Starke County, Indiana: commercial real estate data.
Starke County, Indiana has a population of 23,365 across 309 square miles, up 0.3 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $690.4 m in 2024, 319 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 15 7(a) approvals worth $3.7 m.
119 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Starke County
How many people live in Starke County
- Population23,365
- Households8,983
- Average household size2.60
- Median household income$63,960
- Median age42.1
- Median gross rent$712 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$157,700
- Home value to household income2.5 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income13.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher12.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree3.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over16,429
- Population under 185,267
- Share under 1822.5 percent
- Population 65 and over4,826
- Share 65 and over20.7 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6413,272
- Civilian labor force10,299
- Unemployment rate3.4 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over56.9 percent
- Rank by population among Indiana counties65th of 92
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1720th
Starke County is the 65th largest of 92 Indiana counties by population. A median home costs 2.5 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 22.5 percent against 20.7 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Starke County
Is Starke County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base0.34 percent
- Census 2020 base population23,384
- Births, 2024240
- Deaths, 2024289
- Natural change, 2024-49
- Net domestic migration, 2024139
- Net international migration, 202443
- Total net migration, 2024182
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024318
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1707th
The county has grown 0.34 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.
Starke County
Where people moving to Starke County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving616
- People arriving, from those returns1,141
- Adjusted gross income arriving$30.2 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$49,013
- Largest single originStarke County Non-migrants (8,673 households)
- Largest single destination (8,673 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starke County Non-migrants | 8,673 | 17,765 | $502.2 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 106 | 200 | $5.4 m |
| Marshall County | 92 | 163 | $3.6 m |
| LaPorte County | 86 | 165 | $4.0 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 84 | 151 | $3.6 m |
| Porter County | 69 | 120 | $3.5 m |
| Lake County | 46 | 89 | $2.6 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 44 | 90 | $2.7 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Starke 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.
Starke County
What the Starke County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$690.4 m
- County GDP, 2023$663.9 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20244.0 percent
- GDP change over five years23.2 percent
- Rank by GDP among Indiana counties81st
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents2152nd
- GDP per resident$29,548
Output grew 4.0 percent in the latest year and 23.2 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.
Starke County
Who employs people in Starke County
- Covered employment, annual average4,134
- Establishments reporting337
- Average annual pay$44,150
- Average weekly wage$849
- Sector 31-33, employment636
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$52,431
- Sector 44-45, employment578
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$34,079
- Sector 56, employment436
- Sector 56, average annual pay$59,321
- Sector 72, employment326
- Sector 72, average annual pay$16,266
- Sector 23, employment139
- Sector 52, employment122
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 636 | 23 | $52,431 |
| Sector 44-45 | 578 | 60 | $34,079 |
| Sector 56 | 436 | 16 | $59,321 |
| Sector 72 | 326 | 25 | $16,266 |
| Sector 23 | 139 | 30 | $58,511 |
| Sector 52 | 122 | 17 | $61,266 |
| Sector 11 | 115 | 16 | $33,155 |
| Sector 42 | 101 | 15 | $72,724 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 636 jobs, 15.4 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.
Starke County
What businesses operate in Starke County
- Establishments, all industries319
- Employment at those establishments3,394
- Annual payroll$145.6 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents13.7
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.
Starke County
What is being built in Starke County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 202455
- Declared construction value permitted$12.9 m
- Single family units authorised55
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$235,169
- Units authorised per 1,000 households6.1
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Starke County
How much SBA lending happens in Starke County
- 7(a) approvals recorded15
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$3.7 m
- Average 7(a) approval$244,840
- Median 7(a) approval$124,000
- 10th percentile approval$16,000
- 90th percentile approval$350,000
- Largest single approval$1,617,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)208
- Jobs per approval13.9
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active4
- Distinct industries receiving approvals12
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer6.7 percent
- Loans on real estate terms1
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter11
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countAll Other General Merchandise Retailers (2)
- Most active lender1st Source Bank (9)
- 504 approvals recorded8
- 504 gross approval dollars$5.2 m
- Average 504 approval$650,000
- Median 504 approval$404,000
- Distinct CDCs active5
- 504 jobs per approval7.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved10.8
- Most active CDCBusiness Development Corporation (BDC) (3)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals65.2 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$8.9 m
The average approval of $244,840 sits well above the median of $124,000, 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 6.7 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.
Starke County
Do SBA loans in Starke County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded4
- Paid in full4
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full4
- Status: Exempt from disclosure9
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed1
- Status: Cancelled1
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 4 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.
Starke County
Which parts of Starke County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending4
- Knox, approvals6
- WALKERTON, approvals4
- NORTH JUDSON, approvals4
- HAMLET, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Knox | 6 | $729,000 |
| WALKERTON | 4 | $647,600 |
| NORTH JUDSON | 4 | $2,183,500 |
| HAMLET | 1 | $112,500 |
Knox accounts for 6 approvals against 4 in WALKERTON. 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.
Starke County
How big is Starke County
- Land area309 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Indiana counties77th of 92
- Width, east to west24.1 mi
- Height, north to south18.1 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land76
- Establishments per square mile1.03
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 Starke 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 Starke County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population23,365
- Households8,983
- Average household size2.60
- Median household income$63,960
- Median age42.1
Common questions
Starke County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Starke County, Indiana?
23,365, in 8,983 households, ranking 65th of 92 Indiana counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Starke County growing?
The population has grown 0.34 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 240 births against 289 deaths, with net migration of 182. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Starke County?
$63,960. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $157,700, which is 2.5 times income, and median gross rent is $712 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Starke County?
319 establishments, employing 3,394 people with an annual payroll of $145.6 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 Starke County?
Average annual pay is $44,150, or $849 a week, across 4,134 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Starke County?
15 7(a) approvals totalling $3.7 m since FY2020, across 4 lenders, with a median approval of $124,000, plus 8 504 approvals worth $5.2 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Starke County?
55 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $12.9 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Starke 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 Starke County come from?
The largest single origin is Starke County Non-migrants, with 8,673 households. Arriving households report an average income of $49,013 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 Starke 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 Starke 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.