Whitfield County, Georgia: commercial real estate data.
Whitfield County, Georgia has a population of 103,598 across 290 square miles, up 2.1 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $7.75 bn in 2024, 2,373 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 57 7(a) approvals worth $50.8 m.
126 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Whitfield County
How many people live in Whitfield County
- Population103,598
- Households36,834
- Average household size2.81
- Median household income$67,070
- Median age36.6
- Median gross rent$971 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$218,000
- Home value to household income3.3 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income17.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher20.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree8.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over67,893
- Population under 1825,747
- Share under 1824.9 percent
- Population 65 and over15,483
- Share 65 and over14.9 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6462,368
- Civilian labor force50,993
- Unemployment rate5.2 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over65.5 percent
- Rank by population among Georgia counties25th of 159
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents603rd
Whitfield County is the 25th largest of 159 Georgia counties by population. A median home costs 3.3 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 24.9 percent against 14.9 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Whitfield County
Is Whitfield County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base2.14 percent
- Census 2020 base population102,873
- Births, 20241,184
- Deaths, 2024980
- Natural change, 2024204
- Net domestic migration, 202468
- Net international migration, 2024644
- Total net migration, 2024712
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024197
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1120th
The county has grown 2.14 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.
Whitfield County
Where people moving to Whitfield County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving2,078
- People arriving, from those returns4,090
- Adjusted gross income arriving$108.6 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$52,283
- Largest single originWhitfield County Non-migrants (35,398 households)
- Largest single destination (35,398 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whitfield County Non-migrants | 35,398 | 77,594 | $2.60 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 642 | 1,216 | $37.3 m |
| Other flows - South | 391 | 726 | $22.6 m |
| Murray County | 379 | 805 | $14.7 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 220 | 409 | $11.6 m |
| Catoosa County | 202 | 425 | $9.6 m |
| Hamilton County | 196 | 368 | $13.1 m |
| Gordon County | 159 | 334 | $7.8 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Whitfield 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.
Whitfield County
What the Whitfield County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$7.75 bn
- County GDP, 2023$7.25 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20246.9 percent
- GDP change over five years34.6 percent
- Rank by GDP among Georgia counties20th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents544th
- GDP per resident$74,774
Output grew 6.9 percent in the latest year and 34.6 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.
Whitfield County
Who employs people in Whitfield County
- Covered employment, annual average57,828
- Establishments reporting2,734
- Average annual pay$54,855
- Average weekly wage$1,055
- Sector 31-33, employment18,994
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$54,305
- Sector 62, employment6,032
- Sector 62, average annual pay$69,284
- Sector 44-45, employment5,152
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$35,576
- Sector 54, employment4,067
- Sector 54, average annual pay$80,846
- Sector 72, employment3,536
- Sector 42, employment3,317
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 18,994 | 304 | $54,305 |
| Sector 62 | 6,032 | 200 | $69,284 |
| Sector 44-45 | 5,152 | 438 | $35,576 |
| Sector 54 | 4,067 | 244 | $80,846 |
| Sector 72 | 3,536 | 218 | $21,591 |
| Sector 42 | 3,317 | 189 | $61,651 |
| Sector 48-49 | 3,225 | 122 | $59,278 |
| Sector 56 | 3,111 | 123 | $35,100 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 18,994 jobs, 32.8 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.
Whitfield County
What businesses operate in Whitfield County
- Establishments, all industries2,373
- Employment at those establishments55,064
- Annual payroll$2.86 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents22.9
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.
Whitfield County
What is being built in Whitfield County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024374
- Declared construction value permitted$56.1 m
- Single family units authorised270
- Multifamily units authorised104
- Multifamily share of units27.8 percent
- Average declared value per unit$149,978
- Units authorised per 1,000 households10.2
Multifamily is 27.8 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Whitfield County
How much SBA lending happens in Whitfield County
- 7(a) approvals recorded57
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$50.8 m
- Average 7(a) approval$891,747
- Median 7(a) approval$493,500
- 10th percentile approval$50,800
- 90th percentile approval$2,588,000
- Largest single approval$4,845,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)844
- Jobs per approval14.8
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active25
- Distinct industries receiving approvals42
- Median 7(a) term124 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer45.6 percent
- Loans on real estate terms26
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter27
- Franchise loans13
- Franchise share of approvals22.8 percent
- Leading industry by approval countGasoline Stations with Convenience Stores (6)
- Most active lenderBuiltwell Bank (16)
- 504 approvals recorded18
- 504 gross approval dollars$16.6 m
- Average 504 approval$924,000
- Median 504 approval$866,000
- Distinct CDCs active8
- 504 jobs per approval13.2
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved14.3
- Most active CDCCapital Partners Certified Development Company (8)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals76.0 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$67.5 m
The average approval of $891,747 sits well above the median of $493,500, 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. 45.6 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.
Whitfield County
Do SBA loans in Whitfield County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded15
- Paid in full15
- Charged off0
- Charge off rate on resolved loans0.0 percent
- Status: Exempt from disclosure33
- Status: Cancelled7
- Status: Paid in full15
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed2
Of the 15 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.
Whitfield County
Which parts of Whitfield County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending5
- DALTON, approvals46
- COHUTTA, approvals6
- TUNNEL HILL, approvals3
- RESACA, approvals1
- ROCKY FACE, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| DALTON | 46 | $45,465,200 |
| COHUTTA | 6 | $4,098,300 |
| TUNNEL HILL | 3 | $652,300 |
| RESACA | 1 | $150,000 |
| ROCKY FACE | 1 | $463,800 |
DALTON accounts for 46 approvals against 6 in COHUTTA. 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.
Whitfield County
How big is Whitfield County
- Land area290 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Georgia counties100th of 159
- Width, east to west20.3 mi
- Height, north to south25.2 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land357
- Establishments per square mile8.18
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.
Whitfield County
What hazards affect Whitfield County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/LZone 2
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book5
- Of those, participating in the NFIP5
- 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 Whitfield 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 Whitfield County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population103,598
- Households36,834
- Average household size2.81
- Median household income$67,070
- Median age36.6
Common questions
Whitfield County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Whitfield County, Georgia?
103,598, in 36,834 households, ranking 25th of 159 Georgia counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Whitfield County growing?
The population has grown 2.14 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 1,184 births against 980 deaths, with net migration of 712. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Whitfield County?
$67,070. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $218,000, which is 3.3 times income, and median gross rent is $971 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Whitfield County?
2,373 establishments, employing 55,064 people with an annual payroll of $2.86 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 Whitfield County?
Average annual pay is $54,855, or $1,055 a week, across 57,828 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Whitfield County?
57 7(a) approvals totalling $50.8 m since FY2020, across 25 lenders, with a median approval of $493,500, plus 18 504 approvals worth $16.6 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Whitfield County get paid back?
Of the 15 loans that have reached a final outcome, 15 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 Whitfield County?
374 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $56.1 m. Multifamily was 27.8 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Whitfield 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 Whitfield County come from?
The largest single origin is Whitfield County Non-migrants, with 35,398 households. Arriving households report an average income of $52,283 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 Whitfield 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 Whitfield 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.