HomeNorth CarolinaChatham County
Chatham County, North Carolina: commercial real estate data.
Chatham County, North Carolina has a population of 80,151 across 682 square miles, up 10.0 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $2.92 bn in 2024, 1,719 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 71 7(a) approvals worth $60.1 m.
128 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Chatham County
How many people live in Chatham County
- Population80,151
- Households33,004
- Average household size2.43
- Median household income$94,317
- Median age47.6
- Median gross rent$1,180 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$446,200
- Home value to household income4.7 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income15.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher48.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree23.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over59,347
- Population under 1815,516
- Share under 1819.4 percent
- Population 65 and over20,191
- Share 65 and over25.2 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6444,444
- Civilian labor force38,899
- Unemployment rate2.9 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over60.2 percent
- Rank by population among North Carolina counties35th of 100
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents727th
Chatham County is the 35th largest of 100 North Carolina counties by population. A median home costs 4.7 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 25.2 percent against 19.4 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.
Chatham County
Is Chatham County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base9.99 percent
- Census 2020 base population76,255
- Births, 2024718
- Deaths, 2024851
- Natural change, 2024-133
- Net domestic migration, 20241,555
- Net international migration, 2024457
- Total net migration, 20242,012
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20246,721
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents148th
The county has grown 9.99 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.
Chatham County
Where people moving to Chatham County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving2,843
- People arriving, from those returns5,502
- Adjusted gross income arriving$427.6 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$150,396
- Largest single originChatham County Non-migrants (29,611 households)
- Largest single destination (29,611 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chatham County Non-migrants | 29,611 | 61,328 | $3.99 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 978 | 1,924 | $185.9 m |
| Wake County | 654 | 1,354 | $97.2 m |
| Other flows - South | 419 | 819 | $67.2 m |
| Orange County | 290 | 547 | $43.2 m |
| Durham County | 258 | 455 | $37.1 m |
| Other flows - Northeast | 234 | 444 | $54.1 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 199 | 370 | $28.9 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Chatham 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.
Chatham County
What the Chatham County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$2.92 bn
- County GDP, 2023$2.80 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20244.1 percent
- GDP change over five years50.7 percent
- Rank by GDP among North Carolina counties44th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents997th
- GDP per resident$36,424
Output grew 4.1 percent in the latest year and 50.7 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.
Chatham County
Who employs people in Chatham County
- Covered employment, annual average18,540
- Establishments reporting2,182
- Average annual pay$51,876
- Average weekly wage$998
- Sector 62, employment2,869
- Sector 62, average annual pay$46,503
- Sector 72, employment1,941
- Sector 72, average annual pay$23,220
- Sector 23, employment1,882
- Sector 23, average annual pay$60,491
- Sector 44-45, employment1,805
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$33,170
- Sector 31-33, employment1,660
- Sector 56, employment1,176
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 62 | 2,869 | 204 | $46,503 |
| Sector 72 | 1,941 | 122 | $23,220 |
| Sector 23 | 1,882 | 260 | $60,491 |
| Sector 44-45 | 1,805 | 176 | $33,170 |
| Sector 31-33 | 1,660 | 80 | $57,967 |
| Sector 56 | 1,176 | 146 | $51,267 |
| Sector 54 | 1,034 | 376 | $86,389 |
| Sector 81 | 800 | 212 | $45,457 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 2,869 jobs, 15.5 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.
Chatham County
What businesses operate in Chatham County
- Establishments, all industries1,719
- Employment at those establishments17,432
- Annual payroll$762.4 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents21.4
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.
Chatham County
What is being built in Chatham County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024465
- Declared construction value permitted$246.1 m
- Single family units authorised465
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$529,253
- Units authorised per 1,000 households14.1
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Chatham County
How much SBA lending happens in Chatham County
- 7(a) approvals recorded71
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$60.1 m
- Average 7(a) approval$846,986
- Median 7(a) approval$350,000
- 10th percentile approval$74,700
- 90th percentile approval$2,632,800
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)721
- Jobs per approval10.2
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active35
- Distinct industries receiving approvals45
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer18.3 percent
- Loans on real estate terms13
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter46
- Franchise loans11
- Franchise share of approvals15.5 percent
- Leading industry by approval countAll Other Personal Services (5)
- Most active lenderLive Oak Banking Company (7)
- 504 approvals recorded16
- 504 gross approval dollars$7.5 m
- Average 504 approval$469,000
- Median 504 approval$347,000
- Distinct CDCs active3
- 504 jobs per approval8.1
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved17.3
- Most active CDCBusiness Expansion Funding Corporation (12)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals81.6 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$67.6 m
The average approval of $846,986 sits well above the median of $350,000, 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 18.3 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.
Chatham County
Do SBA loans in Chatham County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded11
- Paid in full11
- Charged off0
- Charge off rate on resolved loans0.0 percent
- Status: Exempt from disclosure46
- Status: Cancelled10
- Status: Paid in full11
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed4
Of the 11 loans that have reached a final outcome, 0.0 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.
Chatham County
Which parts of Chatham County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending11
- PITTSBORO, approvals24
- CHAPEL HILL, approvals18
- Siler City, approvals9
- MONCURE, approvals4
- APEX, approvals4
- SANFORD, approvals3
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| PITTSBORO | 24 | $12,832,000 |
| CHAPEL HILL | 18 | $11,736,600 |
| Siler City | 9 | $8,748,700 |
| MONCURE | 4 | $9,100,000 |
| APEX | 4 | $6,111,000 |
| SANFORD | 3 | $919,700 |
| Goldston | 3 | $1,050,000 |
| BEAR CREEK | 2 | $5,025,000 |
PITTSBORO accounts for 24 approvals against 18 in CHAPEL HILL. 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.
Chatham County
How big is Chatham County
- Land area682 sq mi
- Rank by land area among North Carolina counties18th of 100
- Width, east to west36.5 mi
- Height, north to south25 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary8
- Residents per square mile of land118
- Establishments per square mile2.52
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.
Chatham County
What hazards affect Chatham County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/LZone 3
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book5
- Of those, participating in the NFIP5
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Best Community Rating System class in the county A lower CRS class is a larger flood insurance premium discount.Class 7
- Communities carrying a CRS class1
The EPA places the county in radon zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. The best Community Rating System class in the county is 7, which carries a flood insurance premium discount for properties in the participating community.
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 Chatham 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 Chatham County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population80,151
- Households33,004
- Average household size2.43
- Median household income$94,317
- Median age47.6
Common questions
Chatham County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Chatham County, North Carolina?
80,151, in 33,004 households, ranking 35th of 100 North Carolina counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Chatham County growing?
The population has grown 9.99 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 718 births against 851 deaths, with net migration of 2,012. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Chatham County?
$94,317. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $446,200, which is 4.7 times income, and median gross rent is $1,180 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Chatham County?
1,719 establishments, employing 17,432 people with an annual payroll of $762.4 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 Chatham County?
Average annual pay is $51,876, or $998 a week, across 18,540 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Chatham County?
71 7(a) approvals totalling $60.1 m since FY2020, across 35 lenders, with a median approval of $350,000, plus 16 504 approvals worth $7.5 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Chatham County get paid back?
Of the 11 loans that have reached a final outcome, 11 were paid in full and 0 charged off, a charge off rate of 0.0 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Chatham County?
465 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $246.1 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Chatham 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 Chatham County come from?
The largest single origin is Chatham County Non-migrants, with 29,611 households. Arriving households report an average income of $150,396 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 Chatham 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 Chatham 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.