HomeNorth CarolinaCatawba County
Catawba County, North Carolina: commercial real estate data.
Catawba County, North Carolina has a population of 163,573 across 399 square miles, up 4.0 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $12.40 bn in 2024, 4,349 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 123 7(a) approvals worth $96.7 m.
128 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Catawba County
How many people live in Catawba County
- Population163,573
- Households66,227
- Average household size2.47
- Median household income$67,864
- Median age42.1
- Median gross rent$965 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$241,600
- Home value to household income3.6 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income17.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher26.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree7.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over114,373
- Population under 1835,394
- Share under 1821.6 percent
- Population 65 and over30,611
- Share 65 and over18.7 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6497,568
- Civilian labor force80,216
- Unemployment rate3.7 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over62.6 percent
- Rank by population among North Carolina counties18th of 100
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents421st
Catawba County is the 18th largest of 100 North Carolina counties by population. A median home costs 3.6 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 21.6 percent against 18.7 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Catawba County
Is Catawba County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base4.01 percent
- Census 2020 base population160,609
- Births, 20241,686
- Deaths, 20242,030
- Natural change, 2024-344
- Net domestic migration, 20241,974
- Net international migration, 2024469
- Total net migration, 20242,443
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20246,765
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents685th
The county has grown 4.01 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.
Catawba County
Where people moving to Catawba County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving4,857
- People arriving, from those returns8,662
- Adjusted gross income arriving$336.1 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$69,189
- Largest single originCatawba County Non-migrants (60,431 households)
- Largest single destination (60,431 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catawba County Non-migrants | 60,431 | 121,619 | $4.83 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 1,580 | 2,864 | $123.8 m |
| Other flows - South | 778 | 1,413 | $55.2 m |
| Lincoln County | 448 | 853 | $29.3 m |
| Burke County | 407 | 718 | $17.4 m |
| Mecklenburg County | 388 | 647 | $48.3 m |
| Iredell County | 363 | 658 | $25.1 m |
| Caldwell County | 353 | 630 | $15.9 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Catawba 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.
Catawba County
What the Catawba County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$12.40 bn
- County GDP, 2023$11.92 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20244.1 percent
- GDP change over five years34.4 percent
- Rank by GDP among North Carolina counties15th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents376th
- GDP per resident$75,828
Output grew 4.1 percent in the latest year and 34.4 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.
Catawba County
Who employs people in Catawba County
- Covered employment, annual average89,388
- Establishments reporting5,206
- Average annual pay$55,761
- Average weekly wage$1,072
- Sector 31-33, employment23,353
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$61,362
- Sector 44-45, employment10,146
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$36,482
- Sector 62, employment9,092
- Sector 62, average annual pay$60,432
- Sector 72, employment7,626
- Sector 72, average annual pay$21,494
- Sector 48-49, employment5,208
- Sector 56, employment4,774
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 23,353 | 412 | $61,362 |
| Sector 44-45 | 10,146 | 718 | $36,482 |
| Sector 62 | 9,092 | 511 | $60,432 |
| Sector 72 | 7,626 | 406 | $21,494 |
| Sector 48-49 | 5,208 | 200 | $55,847 |
| Sector 56 | 4,774 | 321 | $39,767 |
| Sector 23 | 3,473 | 472 | $71,659 |
| Sector 54 | 2,580 | 514 | $81,171 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 23,353 jobs, 26.1 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.
Catawba County
What businesses operate in Catawba County
- Establishments, all industries4,349
- Employment at those establishments85,704
- Annual payroll$4.53 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents26.6
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.
Catawba County
What is being built in Catawba County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 20242,016
- Declared construction value permitted$410.9 m
- Single family units authorised1,651
- Multifamily units authorised365
- Multifamily share of units18.1 percent
- Average declared value per unit$203,810
- Units authorised per 1,000 households30.4
Multifamily is 18.1 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Catawba County
How much SBA lending happens in Catawba County
- 7(a) approvals recorded123
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$96.7 m
- Average 7(a) approval$786,459
- Median 7(a) approval$354,000
- 10th percentile approval$50,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,900,000
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)1,361
- Jobs per approval11.1
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active47
- Distinct industries receiving approvals72
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer22.8 percent
- Loans on real estate terms28
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter88
- Franchise loans16
- Franchise share of approvals13.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countOffices of Dentists (5)
- Most active lenderLive Oak Banking Company (25)
- 504 approvals recorded25
- 504 gross approval dollars$18.0 m
- Average 504 approval$720,280
- Median 504 approval$597,000
- Distinct CDCs active4
- 504 jobs per approval9.8
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved13.6
- Most active CDCBusiness Expansion Funding Corporation (15)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals83.1 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$114.7 m
The average approval of $786,459 sits well above the median of $354,000, 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 22.8 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.
Catawba County
Do SBA loans in Catawba County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded18
- Paid in full17
- Charged off1
- Charge off rate on resolved loans5.6 percent
- Status: Exempt from disclosure83
- Status: Cancelled17
- Status: Paid in full17
- Status: Charged off1
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed5
Of the 18 loans that have reached a final outcome, 5.6 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.
Catawba County
Which parts of Catawba County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending11
- HICKORY, approvals69
- Conover, approvals17
- NEWTON, approvals12
- MAIDEN, approvals9
- DENVER, approvals4
- Sherrills Ford, approvals3
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| HICKORY | 69 | $61,059,700 |
| Conover | 17 | $12,624,100 |
| NEWTON | 12 | $7,209,000 |
| MAIDEN | 9 | $8,479,600 |
| DENVER | 4 | $1,650,500 |
| Sherrills Ford | 3 | $1,853,000 |
| CLAREMONT | 2 | $241,000 |
| Terrell | 2 | $2,167,800 |
HICKORY accounts for 69 approvals against 17 in Conover. 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.
Catawba County
How big is Catawba County
- Land area399 sq mi
- Rank by land area among North Carolina counties62nd of 100
- Width, east to west34.2 mi
- Height, north to south19.3 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land410
- Establishments per square mile10.90
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.
Catawba County
What hazards affect Catawba County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/LZone 2
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book9
- Of those, participating in the NFIP9
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
The EPA places the county in radon zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 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.
- 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 Catawba 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 Catawba County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population163,573
- Households66,227
- Average household size2.47
- Median household income$67,864
- Median age42.1
Common questions
Catawba County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Catawba County, North Carolina?
163,573, in 66,227 households, ranking 18th of 100 North Carolina counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Catawba County growing?
The population has grown 4.01 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 1,686 births against 2,030 deaths, with net migration of 2,443. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Catawba County?
$67,864. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $241,600, which is 3.6 times income, and median gross rent is $965 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Catawba County?
4,349 establishments, employing 85,704 people with an annual payroll of $4.53 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 Catawba County?
Average annual pay is $55,761, or $1,072 a week, across 89,388 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Catawba County?
123 7(a) approvals totalling $96.7 m since FY2020, across 47 lenders, with a median approval of $354,000, plus 25 504 approvals worth $18.0 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Catawba County get paid back?
Of the 18 loans that have reached a final outcome, 17 were paid in full and 1 charged off, a charge off rate of 5.6 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Catawba County?
2,016 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $410.9 m. Multifamily was 18.1 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Catawba 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 Catawba County come from?
The largest single origin is Catawba County Non-migrants, with 60,431 households. Arriving households report an average income of $69,189 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 Catawba 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 Catawba 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.