HomeNorth CarolinaChowan County
Chowan County, North Carolina: commercial real estate data.
Chowan County, North Carolina has a population of 13,836 across 172 square miles, up 1.3 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $723.0 m in 2024, 372 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 7 7(a) approvals worth $4.0 m.
118 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Chowan County
How many people live in Chowan County
- Population13,836
- Households6,134
- Average household size2.26
- Median household income$53,864
- Median age48.6
- Median gross rent$681 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$235,800
- Home value to household income4.4 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income15.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher25.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree9.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over10,437
- Population under 182,652
- Share under 1819.2 percent
- Population 65 and over3,606
- Share 65 and over26.1 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 647,578
- Civilian labor force6,392
- Unemployment rate4.1 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over57.2 percent
- Rank by population among North Carolina counties89th of 100
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents2236th
Chowan County is the 89th largest of 100 North Carolina counties by population. A median home costs 4.4 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 26.1 percent against 19.2 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.
Chowan County
Is Chowan County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base1.33 percent
- Census 2020 base population13,709
- Births, 2024127
- Deaths, 2024254
- Natural change, 2024-127
- Net domestic migration, 2024124
- Net international migration, 2024-1
- Total net migration, 2024123
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024636
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1387th
The county has grown 1.33 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.
Chowan County
Where people moving to Chowan County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving395
- People arriving, from those returns742
- Adjusted gross income arriving$27.9 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$70,595
- Largest single originChowan County Non-migrants (5,131 households)
- Largest single destination (5,131 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chowan County Non-migrants | 5,131 | 10,070 | $377.6 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 194 | 373 | $17.6 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 136 | 254 | $8.0 m |
| Other flows - South | 127 | 243 | $10.6 m |
| Other flows - Northeast | 41 | 68 | $3.7 m |
| Perquimans County | 40 | 63 | $1.3 m |
| Other flows - West | 26 | 62 | $3.4 m |
| Pasquotank County | 25 | 52 | $893,000 |
The largest single source of arrivals is Chowan 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.
Chowan County
What the Chowan County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$723.0 m
- County GDP, 2023$721.1 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20240.3 percent
- GDP change over five years40.0 percent
- Rank by GDP among North Carolina counties83rd
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents2116th
- GDP per resident$52,258
Output grew 0.3 percent in the latest year and 40.0 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.
Chowan County
Who employs people in Chowan County
- Covered employment, annual average5,071
- Establishments reporting433
- Average annual pay$49,249
- Average weekly wage$947
- Sector 44-45, employment634
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$42,399
- Sector 31-33, employment574
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$60,171
- Sector 42, employment460
- Sector 42, average annual pay$46,888
- Sector 72, employment434
- Sector 72, average annual pay$21,694
- Sector 48-49, employment196
- Sector 23, employment184
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 44-45 | 634 | 60 | $42,399 |
| Sector 31-33 | 574 | 17 | $60,171 |
| Sector 42 | 460 | 18 | $46,888 |
| Sector 72 | 434 | 35 | $21,694 |
| Sector 48-49 | 196 | 21 | $68,838 |
| Sector 23 | 184 | 36 | $52,286 |
| Sector 54 | 173 | 41 | $69,450 |
| Sector 81 | 159 | 30 | $38,890 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 634 jobs, 12.5 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.
Chowan County
What businesses operate in Chowan County
- Establishments, all industries372
- Employment at those establishments4,343
- Annual payroll$207.8 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents26.9
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.
Chowan County
What is being built in Chowan County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 202448
- Declared construction value permitted$14.6 m
- Single family units authorised48
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$304,056
- Units authorised per 1,000 households7.8
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Chowan County
How much SBA lending happens in Chowan County
- 7(a) approvals recorded7
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$4.0 m
- Average 7(a) approval$571,143
- Median 7(a) approval$152,300
- 10th percentile approval$50,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,600,000
- Largest single approval$1,600,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)33
- Jobs per approval4.7
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active6
- Distinct industries receiving approvals6
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer28.6 percent
- Loans on real estate terms2
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter5
- Franchise loans1
- Franchise share of approvals14.3 percent
- Leading industry by approval countCoin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners (2)
- Most active lenderTruist Bank (2)
- 504 approvals recorded1
- 504 gross approval dollars$760,000
- Average 504 approval$760,000
- Median 504 approval$760,000
- Distinct CDCs active1
- 504 jobs per approval5.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved6.6
- Most active CDCCarolina Business Capital, Inc. (1)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals87.5 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$4.8 m
The average approval of $571,143 sits well above the median of $152,300, 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 28.6 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.
Chowan County
Do SBA loans in Chowan County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded2
- Paid in full2
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full2
- Status: Exempt from disclosure5
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.
Chowan County
How big is Chowan County
- Land area172 sq mi
- Rank by land area among North Carolina counties100th of 100
- Width, east to west18.1 mi
- Height, north to south23.9 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land80
- Establishments per square mile2.16
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.
Chowan County
What hazards affect Chowan County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/LZone 3
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book2
- Of those, participating in the NFIP2
- 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 Chowan 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 Chowan County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population13,836
- Households6,134
- Average household size2.26
- Median household income$53,864
- Median age48.6
Common questions
Chowan County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Chowan County, North Carolina?
13,836, in 6,134 households, ranking 89th of 100 North Carolina counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Chowan County growing?
The population has grown 1.33 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 127 births against 254 deaths, with net migration of 123. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Chowan County?
$53,864. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $235,800, which is 4.4 times income, and median gross rent is $681 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Chowan County?
372 establishments, employing 4,343 people with an annual payroll of $207.8 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 Chowan County?
Average annual pay is $49,249, or $947 a week, across 5,071 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Chowan County?
7 7(a) approvals totalling $4.0 m since FY2020, across 6 lenders, with a median approval of $152,300, plus 1 504 approvals worth $760,000. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Chowan County?
48 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $14.6 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Chowan 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 Chowan County come from?
The largest single origin is Chowan County Non-migrants, with 5,131 households. Arriving households report an average income of $70,595 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 Chowan 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 Chowan 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.