Mercer County, Illinois: commercial real estate data.
Mercer County, Illinois has a population of 15,495 across 561 square miles, down 2.6 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $589.6 m in 2024, 258 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 4 7(a) approvals worth $677,000.
122 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Mercer County
How many people live in Mercer County
- Population15,495
- Households6,565
- Average household size2.36
- Median household income$74,182
- Median age44.7
- Median gross rent$786 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$146,700
- Home value to household income2.0 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income12.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher20.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree7.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over11,123
- Population under 183,230
- Share under 1820.8 percent
- Population 65 and over3,389
- Share 65 and over21.9 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 648,876
- Civilian labor force7,648
- Unemployment rate3.2 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over62.4 percent
- Rank by population among Illinois counties69th of 102
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents2126th
Mercer County is the 69th largest of 102 Illinois counties by population. A median home costs 2.0 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 21.9 percent against 20.8 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.
Mercer County
Is Mercer County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base-2.57 percent
- Census 2020 base population15,696
- Births, 2024139
- Deaths, 2024189
- Natural change, 2024-50
- Net domestic migration, 2024-117
- Net international migration, 20242
- Total net migration, 2024-115
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-23
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2653rd
The county has lost 2.57 percent of its population since the 2020 census base.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Mercer County
Where people moving to Mercer County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving378
- People arriving, from those returns687
- Adjusted gross income arriving$20.3 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$53,796
- Largest single originMercer County Non-migrants (6,210 households)
- Largest single destination (6,210 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercer County Non-migrants | 6,210 | 12,823 | $496.3 m |
| Rock Island County | 119 | 217 | $7.0 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 99 | 196 | $5.8 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 52 | 104 | $2.9 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 45 | 79 | $2.6 m |
| Henry County | 32 | 53 | $1.6 m |
| Knox County | 30 | 49 | $1.1 m |
| Scott County | 28 | 40 | $1.3 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Mercer 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.
Mercer County
What the Mercer County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$589.6 m
- County GDP, 2023$550.0 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20247.2 percent
- GDP change over five years42.7 percent
- Rank by GDP among Illinois counties83rd
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents2287th
- GDP per resident$38,054
Output grew 7.2 percent in the latest year and 42.7 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.
Mercer County
Who employs people in Mercer County
- Covered employment, annual average2,968
- Establishments reporting306
- Average annual pay$43,706
- Average weekly wage$840
- Sector 31-33, employment422
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$63,787
- Sector 44-45, employment347
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$32,879
- Sector 72, employment241
- Sector 72, average annual pay$16,100
- Sector 42, employment198
- Sector 42, average annual pay$65,772
- Sector 71, employment108
- Sector 52, employment101
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 422 | 15 | $63,787 |
| Sector 44-45 | 347 | 33 | $32,879 |
| Sector 72 | 241 | 30 | $16,100 |
| Sector 42 | 198 | 18 | $65,772 |
| Sector 71 | 108 | 6 | $13,526 |
| Sector 52 | 101 | 14 | $58,051 |
| Sector 23 | 84 | 32 | $44,167 |
| Sector 56 | 81 | 12 | $28,796 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 422 jobs, 14.2 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.
Mercer County
What businesses operate in Mercer County
- Establishments, all industries258
- Employment at those establishments2,200
- Annual payroll$92.7 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents16.7
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.
Mercer County
What is being built in Mercer County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 202416
- Declared construction value permitted$4.3 m
- Single family units authorised16
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$269,183
- Units authorised per 1,000 households2.4
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Mercer County
How much SBA lending happens in Mercer County
- 7(a) approvals recorded4
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$677,000
- Average 7(a) approval$169,250
- Median 7(a) approval$205,000
- 10th percentile approval$5,000
- 90th percentile approval$457,000
- Largest single approval$457,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)19
- Jobs per approval4.8
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active2
- Distinct industries receiving approvals4
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer0.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms0
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter4
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countMeat and Meat Product Merchant Wholesalers (1)
- Most active lenderFarmers State Bank of Western Illinois (2)
- 504 approvals recorded1
- 504 gross approval dollars$331,000
- Average 504 approval$331,000
- Median 504 approval$331,000
- Distinct CDCs active1
- 504 jobs per approval10.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved30.2
- Most active CDCIllinois Business Financial Services (1)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals80.0 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$1.0 m
The average approval of $169,250 sits close to the median of $205,000, so lending here is fairly evenly sized rather than driven by a few large deals. Only 0.0 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.
Mercer County
Do SBA loans in Mercer County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded2
- Paid in full1
- Charged off1
- Status: Charged off1
- Status: Paid in full1
- Status: Exempt from disclosure2
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 2 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.
Mercer County
Which parts of Mercer County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending3
- VIOLA, approvals2
- SHERRARD, approvals1
- New Windsor, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| VIOLA | 2 | $462,000 |
| SHERRARD | 1 | $10,000 |
| New Windsor | 1 | $205,000 |
VIOLA accounts for 2 approvals against 1 in SHERRARD. 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.
Mercer County
How big is Mercer County
- Land area561 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Illinois counties45th of 102
- Width, east to west35.4 mi
- Height, north to south18.8 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land28
- Establishments per square mile0.46
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.
Mercer County
What hazards affect Mercer County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/LZone 1
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book8
- Of those, participating in the NFIP6
- NFIP participation rate75.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
The EPA places the county in radon zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 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 Mercer 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 Mercer County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population15,495
- Households6,565
- Average household size2.36
- Median household income$74,182
- Median age44.7
Common questions
Mercer County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Mercer County, Illinois?
15,495, in 6,565 households, ranking 69th of 102 Illinois counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Mercer County growing?
The population has fallen 2.57 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 139 births against 189 deaths, with net migration of -115. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Mercer County?
$74,182. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $146,700, which is 2.0 times income, and median gross rent is $786 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Mercer County?
258 establishments, employing 2,200 people with an annual payroll of $92.7 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 Mercer County?
Average annual pay is $43,706, or $840 a week, across 2,968 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Mercer County?
4 7(a) approvals totalling $677,000 since FY2020, across 2 lenders, with a median approval of $205,000, plus 1 504 approvals worth $331,000. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Mercer County?
16 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $4.3 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Mercer County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 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 Mercer County come from?
The largest single origin is Mercer County Non-migrants, with 6,210 households. Arriving households report an average income of $53,796 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 Mercer 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 Mercer 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.