HomeNorth CarolinaBladen County
Bladen County, North Carolina: commercial real estate data.
Bladen County, North Carolina has a population of 29,566 across 874 square miles, up 0.6 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $1.86 bn in 2024, 540 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 6 7(a) approvals worth $1.1 m.
111 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Bladen County
How many people live in Bladen County
- Population29,566
- Households11,824
- Average household size2.50
- Median household income$42,422
- Median age44.7
- Median gross rent$773 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$135,100
- Home value to household income3.2 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income21.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher19.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree5.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over21,282
- Population under 186,094
- Share under 1820.6 percent
- Population 65 and over6,935
- Share 65 and over23.5 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6416,537
- Civilian labor force11,903
- Unemployment rate5.4 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over50.7 percent
- Rank by population among North Carolina counties71st of 100
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1487th
Bladen County is the 71st largest of 100 North Carolina counties by population. A median home costs 3.2 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 23.5 percent against 20.6 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.
Bladen County
Is Bladen County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base0.55 percent
- Census 2020 base population29,615
- Births, 2024353
- Deaths, 2024448
- Natural change, 2024-95
- Net domestic migration, 2024325
- Net international migration, 202444
- Total net migration, 2024369
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024717
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1633rd
The county has grown 0.55 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.
Bladen County
Where people moving to Bladen County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving668
- People arriving, from those returns1,277
- Adjusted gross income arriving$30.6 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$45,741
- Largest single originBladen County Non-migrants (10,115 households)
- Largest single destination (10,115 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bladen County Non-migrants | 10,115 | 20,553 | $543.8 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 167 | 301 | $7.4 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 167 | 309 | $9.3 m |
| Other flows - South | 103 | 182 | $4.8 m |
| Cumberland County | 99 | 212 | $5.2 m |
| Robeson County | 81 | 177 | $2.9 m |
| Columbus County | 61 | 122 | $2.2 m |
| Other flows - Northeast | 38 | 80 | $3.1 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Bladen 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.
Bladen County
What the Bladen County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$1.86 bn
- County GDP, 2023$1.82 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20242.7 percent
- GDP change over five years31.1 percent
- Rank by GDP among North Carolina counties64th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1346th
- GDP per resident$63,051
Output grew 2.7 percent in the latest year and 31.1 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.
Bladen County
Who employs people in Bladen County
- Covered employment, annual average13,453
- Establishments reporting677
- Average annual pay$48,430
- Average weekly wage$931
- Sector 31-33, employment6,438
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$52,338
- Sector 44-45, employment805
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$27,952
- Sector 48-49, employment707
- Sector 48-49, average annual pay$57,217
- Sector 72, employment624
- Sector 72, average annual pay$22,188
- Sector 11, employment543
- Sector 62, employment514
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 6,438 | 37 | $52,338 |
| Sector 44-45 | 805 | 98 | $27,952 |
| Sector 48-49 | 707 | 43 | $57,217 |
| Sector 72 | 624 | 56 | $22,188 |
| Sector 11 | 543 | 81 | $47,365 |
| Sector 62 | 514 | 45 | $34,002 |
| Sector 23 | 341 | 62 | $54,501 |
| Sector 61 | 138 | 7 | $35,843 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 6,438 jobs, 47.9 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job exceeds median household income, which usually means single earner households and a wage base that can carry rent.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Bladen County
What businesses operate in Bladen County
- Establishments, all industries540
- Employment at those establishments10,734
- Annual payroll$529.8 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents18.3
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.
Bladen County
What is being built in Bladen County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024159
- Declared construction value permitted$34.3 m
- Single family units authorised159
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$215,707
- Units authorised per 1,000 households13.4
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Bladen County
How much SBA lending happens in Bladen County
- 7(a) approvals recorded6
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$1.1 m
- Average 7(a) approval$175,000
- Median 7(a) approval$150,000
- 10th percentile approval$50,000
- 90th percentile approval$350,000
- Largest single approval$350,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)23
- Jobs per approval3.8
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active5
- Distinct industries receiving approvals4
- 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 shorter6
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countIndustrial Building Construction (2)
- Most active lenderHeritage Bank Inc (2)
The average approval of $175,000 sits close to the median of $150,000, so lending here is fairly evenly sized rather than driven by a few large deals. 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.
Bladen County
Do SBA loans in Bladen County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded2
- Paid in full0
- Charged off2
- Status: Exempt from disclosure2
- Status: Charged off2
- Status: Cancelled2
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 2 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.
Bladen County
Which parts of Bladen County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending2
- BLADENBORO, approvals3
- ELIZABETHTOWN, approvals3
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| BLADENBORO | 3 | $600,000 |
| ELIZABETHTOWN | 3 | $450,000 |
BLADENBORO accounts for 3 approvals against 3 in ELIZABETHTOWN. 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.
Bladen County
How big is Bladen County
- Land area874 sq mi
- Rank by land area among North Carolina counties4th of 100
- Width, east to west41.3 mi
- Height, north to south33.8 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land34
- 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.
Bladen County
What hazards affect Bladen County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/LZone 3
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book6
- Of those, participating in the NFIP6
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
The EPA places the county in radon zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L.
US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001. FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Community Status Book, Community Status Book, as retrieved.
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.
- 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 Bladen 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 Bladen County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population29,566
- Households11,824
- Average household size2.50
- Median household income$42,422
- Median age44.7
Common questions
Bladen County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Bladen County, North Carolina?
29,566, in 11,824 households, ranking 71st of 100 North Carolina counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Bladen County growing?
The population has grown 0.55 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 353 births against 448 deaths, with net migration of 369. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Bladen County?
$42,422. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $135,100, which is 3.2 times income, and median gross rent is $773 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Bladen County?
540 establishments, employing 10,734 people with an annual payroll of $529.8 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 Bladen County?
Average annual pay is $48,430, or $931 a week, across 13,453 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Bladen County?
6 7(a) approvals totalling $1.1 m since FY2020, across 5 lenders, with a median approval of $150,000. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Bladen County?
159 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $34.3 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Bladen County?
Zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Bladen County come from?
The largest single origin is Bladen County Non-migrants, with 10,115 households. Arriving households report an average income of $45,741 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 Bladen 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 Bladen 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.