Stephens County, Georgia: commercial real estate data.
Stephens County, Georgia has a population of 27,012 across 179 square miles, up 2.7 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $1.44 bn in 2024, 539 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 6 7(a) approvals worth $5.0 m.
117 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Stephens County
How many people live in Stephens County
- Population27,012
- Households10,524
- Average household size2.57
- Median household income$54,754
- Median age40.8
- Median gross rent$820 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$175,300
- Home value to household income3.2 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income18.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher15.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree5.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over18,632
- Population under 185,763
- Share under 1821.3 percent
- Population 65 and over5,735
- Share 65 and over21.2 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6415,514
- Civilian labor force12,519
- Unemployment rate5.4 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over58.9 percent
- Rank by population among Georgia counties71st of 159
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1578th
Stephens County is the 71st largest of 159 Georgia counties by population. A median home costs 3.2 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 21.3 percent against 21.2 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Stephens County
Is Stephens County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base2.70 percent
- Census 2020 base population26,776
- Births, 2024311
- Deaths, 2024411
- Natural change, 2024-100
- Net domestic migration, 2024298
- Net international migration, 202443
- Total net migration, 2024341
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20241,144
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents951st
The county has grown 2.70 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.
Stephens County
Where people moving to Stephens County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving867
- People arriving, from those returns1,681
- Adjusted gross income arriving$49.9 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$57,584
- Largest single originStephens County Non-migrants (8,842 households)
- Largest single destination (8,842 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stephens County Non-migrants | 8,842 | 18,629 | $554.6 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 249 | 473 | $12.9 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 195 | 346 | $16.1 m |
| Other flows - South | 173 | 312 | $9.1 m |
| Habersham County | 101 | 215 | $4.5 m |
| Franklin County | 88 | 186 | $3.4 m |
| Hall County | 63 | 112 | $2.6 m |
| Gwinnett County | 42 | 86 | $3.8 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Stephens 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.
Stephens County
What the Stephens County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$1.44 bn
- County GDP, 2023$1.36 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20245.6 percent
- GDP change over five years46.8 percent
- Rank by GDP among Georgia counties65th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1549th
- GDP per resident$53,321
Output grew 5.6 percent in the latest year and 46.8 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.
Stephens County
Who employs people in Stephens County
- Covered employment, annual average8,540
- Establishments reporting636
- Average annual pay$49,830
- Average weekly wage$958
- Sector 31-33, employment2,110
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$59,527
- Sector 44-45, employment1,300
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$32,431
- Sector 72, employment677
- Sector 72, average annual pay$20,560
- Sector 23, employment290
- Sector 23, average annual pay$57,353
- Sector 56, employment202
- Sector 52, employment185
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 2,110 | 52 | $59,527 |
| Sector 44-45 | 1,300 | 110 | $32,431 |
| Sector 72 | 677 | 47 | $20,560 |
| Sector 23 | 290 | 52 | $57,353 |
| Sector 56 | 202 | 40 | $39,717 |
| Sector 52 | 185 | 32 | $49,449 |
| Sector 51 | 182 | 8 | $140,682 |
| Sector 81 | 161 | 44 | $29,785 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 2,110 jobs, 24.7 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.
Stephens County
What businesses operate in Stephens County
- Establishments, all industries539
- Employment at those establishments7,799
- Annual payroll$340.5 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents20.0
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.
Stephens County
What is being built in Stephens County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 202454
- Declared construction value permitted$11.9 m
- Single family units authorised54
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$220,923
- Units authorised per 1,000 households5.1
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Stephens County
How much SBA lending happens in Stephens County
- 7(a) approvals recorded6
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$5.0 m
- Average 7(a) approval$839,717
- Median 7(a) approval$610,000
- 10th percentile approval$311,500
- 90th percentile approval$2,377,300
- Largest single approval$2,377,300
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)88
- Jobs per approval14.7
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active6
- Distinct industries receiving approvals5
- Median 7(a) term300 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer66.7 percent
- Loans on real estate terms4
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter1
- Franchise loans2
- Franchise share of approvals33.3 percent
- Leading industry by approval countLimited-Service Restaurants (2)
- Most active lenderLive Oak Banking Company (1)
- 504 approvals recorded5
- 504 gross approval dollars$4.3 m
- Average 504 approval$859,600
- Median 504 approval$968,000
- Distinct CDCs active3
- 504 jobs per approval10.4
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved12.1
- Most active CDCSmall Business Access Partners, Inc. (3)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals54.5 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$9.3 m
The average approval of $839,717 sits close to the median of $610,000, so lending here is fairly evenly sized rather than driven by a few large deals. 66.7 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.
Stephens County
Do SBA loans in Stephens County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded1
- Paid in full1
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full1
- Status: Exempt from disclosure5
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.
Stephens County
How big is Stephens County
- Land area179 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Georgia counties148th of 159
- Width, east to west20.1 mi
- Height, north to south15.7 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary3
- Residents per square mile of land151
- Establishments per square mile3.01
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.
Stephens County
What hazards affect Stephens 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 NFIP2
- NFIP participation rate50.0 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 Stephens 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 Stephens County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population27,012
- Households10,524
- Average household size2.57
- Median household income$54,754
- Median age40.8
Common questions
Stephens County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Stephens County, Georgia?
27,012, in 10,524 households, ranking 71st of 159 Georgia counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Stephens County growing?
The population has grown 2.70 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 311 births against 411 deaths, with net migration of 341. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Stephens County?
$54,754. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $175,300, which is 3.2 times income, and median gross rent is $820 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Stephens County?
539 establishments, employing 7,799 people with an annual payroll of $340.5 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 Stephens County?
Average annual pay is $49,830, or $958 a week, across 8,540 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Stephens County?
6 7(a) approvals totalling $5.0 m since FY2020, across 6 lenders, with a median approval of $610,000, plus 5 504 approvals worth $4.3 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Stephens County?
54 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $11.9 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Stephens 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 Stephens County come from?
The largest single origin is Stephens County Non-migrants, with 8,842 households. Arriving households report an average income of $57,584 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 Stephens 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 Stephens 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.