 68,097 | $2.93 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 1,485 | 2,205 | $139.8 m |
| Other flows - South | 840 | 1,262 | $86.2 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 429 | 627 | $20.2 m |
| Oconee County | 344 | 582 | $25.9 m |
| Gwinnett County | 267 | 406 | $12.4 m |
| Other flows - Northeast | 224 | 329 | $24.0 m |
| Jackson County | 213 | 335 | $9.4 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Clarke 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.
Clarke County
What the Clarke County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$10.82 bn
- County GDP, 2023$10.35 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20244.6 percent
- GDP change over five years33.0 percent
- Rank by GDP among Georgia counties14th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents415th
- GDP per resident$83,513
Output grew 4.6 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.
Clarke County
Who employs people in Clarke County
- Covered employment, annual average72,792
- Establishments reporting3,952
- Average annual pay$57,718
- Average weekly wage$1,110
- Sector 62, employment11,795
- Sector 62, average annual pay$70,954
- Sector 72, employment8,522
- Sector 72, average annual pay$21,795
- Sector 44-45, employment7,845
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$37,627
- Sector 31-33, employment5,555
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$67,153
- Sector 42, employment3,427
- Sector 56, employment2,888
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 62 | 11,795 | 567 | $70,954 |
| Sector 72 | 8,522 | 427 | $21,795 |
| Sector 44-45 | 7,845 | 530 | $37,627 |
| Sector 31-33 | 5,555 | 133 | $67,153 |
| Sector 42 | 3,427 | 112 | $65,468 |
| Sector 56 | 2,888 | 226 | $31,043 |
| Sector 54 | 2,338 | 433 | $85,126 |
| Sector 23 | 2,260 | 204 | $81,549 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 11,795 jobs, 16.2 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.
Clarke County
What businesses operate in Clarke County
- Establishments, all industries3,307
- Employment at those establishments52,648
- Annual payroll$2.71 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents25.5
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.
Clarke County
What is being built in Clarke County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 20241,172
- Declared construction value permitted$166.5 m
- Single family units authorised212
- Multifamily units authorised960
- Multifamily share of units81.9 percent
- Average declared value per unit$142,099
- Units authorised per 1,000 households21.5
Multifamily is 81.9 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is being built for renters rather than buyers.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Clarke County
How much SBA lending happens in Clarke County
- 7(a) approvals recorded106
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$67.5 m
- Average 7(a) approval$636,764
- Median 7(a) approval$350,000
- 10th percentile approval$50,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,955,000
- Largest single approval$3,250,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)1,556
- Jobs per approval14.7
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active43
- Distinct industries receiving approvals62
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer24.5 percent
- Loans on real estate terms26
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter67
- Franchise loans28
- Franchise share of approvals26.4 percent
- Leading industry by approval countLimited-Service Restaurants (13)
- Most active lenderThe Huntington National Bank (10)
- 504 approvals recorded49
- 504 gross approval dollars$44.7 m
- Average 504 approval$911,796
- Median 504 approval$542,000
- Distinct CDCs active8
- 504 jobs per approval9.6
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved10.5
- Most active CDCCSRA Local Development Corporation (19)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals68.4 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$112.2 m
The average approval of $636,764 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 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.
Clarke County
Do SBA loans in Clarke County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded21
- Paid in full21
- Charged off0
- Charge off rate on resolved loans0.0 percent
- Status: Cancelled20
- Status: Exempt from disclosure63
- Status: Paid in full21
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed2
Of the 21 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.
Clarke County
Which parts of Clarke County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending5
- Athens, approvals100
- BOGART, approvals2
- Winterville, approvals2
- Alpharetta, approvals1
- Valdosta, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Athens | 100 | $65,603,900 |
| BOGART | 2 | $1,106,200 |
| Winterville | 2 | $304,900 |
| Alpharetta | 1 | $432,000 |
| Valdosta | 1 | $50,000 |
Athens accounts for 100 approvals against 2 in BOGART. 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.
Clarke County
How big is Clarke County
- Land area119 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Georgia counties159th of 159
- Width, east to west17 mi
- Height, north to south13.3 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land1,089
- Establishments per square mile27.79
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.
Clarke County
What hazards affect Clarke County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/LZone 2
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book3
- Of those, participating in the NFIP3
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
The EPA places the county in radon zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L.
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 Clarke 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 Clarke County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population129,609
- Households54,454
- Average household size2.38
- Median household income$53,625
- Median age29.6
Common questions
Clarke County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Clarke County, Georgia?
129,609, in 54,454 households, ranking 19th of 159 Georgia counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Clarke County growing?
The population has grown 1.04 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 1,307 births against 991 deaths, with net migration of -647. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Clarke County?
$53,625. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $298,900, which is 5.6 times income, and median gross rent is $1,219 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Clarke County?
3,307 establishments, employing 52,648 people with an annual payroll of $2.71 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 Clarke County?
Average annual pay is $57,718, or $1,110 a week, across 72,792 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Clarke County?
106 7(a) approvals totalling $67.5 m since FY2020, across 43 lenders, with a median approval of $350,000, plus 49 504 approvals worth $44.7 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Clarke County get paid back?
Of the 21 loans that have reached a final outcome, 21 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 Clarke County?
1,172 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $166.5 m. Multifamily was 81.9 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Clarke County?
Zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Clarke County come from?
The largest single origin is Clarke County Non-migrants, with 36,775 households. Arriving households report an average income of $69,446 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 Clarke 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 Clarke 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.