Knox County, Kentucky: commercial real estate data.
Knox County, Kentucky has a population of 29,865 across 386 square miles, down 1.8 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $836.8 m in 2024, 449 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 13 7(a) approvals worth $6.2 m.
104 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Knox County
How many people live in Knox County
- Population29,865
- Households11,711
- Average household size2.55
- Median household income$32,527
- Median age39.7
- Median gross rent$681 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$118,700
- Home value to household income3.6 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income25.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher13.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree6.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over20,327
- Population under 187,053
- Share under 1823.6 percent
- Population 65 and over5,203
- Share 65 and over17.4 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6417,609
- Civilian labor force9,793
- Unemployment rate8.1 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over42.9 percent
- Rank by population among Kentucky counties36th of 120
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1480th
Knox County is the 36th largest of 120 Kentucky counties by population. A median home costs 3.6 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 23.6 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.
Knox County
Is Knox County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base-1.79 percent
- Census 2020 base population30,196
- Births, 2024348
- Deaths, 2024511
- Natural change, 2024-163
- Net domestic migration, 202460
- Net international migration, 202437
- Total net migration, 202497
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-16
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2444th
The county has lost 1.79 percent of its population 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.
Knox County
Where people moving to Knox County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving651
- People arriving, from those returns1,324
- Adjusted gross income arriving$23.5 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$36,092
- Largest single originKnox County Non-migrants (8,981 households)
- Largest single destination (8,981 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knox County Non-migrants | 8,981 | 20,312 | $432.3 m |
| Whitley County | 185 | 403 | $6.6 m |
| Laurel County | 156 | 336 | $4.9 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 142 | 273 | $6.4 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 123 | 217 | $3.9 m |
| Other flows - South | 73 | 145 | $3.3 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 47 | 85 | $2.0 m |
| Bell County | 45 | 95 | $1.7 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Knox 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.
Knox County
What the Knox County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$836.8 m
- County GDP, 2023$815.9 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20242.6 percent
- GDP change over five years29.0 percent
- Rank by GDP among Kentucky counties55th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1999th
- GDP per resident$28,019
Output grew 2.6 percent in the latest year and 29.0 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.
Knox County
Who employs people in Knox County
- Covered employment, annual average7,685
- Establishments reporting622
- Average annual pay$43,409
- Average weekly wage$835
- Sector 44-45, employment1,207
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$31,480
- Sector 31-33, employment1,086
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$53,445
- Sector 54, employment387
- Sector 54, average annual pay$46,736
- Sector 23, employment155
- Sector 23, average annual pay$61,005
- Sector 48-49, employment137
- Sector 52, employment133
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 44-45 | 1,207 | 124 | $31,480 |
| Sector 31-33 | 1,086 | 29 | $53,445 |
| Sector 54 | 387 | 53 | $46,736 |
| Sector 23 | 155 | 23 | $61,005 |
| Sector 48-49 | 137 | 26 | $46,366 |
| Sector 52 | 133 | 33 | $47,863 |
| Sector 81 | 66 | 40 | $32,799 |
| Sector 53 | 51 | 14 | $34,231 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 1,207 jobs, 15.7 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.
Knox County
What businesses operate in Knox County
- Establishments, all industries449
- Employment at those establishments7,102
- Annual payroll$327.5 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents15.0
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.
Knox County
What is being built in Knox County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 20240
- Declared construction value permitted$0
- Single family units authorised0
- Multifamily units authorised0
No residential units were authorised by permit in 2024. In a small county this is common and is not by itself a sign of distress, but it does mean there is no recent residential pipeline to read demand from.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Knox County
How much SBA lending happens in Knox County
- 7(a) approvals recorded13
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$6.2 m
- Average 7(a) approval$475,285
- Median 7(a) approval$320,000
- 10th percentile approval$50,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,100,000
- Largest single approval$2,300,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)165
- Jobs per approval12.7
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active7
- Distinct industries receiving approvals10
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer23.1 percent
- Loans on real estate terms3
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter8
- Franchise loans1
- Franchise share of approvals7.7 percent
- Leading industry by approval countMotor Vehicle Body Manufacturing (4)
- Most active lenderCommunity Trust Bank, Inc. (7)
The average approval of $475,285 sits well above the median of $320,000, 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 23.1 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.
Knox County
Do SBA loans in Knox County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded2
- Paid in full2
- Charged off0
- Status: Exempt from disclosure8
- Status: Paid in full2
- Status: Cancelled3
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.
Knox County
Which parts of Knox County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending3
- CORBIN, approvals9
- BARBOURVILLE, approvals3
- Gray, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| CORBIN | 9 | $4,490,700 |
| BARBOURVILLE | 3 | $1,188,000 |
| Gray | 1 | $500,000 |
CORBIN accounts for 9 approvals against 3 in BARBOURVILLE. 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.
Knox County
How big is Knox County
- Land area386 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Kentucky counties35th of 120
- Width, east to west28.3 mi
- Height, north to south25.4 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land77
- Establishments per square mile1.16
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 Knox 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 Knox County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population29,865
- Households11,711
- Average household size2.55
- Median household income$32,527
- Median age39.7
Common questions
Knox County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Knox County, Kentucky?
29,865, in 11,711 households, ranking 36th of 120 Kentucky counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Knox County growing?
The population has fallen 1.79 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 348 births against 511 deaths, with net migration of 97. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Knox County?
$32,527. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $118,700, which is 3.6 times income, and median gross rent is $681 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Knox County?
449 establishments, employing 7,102 people with an annual payroll of $327.5 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 Knox County?
Average annual pay is $43,409, or $835 a week, across 7,685 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Knox County?
13 7(a) approvals totalling $6.2 m since FY2020, across 7 lenders, with a median approval of $320,000. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Knox County?
No residential units were authorised by permit in 2024. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Knox 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 Knox County come from?
The largest single origin is Knox County Non-migrants, with 8,981 households. Arriving households report an average income of $36,092 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 Knox 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 Knox 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.