Lawrence County, Kentucky: commercial real estate data.
Lawrence County, Kentucky has a population of 16,077 across 416 square miles, down 3.0 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $538.7 m in 2024, 207 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 7 7(a) approvals worth $1.7 m.
96 sourced county values · tier FULL · 9 sections
Lawrence County
How many people live in Lawrence County
- Population16,077
- Households6,342
- Average household size2.54
- Median household income$46,772
- Median age42.1
- Median gross rent$760 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$111,700
- Home value to household income2.4 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income19.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher14.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree6.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over11,223
- Population under 183,763
- Share under 1823.4 percent
- Population 65 and over3,279
- Share 65 and over20.4 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 649,035
- Civilian labor force5,989
- Unemployment rate7.7 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over48.6 percent
- Rank by population among Kentucky counties70th of 120
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents2094th
Lawrence County is the 70th largest of 120 Kentucky counties by population. A median home costs 2.4 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 23.4 percent against 20.4 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Lawrence County
Is Lawrence County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base-3.02 percent
- Census 2020 base population16,290
- Births, 2024122
- Deaths, 2024236
- Natural change, 2024-114
- Net domestic migration, 2024-62
- Net international migration, 2024-1
- Total net migration, 2024-63
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-90
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2743rd
The county has lost 3.02 percent of its population since the 2020 census base.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Lawrence County
Where people moving to Lawrence County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving274
- People arriving, from those returns551
- Adjusted gross income arriving$12.8 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$46,642
- Largest single originLawrence County Non-migrants (4,610 households)
- Largest single destination (4,610 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence County Non-migrants | 4,610 | 10,478 | $240.9 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 104 | 197 | $5.6 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 65 | 121 | $2.5 m |
| Other flows - South | 58 | 104 | $3.2 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 46 | 93 | $2.4 m |
| Johnson County | 32 | 76 | $1.4 m |
| Wayne County | 28 | 63 | $1.1 m |
| Boyd County | 23 | 39 | $1.1 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Lawrence 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.
Lawrence County
What the Lawrence County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$538.7 m
- County GDP, 2023$530.3 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20241.6 percent
- GDP change over five years43.5 percent
- Rank by GDP among Kentucky counties72nd
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents2359th
- GDP per resident$33,506
Output grew 1.6 percent in the latest year and 43.5 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.
Lawrence County
Who employs people in Lawrence County
- Covered employment, annual average4,232
- Establishments reporting353
- Average annual pay$44,742
- Average weekly wage$860
- Sector 44-45, employment622
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$28,644
- Sector 81, employment152
- Sector 81, average annual pay$33,536
- Sector 23, employment103
- Sector 23, average annual pay$50,115
- Sector 52, employment69
- Sector 52, average annual pay$35,880
- Sector 56, employment57
- Sector 54, employment56
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 44-45 | 622 | 54 | $28,644 |
| Sector 81 | 152 | 27 | $33,536 |
| Sector 23 | 103 | 30 | $50,115 |
| Sector 52 | 69 | 18 | $35,880 |
| Sector 56 | 57 | 13 | $35,486 |
| Sector 54 | 56 | 24 | $66,612 |
| Sector 31-33 | 48 | 6 | $47,615 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 622 jobs, 14.7 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.
Lawrence County
What businesses operate in Lawrence County
- Establishments, all industries207
- Employment at those establishments2,950
- Annual payroll$128.8 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents12.9
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.
Lawrence County
How much SBA lending happens in Lawrence County
- 7(a) approvals recorded7
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$1.7 m
- Average 7(a) approval$247,357
- Median 7(a) approval$37,500
- 10th percentile approval$25,000
- 90th percentile approval$999,000
- Largest single approval$999,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)171
- Jobs per approval24.4
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active2
- Distinct industries receiving approvals5
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer14.3 percent
- Loans on real estate terms1
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter6
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countOil and Gas Pipeline and Related Structures Construction (2)
- Most active lenderCommunity Trust Bank, Inc. (6)
The average approval of $247,357 sits well above the median of $37,500, 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 14.3 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.
Lawrence County
Do SBA loans in Lawrence County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded1
- Paid in full1
- Charged off0
- Status: Exempt from disclosure5
- Status: Paid in full1
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed1
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 1 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.
Lawrence County
How big is Lawrence County
- Land area416 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Kentucky counties29th of 120
- Width, east to west30.4 mi
- Height, north to south25.4 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land39
- Establishments per square mile0.50
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.
- The Building Permits Survey does not carry a 2024 record for this county.
- 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 Lawrence 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 Lawrence County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population16,077
- Households6,342
- Average household size2.54
- Median household income$46,772
- Median age42.1
Common questions
Lawrence County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Lawrence County, Kentucky?
16,077, in 6,342 households, ranking 70th of 120 Kentucky counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Lawrence County growing?
The population has fallen 3.02 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 122 births against 236 deaths, with net migration of -63. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Lawrence County?
$46,772. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $111,700, which is 2.4 times income, and median gross rent is $760 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Lawrence County?
207 establishments, employing 2,950 people with an annual payroll of $128.8 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 Lawrence County?
Average annual pay is $44,742, or $860 a week, across 4,232 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Lawrence County?
7 7(a) approvals totalling $1.7 m since FY2020, across 2 lenders, with a median approval of $37,500. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is the radon zone for Lawrence 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 Lawrence County come from?
The largest single origin is Lawrence County Non-migrants, with 4,610 households. Arriving households report an average income of $46,642 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 Lawrence 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 Lawrence 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.