Phelps County, Missouri: commercial real estate data.
Phelps County, Missouri has a population of 45,194 across 672 square miles, up 2.3 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $2.14 bn in 2024, 1,050 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 35 7(a) approvals worth $20.3 m.
119 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Phelps County
How many people live in Phelps County
- Population45,194
- Households17,329
- Average household size2.61
- Median household income$58,396
- Median age35.8
- Median gross rent$798 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$206,500
- Home value to household income3.5 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income16.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher32.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree15.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over28,524
- Population under 189,537
- Share under 1821.1 percent
- Population 65 and over7,713
- Share 65 and over17.1 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6427,944
- Civilian labor force20,232
- Unemployment rate3.9 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over56.7 percent
- Rank by population among Missouri counties23rd of 115
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1098th
Phelps County is the 23rd largest of 115 Missouri 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 21.1 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.
Phelps County
Is Phelps County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base2.32 percent
- Census 2020 base population44,638
- Births, 2024432
- Deaths, 2024493
- Natural change, 2024-61
- Net domestic migration, 2024-210
- Net international migration, 2024426
- Total net migration, 2024216
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024565
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1068th
The county has grown 2.32 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.
Phelps County
Where people moving to Phelps County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving1,269
- People arriving, from those returns2,353
- Adjusted gross income arriving$58.7 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$46,287
- Largest single originPhelps County Non-migrants (14,629 households)
- Largest single destination (14,629 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phelps County Non-migrants | 14,629 | 29,704 | $955.8 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 467 | 873 | $27.6 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 256 | 428 | $9.2 m |
| Other flows - South | 159 | 305 | $9.0 m |
| Other flows - West | 143 | 278 | $9.2 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 137 | 241 | $7.8 m |
| Dent County | 93 | 199 | $3.6 m |
| Crawford County | 87 | 174 | $3.2 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Phelps 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.
Phelps County
What the Phelps County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$2.14 bn
- County GDP, 2023$2.03 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20245.4 percent
- GDP change over five years28.8 percent
- Rank by GDP among Missouri counties26th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1223rd
- GDP per resident$47,313
Output grew 5.4 percent in the latest year and 28.8 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.
Phelps County
Who employs people in Phelps County
- Covered employment, annual average19,225
- Establishments reporting1,299
- Average annual pay$50,599
- Average weekly wage$973
- Sector 62, employment2,790
- Sector 62, average annual pay$58,552
- Sector 44-45, employment2,668
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$33,297
- Sector 72, employment1,905
- Sector 72, average annual pay$20,984
- Sector 48-49, employment1,783
- Sector 48-49, average annual pay$59,903
- Sector 31-33, employment1,013
- Sector 42, employment644
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 62 | 2,790 | 379 | $58,552 |
| Sector 44-45 | 2,668 | 168 | $33,297 |
| Sector 72 | 1,905 | 117 | $20,984 |
| Sector 48-49 | 1,783 | 43 | $59,903 |
| Sector 31-33 | 1,013 | 34 | $66,862 |
| Sector 42 | 644 | 47 | $52,369 |
| Sector 23 | 530 | 88 | $57,225 |
| Sector 52 | 401 | 71 | $58,956 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 2,790 jobs, 14.5 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.
Phelps County
What businesses operate in Phelps County
- Establishments, all industries1,050
- Employment at those establishments15,928
- Annual payroll$712.4 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents23.2
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.
Phelps County
What is being built in Phelps County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024152
- Declared construction value permitted$18.9 m
- Single family units authorised41
- Multifamily units authorised111
- Multifamily share of units73.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$124,467
- Units authorised per 1,000 households8.8
Multifamily is 73.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is being built for renters rather than buyers.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Phelps County
How much SBA lending happens in Phelps County
- 7(a) approvals recorded35
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$20.3 m
- Average 7(a) approval$578,680
- Median 7(a) approval$200,000
- 10th percentile approval$50,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,100,000
- Largest single approval$4,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)531
- Jobs per approval15.2
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active18
- Distinct industries receiving approvals24
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer22.9 percent
- Loans on real estate terms8
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter25
- Franchise loans8
- Franchise share of approvals22.9 percent
- Leading industry by approval countLessors of Miniwarehouses and Self-Storage Units (3)
- Most active lenderLive Oak Banking Company (5)
- 504 approvals recorded17
- 504 gross approval dollars$9.9 m
- Average 504 approval$584,941
- Median 504 approval$272,000
- Distinct CDCs active4
- 504 jobs per approval13.6
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved23.3
- Most active CDCSBA CLSC Servicing (11)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals67.3 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$30.2 m
The average approval of $578,680 sits well above the median of $200,000, 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 22.9 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.
Phelps County
Do SBA loans in Phelps County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded8
- Paid in full7
- Charged off1
- Status: Exempt from disclosure20
- Status: Paid in full7
- Status: Charged off1
- Status: Cancelled1
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed6
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 8 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.
Phelps County
Which parts of Phelps County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending3
- ROLLA, approvals25
- SAINT JAMES, approvals6
- NEWBURG, approvals4
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| ROLLA | 25 | $17,098,300 |
| SAINT JAMES | 6 | $1,457,000 |
| NEWBURG | 4 | $1,698,500 |
ROLLA accounts for 25 approvals against 6 in SAINT JAMES. 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.
Phelps County
How big is Phelps County
- Land area672 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Missouri counties36th of 115
- Width, east to west27.5 mi
- Height, north to south38.3 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land67
- Establishments per square mile1.56
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 Phelps 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 Phelps County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population45,194
- Households17,329
- Average household size2.61
- Median household income$58,396
- Median age35.8
Common questions
Phelps County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Phelps County, Missouri?
45,194, in 17,329 households, ranking 23rd of 115 Missouri counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Phelps County growing?
The population has grown 2.32 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 432 births against 493 deaths, with net migration of 216. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Phelps County?
$58,396. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $206,500, which is 3.5 times income, and median gross rent is $798 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Phelps County?
1,050 establishments, employing 15,928 people with an annual payroll of $712.4 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 Phelps County?
Average annual pay is $50,599, or $973 a week, across 19,225 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Phelps County?
35 7(a) approvals totalling $20.3 m since FY2020, across 18 lenders, with a median approval of $200,000, plus 17 504 approvals worth $9.9 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Phelps County?
152 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $18.9 m. Multifamily was 73.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Phelps 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 Phelps County come from?
The largest single origin is Phelps County Non-migrants, with 14,629 households. Arriving households report an average income of $46,287 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 Phelps 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 Phelps 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.