Cecil County, Maryland: commercial real estate data.
Cecil County, Maryland has a population of 104,960 across 346 square miles, up 2.5 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $7.15 bn in 2024, 1,776 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 61 7(a) approvals worth $23.3 m.
123 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Cecil County
How many people live in Cecil County
- Population104,960
- Households40,595
- Average household size2.59
- Median household income$92,007
- Median age40.6
- Median gross rent$1,377 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$343,400
- Home value to household income3.7 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income18.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher28.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree11.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over73,333
- Population under 1823,336
- Share under 1822.2 percent
- Population 65 and over17,925
- Share 65 and over17.1 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6463,699
- Civilian labor force52,684
- Unemployment rate5.5 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over64.5 percent
- Rank by population among Maryland counties13th of 24
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents595th
Cecil County is the 13th largest of 24 Maryland counties by population. A median home costs 3.7 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 22.2 percent against 17.1 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Cecil County
Is Cecil County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base2.49 percent
- Census 2020 base population103,726
- Births, 20241,090
- Deaths, 20241,137
- Natural change, 2024-47
- Net domestic migration, 2024529
- Net international migration, 2024154
- Total net migration, 2024683
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20242,408
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1009th
The county has grown 2.49 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.
Cecil County
Where people moving to Cecil County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving2,799
- People arriving, from those returns4,999
- Adjusted gross income arriving$197.3 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$70,507
- Largest single originCecil County Non-migrants (38,510 households)
- Largest single destination (38,510 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cecil County Non-migrants | 38,510 | 77,719 | $3.20 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 718 | 1,211 | $50.7 m |
| New Castle County | 713 | 1,310 | $44.4 m |
| Harford County | 434 | 790 | $28.8 m |
| Other flows - South | 306 | 524 | $19.0 m |
| Other flows - Northeast | 258 | 439 | $20.6 m |
| Baltimore County | 162 | 301 | $14.4 m |
| Chester County | 142 | 253 | $19.9 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Cecil 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.
Cecil County
What the Cecil County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$7.15 bn
- County GDP, 2023$7.05 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20241.4 percent
- GDP change over five years39.2 percent
- Rank by GDP among Maryland counties13th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents573rd
- GDP per resident$68,161
Output grew 1.4 percent in the latest year and 39.2 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.
Cecil County
Who employs people in Cecil County
- Covered employment, annual average36,713
- Establishments reporting1,963
- Average annual pay$63,481
- Average weekly wage$1,221
- Sector 31-33, employment4,616
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$89,067
- Sector 44-45, employment3,902
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$37,057
- Sector 72, employment3,556
- Sector 72, average annual pay$24,731
- Sector 62, employment3,493
- Sector 62, average annual pay$62,697
- Sector 48-49, employment3,084
- Sector 71, employment2,008
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 4,616 | 86 | $89,067 |
| Sector 44-45 | 3,902 | 237 | $37,057 |
| Sector 72 | 3,556 | 170 | $24,731 |
| Sector 62 | 3,493 | 211 | $62,697 |
| Sector 48-49 | 3,084 | 93 | $64,019 |
| Sector 71 | 2,008 | 64 | $31,402 |
| Sector 42 | 1,690 | 83 | $69,748 |
| Sector 56 | 1,534 | 125 | $49,828 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 4,616 jobs, 12.6 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.
Cecil County
What businesses operate in Cecil County
- Establishments, all industries1,776
- Employment at those establishments29,700
- Annual payroll$1.81 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents16.9
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.
Cecil County
What is being built in Cecil County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024561
- Declared construction value permitted$116.9 m
- Single family units authorised231
- Multifamily units authorised330
- Multifamily share of units58.8 percent
- Average declared value per unit$208,307
- Units authorised per 1,000 households13.8
Multifamily is 58.8 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is being built for renters rather than buyers.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Cecil County
How much SBA lending happens in Cecil County
- 7(a) approvals recorded61
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$23.3 m
- Average 7(a) approval$382,170
- Median 7(a) approval$100,000
- 10th percentile approval$25,000
- 90th percentile approval$654,300
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)671
- Jobs per approval11.0
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active18
- Distinct industries receiving approvals40
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer16.4 percent
- Loans on real estate terms10
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter51
- Franchise loans2
- Franchise share of approvals3.3 percent
- Leading industry by approval countLimited-Service Restaurants (4)
- Most active lenderManufacturers and Traders Trust Company (24)
- 504 approvals recorded8
- 504 gross approval dollars$8.7 m
- Average 504 approval$1,087,750
- Median 504 approval$617,000
- Distinct CDCs active4
- 504 jobs per approval8.1
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved7.5
- Most active CDCBusiness Finance Group, Inc. (4)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals88.4 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$32.0 m
The average approval of $382,170 sits well above the median of $100,000, 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 16.4 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.
Cecil County
Do SBA loans in Cecil County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded10
- Paid in full7
- Charged off3
- Charge off rate on resolved loans30.0 percent
- Status: Paid in full7
- Status: Exempt from disclosure38
- Status: Cancelled8
- Status: Charged off3
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed5
Of the 10 loans that have reached a final outcome, 30.0 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Cecil County
Which parts of Cecil County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending10
- ELKTON, approvals33
- PERRYVILLE, approvals8
- NORTH EAST, approvals5
- CHESAPEAKE CITY, approvals4
- CONOWINGO, approvals3
- PORT DEPOSIT, approvals2
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| ELKTON | 33 | $17,468,200 |
| PERRYVILLE | 8 | $3,304,000 |
| NORTH EAST | 5 | $608,200 |
| CHESAPEAKE CITY | 4 | $190,000 |
| CONOWINGO | 3 | $457,700 |
| PORT DEPOSIT | 2 | $1,004,300 |
| COLORA | 2 | $50,000 |
| RISING SUN | 2 | $115,000 |
ELKTON accounts for 33 approvals against 8 in PERRYVILLE. 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.
Cecil County
How big is Cecil County
- Land area346 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Maryland counties17th of 24
- Width, east to west24.9 mi
- Height, north to south24.9 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary2
- Residents per square mile of land303
- Establishments per square mile5.13
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 Cecil 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 Cecil County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population104,960
- Households40,595
- Average household size2.59
- Median household income$92,007
- Median age40.6
Common questions
Cecil County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Cecil County, Maryland?
104,960, in 40,595 households, ranking 13th of 24 Maryland counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Cecil County growing?
The population has grown 2.49 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 1,090 births against 1,137 deaths, with net migration of 683. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Cecil County?
$92,007. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $343,400, which is 3.7 times income, and median gross rent is $1,377 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Cecil County?
1,776 establishments, employing 29,700 people with an annual payroll of $1.81 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Cecil County?
Average annual pay is $63,481, or $1,221 a week, across 36,713 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Cecil County?
61 7(a) approvals totalling $23.3 m since FY2020, across 18 lenders, with a median approval of $100,000, plus 8 504 approvals worth $8.7 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Cecil County get paid back?
Of the 10 loans that have reached a final outcome, 7 were paid in full and 3 charged off, a charge off rate of 30.0 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Cecil County?
561 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $116.9 m. Multifamily was 58.8 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Cecil 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 Cecil County come from?
The largest single origin is Cecil County Non-migrants, with 38,510 households. Arriving households report an average income of $70,507 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 Cecil 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 Cecil 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.