DeKalb County, Indiana: commercial real estate data.
DeKalb County, Indiana has a population of 43,807 across 363 square miles, up 2.4 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $3.45 bn in 2024, 1,034 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 36 7(a) approvals worth $21.2 m.
120 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
DeKalb County
How many people live in DeKalb County
- Population43,807
- Households17,096
- Average household size2.56
- Median household income$74,331
- Median age38.4
- Median gross rent$861 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$194,100
- Home value to household income2.6 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income13.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher20.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree6.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over29,855
- Population under 1810,553
- Share under 1824.1 percent
- Population 65 and over7,630
- Share 65 and over17.4 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6425,624
- Civilian labor force22,882
- Unemployment rate4.5 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over68.8 percent
- Rank by population among Indiana counties35th of 92
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1122nd
DeKalb County is the 35th largest of 92 Indiana counties by population. A median home costs 2.6 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 24.1 percent against 17.4 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
DeKalb County
Is DeKalb County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base2.44 percent
- Census 2020 base population43,272
- Births, 2024517
- Deaths, 2024432
- Natural change, 202485
- Net domestic migration, 202438
- Net international migration, 202428
- Total net migration, 202466
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024730
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1022nd
The county has grown 2.44 percent since the 2020 census base.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
DeKalb County
Where people moving to DeKalb County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving1,257
- People arriving, from those returns2,366
- Adjusted gross income arriving$68.8 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$54,731
- Largest single originDeKalb County Non-migrants (17,045 households)
- Largest single destination (17,045 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeKalb County Non-migrants | 17,045 | 35,602 | $1.31 bn |
| Allen County | 442 | 890 | $29.0 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 282 | 509 | $14.7 m |
| Noble County | 175 | 309 | $7.5 m |
| Steuben County | 166 | 298 | $7.6 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 139 | 236 | $6.8 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 113 | 223 | $6.8 m |
| Other flows - South | 89 | 182 | $4.7 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is DeKalb 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.
DeKalb County
What the DeKalb County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$3.45 bn
- County GDP, 2023$3.47 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 2024-0.5 percent
- GDP change over five years38.1 percent
- Rank by GDP among Indiana counties29th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents898th
- GDP per resident$78,691
Output grew -0.5 percent in the latest year and 38.1 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.
DeKalb County
Who employs people in DeKalb County
- Covered employment, annual average22,201
- Establishments reporting1,084
- Average annual pay$62,916
- Average weekly wage$1,210
- Sector 31-33, employment9,572
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$81,688
- Sector 44-45, employment1,568
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$34,229
- Sector 72, employment1,527
- Sector 72, average annual pay$19,016
- Sector 48-49, employment1,519
- Sector 48-49, average annual pay$54,649
- Sector 62, employment1,502
- Sector 23, employment714
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 9,572 | 122 | $81,688 |
| Sector 44-45 | 1,568 | 120 | $34,229 |
| Sector 72 | 1,527 | 91 | $19,016 |
| Sector 48-49 | 1,519 | 58 | $54,649 |
| Sector 62 | 1,502 | 72 | $50,816 |
| Sector 23 | 714 | 130 | $62,719 |
| Sector 54 | 651 | 88 | $86,510 |
| Sector 56 | 555 | 62 | $43,900 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 9,572 jobs, 43.1 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.
DeKalb County
What businesses operate in DeKalb County
- Establishments, all industries1,034
- Employment at those establishments21,088
- Annual payroll$1.32 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents23.6
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.
DeKalb County
What is being built in DeKalb County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024116
- Declared construction value permitted$43.7 m
- Single family units authorised116
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$377,095
- Units authorised per 1,000 households6.8
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
DeKalb County
How much SBA lending happens in DeKalb County
- 7(a) approvals recorded36
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$21.2 m
- Average 7(a) approval$588,497
- Median 7(a) approval$144,000
- 10th percentile approval$35,000
- 90th percentile approval$2,382,000
- Largest single approval$3,805,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)322
- Jobs per approval8.9
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active20
- Distinct industries receiving approvals20
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer16.7 percent
- Loans on real estate terms6
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter26
- Franchise loans13
- Franchise share of approvals36.1 percent
- Leading industry by approval countHotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (5)
- Most active lender1st Source Bank (9)
- 504 approvals recorded7
- 504 gross approval dollars$9.1 m
- Average 504 approval$1,299,714
- Median 504 approval$568,000
- Distinct CDCs active2
- 504 jobs per approval8.7
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved6.7
- Most active CDCCommunity Development Corporation of Fort Wayne (6)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals83.7 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$30.3 m
The average approval of $588,497 sits well above the median of $144,000, 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 16.7 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.
DeKalb County
Do SBA loans in DeKalb County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded10
- Paid in full10
- Charged off0
- Charge off rate on resolved loans0.0 percent
- Status: Paid in full10
- Status: Exempt from disclosure24
- Status: Cancelled2
Of the 10 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.
DeKalb County
Which parts of DeKalb County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending5
- Auburn, approvals30
- Saint Joe, approvals2
- Harlan, approvals2
- KENDALLVILLE, approvals1
- BUTLER, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Auburn | 30 | $17,904,700 |
| Saint Joe | 2 | $114,200 |
| Harlan | 2 | $3,027,000 |
| KENDALLVILLE | 1 | $50,000 |
| BUTLER | 1 | $90,000 |
Auburn accounts for 30 approvals against 2 in Saint Joe. 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.
DeKalb County
How big is DeKalb County
- Land area363 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Indiana counties68th of 92
- Width, east to west20.3 mi
- Height, north to south18.4 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary3
- Residents per square mile of land121
- Establishments per square mile2.85
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 DeKalb 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 DeKalb County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population43,807
- Households17,096
- Average household size2.56
- Median household income$74,331
- Median age38.4
Common questions
DeKalb County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in DeKalb County, Indiana?
43,807, in 17,096 households, ranking 35th of 92 Indiana counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is DeKalb County growing?
The population has grown 2.44 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 517 births against 432 deaths, with net migration of 66. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in DeKalb County?
$74,331. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $194,100, which is 2.6 times income, and median gross rent is $861 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in DeKalb County?
1,034 establishments, employing 21,088 people with an annual payroll of $1.32 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 DeKalb County?
Average annual pay is $62,916, or $1,210 a week, across 22,201 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in DeKalb County?
36 7(a) approvals totalling $21.2 m since FY2020, across 20 lenders, with a median approval of $144,000, plus 7 504 approvals worth $9.1 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in DeKalb County get paid back?
Of the 10 loans that have reached a final outcome, 10 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 DeKalb County?
116 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $43.7 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for DeKalb 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 DeKalb County come from?
The largest single origin is DeKalb County Non-migrants, with 17,045 households. Arriving households report an average income of $54,731 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 DeKalb 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 DeKalb 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.