Pickens County, Georgia: commercial real estate data.
Pickens County, Georgia has a population of 34,951 across 232 square miles, up 10.1 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $1.59 bn in 2024, 809 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 77 7(a) approvals worth $68.0 m.
127 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Pickens County
How many people live in Pickens County
- Population34,951
- Households13,430
- Average household size2.60
- Median household income$78,930
- Median age46.7
- Median gross rent$1,136 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$332,700
- Home value to household income4.2 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income17.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher26.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree8.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over26,052
- Population under 186,557
- Share under 1818.8 percent
- Population 65 and over8,031
- Share 65 and over23.0 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6420,363
- Civilian labor force17,000
- Unemployment rate3.0 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over59.9 percent
- Rank by population among Georgia counties55th of 159
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1340th
Pickens County is the 55th largest of 159 Georgia counties by population. A median home costs 4.2 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 23.0 percent against 18.8 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.
Pickens County
Is Pickens County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base10.11 percent
- Census 2020 base population33,222
- Births, 2024336
- Deaths, 2024453
- Natural change, 2024-117
- Net domestic migration, 2024677
- Net international migration, 202441
- Total net migration, 2024718
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20243,717
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents144th
The county has grown 10.11 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.
Pickens County
Where people moving to Pickens County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving1,581
- People arriving, from those returns2,975
- Adjusted gross income arriving$161.6 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$102,194
- Largest single originPickens County Non-migrants (12,718 households)
- Largest single destination (12,718 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pickens County Non-migrants | 12,718 | 26,043 | $1.10 bn |
| Cherokee County | 476 | 967 | $36.9 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 360 | 622 | $33.8 m |
| Other flows - South | 232 | 395 | $21.7 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 188 | 341 | $13.2 m |
| Cobb County | 118 | 220 | $25.0 m |
| Fulton County | 80 | 136 | $14.5 m |
| Gilmer County | 75 | 169 | $6.1 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Pickens 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.
Pickens County
What the Pickens County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$1.59 bn
- County GDP, 2023$1.43 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 202410.9 percent
- GDP change over five years52.1 percent
- Rank by GDP among Georgia counties59th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1463rd
- GDP per resident$45,435
Output grew 10.9 percent in the latest year and 52.1 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.
Pickens County
Who employs people in Pickens County
- Covered employment, annual average9,212
- Establishments reporting932
- Average annual pay$55,748
- Average weekly wage$1,072
- Sector 62, employment1,536
- Sector 62, average annual pay$93,405
- Sector 44-45, employment1,309
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$37,717
- Sector 31-33, employment872
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$60,092
- Sector 23, employment736
- Sector 23, average annual pay$62,548
- Sector 81, employment455
- Sector 52, employment246
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 62 | 1,536 | 90 | $93,405 |
| Sector 44-45 | 1,309 | 109 | $37,717 |
| Sector 31-33 | 872 | 60 | $60,092 |
| Sector 23 | 736 | 126 | $62,548 |
| Sector 81 | 455 | 69 | $41,172 |
| Sector 52 | 246 | 46 | $68,820 |
| Sector 53 | 163 | 35 | $50,904 |
| Sector 42 | 152 | 43 | $70,935 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 1,536 jobs, 16.7 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.
Pickens County
What businesses operate in Pickens County
- Establishments, all industries809
- Employment at those establishments7,790
- Annual payroll$408.2 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents23.1
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.
Pickens County
What is being built in Pickens County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024259
- Declared construction value permitted$101.2 m
- Single family units authorised255
- Multifamily units authorised4
- Multifamily share of units1.5 percent
- Average declared value per unit$390,679
- Units authorised per 1,000 households19.3
Multifamily is 1.5 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Pickens County
How much SBA lending happens in Pickens County
- 7(a) approvals recorded77
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$68.0 m
- Average 7(a) approval$882,642
- Median 7(a) approval$500,000
- 10th percentile approval$58,000
- 90th percentile approval$2,709,000
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)759
- Jobs per approval9.9
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active27
- Distinct industries receiving approvals50
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer39.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms30
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter39
- Franchise loans10
- Franchise share of approvals13.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countFull-Service Restaurants (4)
- Most active lenderCommunity Bank of Pickens County (17)
- 504 approvals recorded11
- 504 gross approval dollars$5.7 m
- Average 504 approval$518,727
- Median 504 approval$387,000
- Distinct CDCs active4
- 504 jobs per approval3.7
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved7.2
- Most active CDCCapital Partners Certified Development Company (4)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals87.5 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$73.7 m
The average approval of $882,642 sits well above the median of $500,000, 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. 39.0 percent of approvals run on real estate terms of 240 months or more, so this is a market where SBA credit is buying buildings, not just funding operations.
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.
Pickens County
Do SBA loans in Pickens County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded16
- Paid in full16
- Charged off0
- Charge off rate on resolved loans0.0 percent
- Status: Cancelled10
- Status: Exempt from disclosure48
- Status: Paid in full16
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed3
Of the 16 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.
Pickens County
Which parts of Pickens County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending8
- JASPER, approvals57
- MARBLE HILL, approvals6
- TALKING ROCK, approvals5
- Tate, approvals3
- Ball Ground, approvals2
- Canton, approvals2
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| JASPER | 57 | $46,043,500 |
| MARBLE HILL | 6 | $6,190,000 |
| TALKING ROCK | 5 | $7,199,000 |
| Tate | 3 | $4,064,400 |
| Ball Ground | 2 | $1,211,000 |
| Canton | 2 | $2,316,000 |
| FAIRMOUNT | 1 | $266,000 |
| SUWANEE | 1 | $673,500 |
JASPER accounts for 57 approvals against 6 in MARBLE HILL. 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.
Pickens County
How big is Pickens County
- Land area232 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Georgia counties128th of 159
- Width, east to west22.7 mi
- Height, north to south12.6 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land151
- Establishments per square mile3.49
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.
Pickens County
What hazards affect Pickens County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/LZone 2
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book4
- Of those, participating in the NFIP4
- 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 Pickens 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 Pickens County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population34,951
- Households13,430
- Average household size2.60
- Median household income$78,930
- Median age46.7
Common questions
Pickens County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Pickens County, Georgia?
34,951, in 13,430 households, ranking 55th of 159 Georgia counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Pickens County growing?
The population has grown 10.11 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 336 births against 453 deaths, with net migration of 718. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Pickens County?
$78,930. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $332,700, which is 4.2 times income, and median gross rent is $1,136 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Pickens County?
809 establishments, employing 7,790 people with an annual payroll of $408.2 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 Pickens County?
Average annual pay is $55,748, or $1,072 a week, across 9,212 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Pickens County?
77 7(a) approvals totalling $68.0 m since FY2020, across 27 lenders, with a median approval of $500,000, plus 11 504 approvals worth $5.7 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Pickens County get paid back?
Of the 16 loans that have reached a final outcome, 16 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 Pickens County?
259 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $101.2 m. Multifamily was 1.5 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Pickens 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 Pickens County come from?
The largest single origin is Pickens County Non-migrants, with 12,718 households. Arriving households report an average income of $102,194 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 Pickens 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 Pickens 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.