Wayne County, Kentucky: commercial real estate data.
Wayne County, Kentucky has a population of 19,602 across 458 square miles, up 0.4 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $560.2 m in 2024, 284 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 5 7(a) approvals worth $4.7 m.
95 sourced county values · tier FULL · 9 sections
Wayne County
How many people live in Wayne County
- Population19,602
- Households8,074
- Average household size2.43
- Median household income$45,739
- Median age43.8
- Median gross rent$727 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$135,700
- Home value to household income3.0 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income19.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher13.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree5.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over14,197
- Population under 184,007
- Share under 1820.4 percent
- Population 65 and over4,298
- Share 65 and over21.9 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6411,297
- Civilian labor force7,790
- Unemployment rate5.8 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over50.0 percent
- Rank by population among Kentucky counties62nd of 120
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1906th
Wayne County is the 62nd largest of 120 Kentucky counties by population. A median home costs 3.0 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 21.9 percent against 20.4 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single storey product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Wayne County
Is Wayne County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base0.36 percent
- Census 2020 base population19,558
- Births, 2024202
- Deaths, 2024268
- Natural change, 2024-66
- Net domestic migration, 202431
- Net international migration, 202435
- Total net migration, 202466
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024371
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1697th
The county has grown 0.36 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.
Wayne County
Where people moving to Wayne County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving359
- People arriving, from those returns661
- Adjusted gross income arriving$16.2 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$45,117
- Largest single originWayne County Non-migrants (6,316 households)
- Largest single destination (6,316 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County Non-migrants | 6,316 | 13,607 | $293.7 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 151 | 291 | $8.5 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 111 | 188 | $4.7 m |
| Other flows - South | 68 | 116 | $3.6 m |
| Pulaski County | 65 | 115 | $2.2 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 62 | 127 | $3.8 m |
| Clinton County | 32 | 67 | $734,000 |
| Other flows - West | 21 | 48 | $1.2 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Wayne 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.
Wayne County
What the Wayne County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$560.2 m
- County GDP, 2023$542.4 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20243.3 percent
- GDP change over five years20.1 percent
- Rank by GDP among Kentucky counties67th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents2332nd
- GDP per resident$28,577
Output grew 3.3 percent in the latest year and 20.1 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.
Wayne County
Who employs people in Wayne County
- Covered employment, annual average5,231
- Establishments reporting455
- Average annual pay$39,309
- Average weekly wage$756
- Sector 31-33, employment983
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$37,905
- Sector 44-45, employment681
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$31,365
- Sector 72, employment355
- Sector 72, average annual pay$18,047
- Sector 56, employment234
- Sector 56, average annual pay$40,817
- Sector 42, employment122
- Sector 71, employment100
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 983 | 24 | $37,905 |
| Sector 44-45 | 681 | 68 | $31,365 |
| Sector 72 | 355 | 26 | $18,047 |
| Sector 56 | 234 | 11 | $40,817 |
| Sector 42 | 122 | 16 | $35,848 |
| Sector 71 | 100 | 6 | $31,019 |
| Sector 51 | 88 | 10 | $33,890 |
| Sector 23 | 55 | 25 | $44,891 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 983 jobs, 18.8 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.
Wayne County
What businesses operate in Wayne County
- Establishments, all industries284
- Employment at those establishments4,114
- Annual payroll$137.3 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents14.5
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.
Wayne County
How much SBA lending happens in Wayne County
- 7(a) approvals recorded5
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$4.7 m
- Average 7(a) approval$940,300
- Median 7(a) approval$375,000
- 10th percentile approval$37,000
- 90th percentile approval$3,704,000
- Largest single approval$3,704,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)151
- Jobs per approval30.2
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active4
- Distinct industries receiving approvals3
- 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 shorter5
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countOther Millwork (including Flooring) (2)
- Most active lenderSouth Central Bank, Inc. (2)
The average approval of $940,300 sits well above the median of $375,000, 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.
Wayne County
Do SBA loans in Wayne County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded0
- Paid in full0
- Charged off0
- Status: Exempt from disclosure3
- Status: Cancelled2
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.
Wayne County
How big is Wayne County
- Land area458 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Kentucky counties18th of 120
- Width, east to west26.9 mi
- Height, north to south27.2 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land43
- Establishments per square mile0.62
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 Wayne 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 Wayne County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population19,602
- Households8,074
- Average household size2.43
- Median household income$45,739
- Median age43.8
Common questions
Wayne County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Wayne County, Kentucky?
19,602, in 8,074 households, ranking 62nd of 120 Kentucky counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Wayne County growing?
The population has grown 0.36 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 202 births against 268 deaths, with net migration of 66. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Wayne County?
$45,739. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $135,700, which is 3.0 times income, and median gross rent is $727 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Wayne County?
284 establishments, employing 4,114 people with an annual payroll of $137.3 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 Wayne County?
Average annual pay is $39,309, or $756 a week, across 5,231 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Wayne County?
5 7(a) approvals totalling $4.7 m since FY2020, across 4 lenders, with a median approval of $375,000. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is the radon zone for Wayne 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 Wayne County come from?
The largest single origin is Wayne County Non-migrants, with 6,316 households. Arriving households report an average income of $45,117 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 Wayne 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 Wayne 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.