Elkhart County, Indiana: commercial real estate data.
Elkhart County, Indiana has a population of 207,132 across 463 square miles, up 0.2 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $20.59 bn in 2024, 5,211 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 172 7(a) approvals worth $108.0 m.
123 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Elkhart County
How many people live in Elkhart County
- Population207,132
- Households72,309
- Average household size2.86
- Median household income$68,561
- Median age35.6
- Median gross rent$1,047 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$210,400
- Home value to household income3.1 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income18.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher20.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree7.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over131,311
- Population under 1856,707
- Share under 1827.4 percent
- Population 65 and over31,943
- Share 65 and over15.4 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64118,482
- Civilian labor force102,139
- Unemployment rate3.6 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over67.9 percent
- Rank by population among Indiana counties6th of 92
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents338th
Elkhart County is the 6th largest of 92 Indiana counties by population. A median home costs 3.1 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 27.4 percent against 15.4 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Elkhart County
Is Elkhart County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base0.18 percent
- Census 2020 base population207,058
- Births, 20242,934
- Deaths, 20241,908
- Natural change, 20241,026
- Net domestic migration, 2024-1,462
- Net international migration, 2024917
- Total net migration, 2024-545
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-5,712
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1762nd
The county has grown 0.18 percent since the 2020 census base. Births exceeded deaths in 2024 but more people left than arrived, so the population is being sustained internally rather than attracting.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Elkhart County
Where people moving to Elkhart County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving3,921
- People arriving, from those returns7,007
- Adjusted gross income arriving$245.8 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$62,695
- Largest single originElkhart County Non-migrants (78,079 households)
- Largest single destination (78,079 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elkhart County Non-migrants | 78,079 | 167,782 | $6.66 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 1,277 | 2,294 | $74.6 m |
| St. Joseph County | 992 | 1,784 | $60.7 m |
| Other flows - South | 517 | 948 | $25.4 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 394 | 697 | $27.1 m |
| Kosciusko County | 270 | 509 | $32.1 m |
| Other flows - West | 249 | 448 | $15.9 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 232 | 373 | $10.7 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Elkhart 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.
Elkhart County
What the Elkhart County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$20.59 bn
- County GDP, 2023$20.22 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20241.8 percent
- GDP change over five years27.3 percent
- Rank by GDP among Indiana counties5th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents253rd
- GDP per resident$99,387
Output grew 1.8 percent in the latest year and 27.3 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.
Elkhart County
Who employs people in Elkhart County
- Covered employment, annual average127,100
- Establishments reporting5,293
- Average annual pay$62,117
- Average weekly wage$1,195
- Sector 31-33, employment60,633
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$65,456
- Sector 62, employment11,090
- Sector 62, average annual pay$60,094
- Sector 44-45, employment9,748
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$35,511
- Sector 42, employment7,005
- Sector 42, average annual pay$70,111
- Sector 72, employment6,843
- Sector 23, employment4,204
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 60,633 | 860 | $65,456 |
| Sector 62 | 11,090 | 374 | $60,094 |
| Sector 44-45 | 9,748 | 696 | $35,511 |
| Sector 42 | 7,005 | 440 | $70,111 |
| Sector 72 | 6,843 | 397 | $21,119 |
| Sector 23 | 4,204 | 550 | $71,712 |
| Sector 56 | 3,978 | 249 | $40,425 |
| Sector 55 | 2,588 | 42 | $225,202 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 60,633 jobs, 47.7 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.
Elkhart County
What businesses operate in Elkhart County
- Establishments, all industries5,211
- Employment at those establishments136,199
- Annual payroll$7.73 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents25.2
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.
Elkhart County
What is being built in Elkhart County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024484
- Declared construction value permitted$154.5 m
- Single family units authorised342
- Multifamily units authorised142
- Multifamily share of units29.3 percent
- Average declared value per unit$319,205
- Units authorised per 1,000 households6.7
Multifamily is 29.3 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Elkhart County
How much SBA lending happens in Elkhart County
- 7(a) approvals recorded172
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$108.0 m
- Average 7(a) approval$628,160
- Median 7(a) approval$200,000
- 10th percentile approval$29,500
- 90th percentile approval$2,190,000
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)2,254
- Jobs per approval13.1
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active39
- Distinct industries receiving approvals94
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer16.3 percent
- Loans on real estate terms28
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter127
- Franchise loans24
- Franchise share of approvals14.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countHotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (11)
- Most active lender1st Source Bank (45)
- 504 approvals recorded107
- 504 gross approval dollars$69.3 m
- Average 504 approval$648,047
- Median 504 approval$393,000
- Distinct CDCs active4
- 504 jobs per approval18.4
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved28.4
- Most active CDCBusiness Development Corporation (BDC) (89)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals61.6 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$177.4 m
The average approval of $628,160 sits well above the median of $200,000, 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 16.3 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.
Elkhart County
Do SBA loans in Elkhart County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded31
- Paid in full27
- Charged off4
- Charge off rate on resolved loans12.9 percent
- Status: Exempt from disclosure114
- Status: Paid in full27
- Status: Cancelled18
- Status: Charged off4
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed9
Of the 31 loans that have reached a final outcome, 12.9 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.
Elkhart County
Which parts of Elkhart County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending9
- Elkhart, approvals104
- GOSHEN, approvals27
- Middlebury, approvals15
- BRISTOL, approvals11
- NAPPANEE, approvals6
- NEW PARIS, approvals3
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Elkhart | 104 | $80,215,200 |
| GOSHEN | 27 | $6,565,900 |
| Middlebury | 15 | $4,285,700 |
| BRISTOL | 11 | $5,372,800 |
| NAPPANEE | 6 | $8,532,700 |
| NEW PARIS | 3 | $1,824,900 |
| Holland | 2 | $543,000 |
| GRANGER | 2 | $689,300 |
Elkhart accounts for 104 approvals against 27 in GOSHEN. 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.
Elkhart County
How big is Elkhart County
- Land area463 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Indiana counties16th of 92
- Width, east to west21.1 mi
- Height, north to south22.4 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land447
- Establishments per square mile11.25
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 Elkhart 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 Elkhart County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population207,132
- Households72,309
- Average household size2.86
- Median household income$68,561
- Median age35.6
Common questions
Elkhart County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Elkhart County, Indiana?
207,132, in 72,309 households, ranking 6th of 92 Indiana counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Elkhart County growing?
The population has grown 0.18 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 2,934 births against 1,908 deaths, with net migration of -545. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Elkhart County?
$68,561. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $210,400, which is 3.1 times income, and median gross rent is $1,047 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Elkhart County?
5,211 establishments, employing 136,199 people with an annual payroll of $7.73 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 Elkhart County?
Average annual pay is $62,117, or $1,195 a week, across 127,100 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Elkhart County?
172 7(a) approvals totalling $108.0 m since FY2020, across 39 lenders, with a median approval of $200,000, plus 107 504 approvals worth $69.3 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Elkhart County get paid back?
Of the 31 loans that have reached a final outcome, 27 were paid in full and 4 charged off, a charge off rate of 12.9 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Elkhart County?
484 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $154.5 m. Multifamily was 29.3 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Elkhart 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 Elkhart County come from?
The largest single origin is Elkhart County Non-migrants, with 78,079 households. Arriving households report an average income of $62,695 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 Elkhart 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 Elkhart 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.