Charles County, Maryland: commercial real estate data.
Charles County, Maryland has a population of 170,527 across 458 square miles, up 4.7 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $8.67 bn in 2024, 2,793 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 137 7(a) approvals worth $59.9 m.
123 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Charles County
How many people live in Charles County
- Population170,527
- Households60,875
- Average household size2.80
- Median household income$122,816
- Median age38.9
- Median gross rent$1,920 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$428,500
- Home value to household income3.5 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income18.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher33.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree14.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over115,693
- Population under 1840,722
- Share under 1823.9 percent
- Population 65 and over23,350
- Share 65 and over13.7 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64106,455
- Civilian labor force92,148
- Unemployment rate4.8 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over71.0 percent
- Rank by population among Maryland counties10th of 24
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents402nd
Charles County is the 10th largest of 24 Maryland counties by population. A median home costs 3.5 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 23.9 percent against 13.7 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Charles County
Is Charles County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base4.73 percent
- Census 2020 base population166,598
- Births, 20241,539
- Deaths, 20241,392
- Natural change, 2024147
- Net domestic migration, 20241,492
- Net international migration, 2024588
- Total net migration, 20242,080
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20244,950
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents571st
The county has grown 4.73 percent since the 2020 census base. Migration contributed more to 2024 change than births over deaths, so demand here follows people arriving rather than families forming.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Charles County
Where people moving to Charles County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving5,966
- People arriving, from those returns10,891
- Adjusted gross income arriving$398.4 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$66,786
- Largest single originCharles County Non-migrants (64,707 households)
- Largest single destination (64,707 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles County Non-migrants | 64,707 | 125,920 | $5.76 bn |
| Prince George's County | 2,358 | 4,376 | $156.9 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 1,476 | 2,676 | $87.6 m |
| Other flows - South | 831 | 1,521 | $46.6 m |
| District of Columbia | 334 | 606 | $22.5 m |
| St. Mary's County | 306 | 550 | $21.8 m |
| Other flows - Northeast | 281 | 458 | $17.3 m |
| Fairfax County | 254 | 497 | $22.1 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Charles 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.
Charles County
What the Charles County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$8.67 bn
- County GDP, 2023$8.02 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20248.2 percent
- GDP change over five years39.8 percent
- Rank by GDP among Maryland counties12th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents496th
- GDP per resident$50,853
Output grew 8.2 percent in the latest year and 39.8 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.
Charles County
Who employs people in Charles County
- Covered employment, annual average43,087
- Establishments reporting3,283
- Average annual pay$60,436
- Average weekly wage$1,162
- Sector 44-45, employment7,100
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$40,789
- Sector 72, employment5,544
- Sector 72, average annual pay$25,536
- Sector 62, employment5,447
- Sector 62, average annual pay$54,579
- Sector 23, employment2,894
- Sector 23, average annual pay$73,561
- Sector 54, employment1,824
- Sector 48-49, employment1,703
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 44-45 | 7,100 | 446 | $40,789 |
| Sector 72 | 5,544 | 284 | $25,536 |
| Sector 62 | 5,447 | 443 | $54,579 |
| Sector 23 | 2,894 | 378 | $73,561 |
| Sector 54 | 1,824 | 420 | $93,893 |
| Sector 48-49 | 1,703 | 100 | $49,480 |
| Sector 81 | 1,480 | 329 | $51,908 |
| Sector 56 | 1,279 | 164 | $56,434 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 7,100 jobs, 16.5 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.
Charles County
What businesses operate in Charles County
- Establishments, all industries2,793
- Employment at those establishments33,675
- Annual payroll$1.58 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents16.4
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.
Charles County
What is being built in Charles County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 20241,542
- Declared construction value permitted$423.5 m
- Single family units authorised1,026
- Multifamily units authorised516
- Multifamily share of units33.5 percent
- Average declared value per unit$274,654
- Units authorised per 1,000 households25.3
Multifamily is 33.5 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Charles County
How much SBA lending happens in Charles County
- 7(a) approvals recorded137
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$59.9 m
- Average 7(a) approval$437,534
- Median 7(a) approval$150,000
- 10th percentile approval$20,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,098,000
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)1,527
- Jobs per approval11.1
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active42
- Distinct industries receiving approvals77
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer11.7 percent
- Loans on real estate terms16
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter110
- Franchise loans16
- Franchise share of approvals11.7 percent
- Leading industry by approval countLimited-Service Restaurants (9)
- Most active lenderManufacturers and Traders Trust Company (29)
- 504 approvals recorded14
- 504 gross approval dollars$11.4 m
- Average 504 approval$817,357
- Median 504 approval$454,000
- Distinct CDCs active3
- 504 jobs per approval10.1
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved12.3
- Most active CDCChesapeake Business Finance Corporation (7)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals90.7 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$71.4 m
The average approval of $437,534 sits well above the median of $150,000, 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 11.7 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.
Charles County
Do SBA loans in Charles County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded23
- Paid in full20
- Charged off3
- Charge off rate on resolved loans13.0 percent
- Status: Exempt from disclosure77
- Status: Paid in full20
- Status: Cancelled21
- Status: Charged off3
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed16
Of the 23 loans that have reached a final outcome, 13.0 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.
Charles County
Which parts of Charles County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending13
- Waldorf, approvals79
- WHITE PLAINS, approvals21
- LA PLATA, approvals13
- HUGHESVILLE, approvals6
- Indian Head, approvals5
- CHARLOTTE HALL, approvals3
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Waldorf | 79 | $35,946,400 |
| WHITE PLAINS | 21 | $9,097,200 |
| LA PLATA | 13 | $3,749,700 |
| HUGHESVILLE | 6 | $1,804,500 |
| Indian Head | 5 | $2,198,800 |
| CHARLOTTE HALL | 3 | $2,883,000 |
| Bryans Road | 3 | $45,000 |
| PORT TOBACCO | 2 | $685,600 |
Waldorf accounts for 79 approvals against 21 in WHITE PLAINS. 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.
Charles County
How big is Charles County
- Land area458 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Maryland counties8th of 24
- Width, east to west33.1 mi
- Height, north to south31.2 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary3
- Residents per square mile of land372
- Establishments per square mile6.10
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 Charles 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 Charles County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population170,527
- Households60,875
- Average household size2.80
- Median household income$122,816
- Median age38.9
Common questions
Charles County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Charles County, Maryland?
170,527, in 60,875 households, ranking 10th of 24 Maryland counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Charles County growing?
The population has grown 4.73 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 1,539 births against 1,392 deaths, with net migration of 2,080. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Charles County?
$122,816. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $428,500, which is 3.5 times income, and median gross rent is $1,920 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Charles County?
2,793 establishments, employing 33,675 people with an annual payroll of $1.58 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 Charles County?
Average annual pay is $60,436, or $1,162 a week, across 43,087 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Charles County?
137 7(a) approvals totalling $59.9 m since FY2020, across 42 lenders, with a median approval of $150,000, plus 14 504 approvals worth $11.4 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Charles County get paid back?
Of the 23 loans that have reached a final outcome, 20 were paid in full and 3 charged off, a charge off rate of 13.0 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Charles County?
1,542 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $423.5 m. Multifamily was 33.5 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Charles 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 Charles County come from?
The largest single origin is Charles County Non-migrants, with 64,707 households. Arriving households report an average income of $66,786 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 Charles 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 Charles 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.