Breathitt County, Kentucky: commercial real estate data.
Breathitt County, Kentucky has a population of 13,276 across 492 square miles, down 6.7 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $306.9 m in 2024, 149 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 3 7(a) approvals worth $109,000.
102 sourced county values · tier FULL · 10 sections
Breathitt County
How many people live in Breathitt County
- Population13,276
- Households5,464
- Average household size2.43
- Median household income$34,808
- Median age42.8
- Median gross rent$548 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$70,300
- Home value to household income2.0 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income18.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher15.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree7.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over9,559
- Population under 182,812
- Share under 1821.2 percent
- Population 65 and over2,481
- Share 65 and over18.7 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 647,983
- Civilian labor force4,626
- Unemployment rate9.3 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over44.2 percent
- Rank by population among Kentucky counties80th of 120
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents2270th
Breathitt County is the 80th largest of 120 Kentucky counties by population. A median home costs 2.0 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 21.2 percent against 18.7 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Breathitt County
Is Breathitt County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base-6.69 percent
- Census 2020 base population13,722
- Births, 2024137
- Deaths, 2024216
- Natural change, 2024-79
- Net domestic migration, 2024-95
- Net international migration, 202414
- Total net migration, 2024-81
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-549
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents3075th
The county has lost 6.69 percent of its population since the 2020 census base.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Breathitt County
Where people moving to Breathitt County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving145
- People arriving, from those returns281
- Adjusted gross income arriving$5.0 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$34,779
- Largest single originBreathitt County Non-migrants (3,641 households)
- Largest single destination (3,641 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breathitt County Non-migrants | 3,641 | 8,092 | $165.8 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 96 | 184 | $3.7 m |
| Perry County | 28 | 59 | $721,000 |
| Other flows - Different State | 21 | 38 | $671,000 |
| Other flows - South | 21 | 38 | $671,000 |
The largest single source of arrivals is Breathitt 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.
Breathitt County
What the Breathitt County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$306.9 m
- County GDP, 2023$284.6 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20247.8 percent
- GDP change over five years39.6 percent
- Rank by GDP among Kentucky counties95th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents2690th
- GDP per resident$23,116
Output grew 7.8 percent in the latest year and 39.6 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.
Breathitt County
Who employs people in Breathitt County
- Covered employment, annual average2,635
- Establishments reporting354
- Average annual pay$46,008
- Average weekly wage$885
- Sector 44-45, employment461
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$31,979
- Sector 52, employment80
- Sector 52, average annual pay$58,850
- Sector 48-49, employment72
- Sector 48-49, average annual pay$65,881
- Sector 42, employment70
- Sector 42, average annual pay$49,640
- Sector 23, employment53
- Sector 81, employment41
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 44-45 | 461 | 39 | $31,979 |
| Sector 52 | 80 | 11 | $58,850 |
| Sector 48-49 | 72 | 9 | $65,881 |
| Sector 42 | 70 | 7 | $49,640 |
| Sector 23 | 53 | 8 | $65,097 |
| Sector 81 | 41 | 37 | $35,982 |
| Sector 54 | 30 | 22 | $63,563 |
| Sector 53 | 16 | 4 | $36,829 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 461 jobs, 17.5 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job exceeds median household income, which usually means single earner households and a wage base that can carry rent.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Breathitt County
What businesses operate in Breathitt County
- Establishments, all industries149
- Employment at those establishments1,945
- Annual payroll$69.9 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents11.2
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.
Breathitt County
What is being built in Breathitt County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 20244
- Declared construction value permitted$600,000
- Single family units authorised4
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$150,000
- Units authorised per 1,000 households0.7
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Breathitt County
How much SBA lending happens in Breathitt County
- 7(a) approvals recorded3
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$109,000
- Average 7(a) approval$36,333
- Median 7(a) approval$20,000
- 10th percentile approval$20,000
- 90th percentile approval$69,000
- Largest single approval$69,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)28
- Jobs per approval9.3
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active2
- Distinct industries receiving approvals2
- 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 shorter3
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countFlower, Nursery Stock, and Florists' Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (2)
- Most active lenderNortheast Bank (2)
The average approval of $36,333 sits well above the median of $20,000, 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 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.
Breathitt County
Do SBA loans in Breathitt County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded0
- Paid in full0
- Charged off0
- Status: Cancelled2
- Status: Exempt from disclosure1
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 0 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.
Breathitt County
How big is Breathitt County
- Land area492 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Kentucky counties12th of 120
- Width, east to west34.6 mi
- Height, north to south24.6 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land27
- Establishments per square mile0.30
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 504 approvals recorded in this county in the FOIA release covering FY2010 onward.
- 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 Breathitt 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 Breathitt County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population13,276
- Households5,464
- Average household size2.43
- Median household income$34,808
- Median age42.8
Common questions
Breathitt County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Breathitt County, Kentucky?
13,276, in 5,464 households, ranking 80th of 120 Kentucky counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Breathitt County growing?
The population has fallen 6.69 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 137 births against 216 deaths, with net migration of -81. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Breathitt County?
$34,808. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $70,300, which is 2.0 times income, and median gross rent is $548 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Breathitt County?
149 establishments, employing 1,945 people with an annual payroll of $69.9 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 Breathitt County?
Average annual pay is $46,008, or $885 a week, across 2,635 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Breathitt County?
3 7(a) approvals totalling $109,000 since FY2020, across 2 lenders, with a median approval of $20,000. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Breathitt County?
4 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $600,000. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Breathitt 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 Breathitt County come from?
The largest single origin is Breathitt County Non-migrants, with 3,641 households. Arriving households report an average income of $34,779 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 Breathitt 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 Breathitt 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.