Gem County, Idaho: commercial real estate data.
Gem County, Idaho has a population of 20,614 across 561 square miles, up 14.3 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $696.0 m in 2024, 510 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 28 7(a) approvals worth $8.3 m.
118 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Gem County
How many people live in Gem County
- Population20,614
- Households7,643
- Average household size2.70
- Median household income$64,605
- Median age44.2
- Median gross rent$1,038 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$428,700
- Home value to household income6.6 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income19.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher20.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree3.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over14,664
- Population under 184,523
- Share under 1821.9 percent
- Population 65 and over4,755
- Share 65 and over23.1 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6411,336
- Civilian labor force9,255
- Unemployment rate2.9 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over57.5 percent
- Rank by population among Idaho counties19th of 44
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1845th
Gem County is the 19th largest of 44 Idaho counties by population. A median home costs 6.6 times median household income, which is a stretched ownership market and usually shows up as rental demand. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 23.1 percent against 21.9 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.
Gem County
Is Gem County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base14.27 percent
- Census 2020 base population19,127
- Births, 2024223
- Deaths, 2024239
- Natural change, 2024-16
- Net domestic migration, 2024165
- Net international migration, 2024322
- Total net migration, 2024487
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20241,820
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents70th
The county has grown 14.27 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.
Gem County
Where people moving to Gem County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving758
- People arriving, from those returns1,599
- Adjusted gross income arriving$63.3 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$83,495
- Largest single originGem County Non-migrants (6,946 households)
- Largest single destination (6,946 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gem County Non-migrants | 6,946 | 14,880 | $473.1 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 307 | 616 | $31.9 m |
| Other flows - West | 277 | 571 | $30.5 m |
| Ada County | 223 | 467 | $16.0 m |
| Canyon County | 135 | 302 | $8.2 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 71 | 160 | $6.1 m |
| Other flows - South | 30 | 45 | $1.5 m |
| Payette County | 22 | 54 | $1.2 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Gem 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.
Gem County
What the Gem County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$696.0 m
- County GDP, 2023$634.7 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20249.7 percent
- GDP change over five years53.4 percent
- Rank by GDP among Idaho counties24th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents2145th
- GDP per resident$33,766
Output grew 9.7 percent in the latest year and 53.4 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.
Gem County
Who employs people in Gem County
- Covered employment, annual average4,520
- Establishments reporting723
- Average annual pay$44,976
- Average weekly wage$865
- Sector 44-45, employment567
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$33,502
- Sector 23, employment420
- Sector 23, average annual pay$51,795
- Sector 72, employment407
- Sector 72, average annual pay$20,658
- Sector 31-33, employment387
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$49,636
- Sector 42, employment187
- Sector 54, employment147
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 44-45 | 567 | 69 | $33,502 |
| Sector 23 | 420 | 164 | $51,795 |
| Sector 72 | 407 | 37 | $20,658 |
| Sector 31-33 | 387 | 40 | $49,636 |
| Sector 42 | 187 | 23 | $62,119 |
| Sector 54 | 147 | 65 | $62,269 |
| Sector 81 | 75 | 37 | $46,195 |
| Sector 52 | 73 | 20 | $58,380 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 567 jobs, 12.5 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.
Gem County
What businesses operate in Gem County
- Establishments, all industries510
- Employment at those establishments3,801
- Annual payroll$163.0 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents24.7
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.
Gem County
What is being built in Gem County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024198
- Declared construction value permitted$40.4 m
- Single family units authorised198
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$203,925
- Units authorised per 1,000 households25.9
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Gem County
How much SBA lending happens in Gem County
- 7(a) approvals recorded28
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$8.3 m
- Average 7(a) approval$295,189
- Median 7(a) approval$152,000
- 10th percentile approval$20,000
- 90th percentile approval$693,000
- Largest single approval$2,500,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)286
- Jobs per approval10.2
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active13
- Distinct industries receiving approvals23
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer3.6 percent
- Loans on real estate terms1
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter26
- Franchise loans1
- Franchise share of approvals3.6 percent
- Leading industry by approval countAll Other Miscellaneous Wood Product Manufacturing (2)
- Most active lenderU.S. Bank, National Association (8)
- 504 approvals recorded13
- 504 gross approval dollars$2.9 m
- Average 504 approval$219,923
- Median 504 approval$111,000
- Distinct CDCs active4
- 504 jobs per approval3.5
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved16.1
- Most active CDCCapital Matrix, Inc. (8)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals68.3 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$11.1 m
The average approval of $295,189 sits well above the median of $152,000, 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 3.6 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.
Gem County
Do SBA loans in Gem County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded7
- Paid in full6
- Charged off1
- Status: Paid in full6
- Status: Cancelled3
- Status: Exempt from disclosure14
- Status: Charged off1
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed4
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 7 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.
Gem County
Which parts of Gem County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending2
- EMMETT, approvals26
- SWEET, approvals2
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| EMMETT | 26 | $8,215,300 |
| SWEET | 2 | $50,000 |
EMMETT accounts for 26 approvals against 2 in SWEET. 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.
Gem County
How big is Gem County
- Land area561 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Idaho counties40th of 44
- Width, east to west27.8 mi
- Height, north to south47.8 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary7
- Residents per square mile of land37
- Establishments per square mile0.91
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.
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.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- 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 Gem 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 Gem County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population20,614
- Households7,643
- Average household size2.70
- Median household income$64,605
- Median age44.2
Common questions
Gem County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Gem County, Idaho?
20,614, in 7,643 households, ranking 19th of 44 Idaho counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Gem County growing?
The population has grown 14.27 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 223 births against 239 deaths, with net migration of 487. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Gem County?
$64,605. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $428,700, which is 6.6 times income, and median gross rent is $1,038 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Gem County?
510 establishments, employing 3,801 people with an annual payroll of $163.0 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 Gem County?
Average annual pay is $44,976, or $865 a week, across 4,520 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Gem County?
28 7(a) approvals totalling $8.3 m since FY2020, across 13 lenders, with a median approval of $152,000, plus 13 504 approvals worth $2.9 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Gem County?
198 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $40.4 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Gem 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 Gem County come from?
The largest single origin is Gem County Non-migrants, with 6,946 households. Arriving households report an average income of $83,495 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 Gem 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 Gem 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.