HomeNorth CarolinaHarnett County
Harnett County, North Carolina: commercial real estate data.
Harnett County, North Carolina has a population of 139,150 across 595 square miles, up 9.4 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $3.97 bn in 2024, 1,960 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 65 7(a) approvals worth $41.5 m.
127 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Harnett County
How many people live in Harnett County
- Population139,150
- Households49,845
- Average household size2.79
- Median household income$71,287
- Median age35.6
- Median gross rent$1,112 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$246,200
- Home value to household income3.5 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income18.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher24.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree8.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over92,116
- Population under 1835,394
- Share under 1825.4 percent
- Population 65 and over19,073
- Share 65 and over13.7 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6484,683
- Civilian labor force59,664
- Unemployment rate4.7 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over57.5 percent
- Rank by population among North Carolina counties23rd of 100
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents480th
Harnett County is the 23rd largest of 100 North Carolina 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 25.4 percent against 13.7 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Harnett County
Is Harnett County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base9.39 percent
- Census 2020 base population133,556
- Births, 20241,822
- Deaths, 20241,256
- Natural change, 2024566
- Net domestic migration, 20243,343
- Net international migration, 2024393
- Total net migration, 20243,736
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20249,097
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents166th
The county has grown 9.39 percent since the 2020 census base. Migration contributed more to 2024 change than births over deaths, so demand here follows people arriving rather than families forming.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Harnett County
Where people moving to Harnett County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving6,368
- People arriving, from those returns13,855
- Adjusted gross income arriving$411.1 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$64,551
- Largest single originHarnett County Non-migrants (42,290 households)
- Largest single destination (42,290 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harnett County Non-migrants | 42,290 | 94,039 | $2.78 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 1,826 | 4,002 | $124.2 m |
| Wake County | 1,280 | 2,561 | $116.7 m |
| Other flows - South | 882 | 2,010 | $62.2 m |
| Cumberland County | 840 | 1,835 | $42.9 m |
| Other flows - Northeast | 385 | 749 | $23.9 m |
| Johnston County | 377 | 764 | $17.6 m |
| Lee County | 360 | 793 | $16.4 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Harnett 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.
Harnett County
What the Harnett County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$3.97 bn
- County GDP, 2023$3.72 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20246.5 percent
- GDP change over five years41.5 percent
- Rank by GDP among North Carolina counties34th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents814th
- GDP per resident$28,495
Output grew 6.5 percent in the latest year and 41.5 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.
Harnett County
Who employs people in Harnett County
- Covered employment, annual average28,081
- Establishments reporting2,384
- Average annual pay$46,955
- Average weekly wage$903
- Sector 44-45, employment4,958
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$37,026
- Sector 72, employment3,251
- Sector 72, average annual pay$19,883
- Sector 62, employment2,757
- Sector 62, average annual pay$43,822
- Sector 23, employment2,366
- Sector 23, average annual pay$61,437
- Sector 61, employment1,789
- Sector 31-33, employment1,770
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 44-45 | 4,958 | 306 | $37,026 |
| Sector 72 | 3,251 | 181 | $19,883 |
| Sector 62 | 2,757 | 228 | $43,822 |
| Sector 23 | 2,366 | 374 | $61,437 |
| Sector 61 | 1,789 | 31 | $48,501 |
| Sector 31-33 | 1,770 | 70 | $56,762 |
| Sector 56 | 1,314 | 171 | $44,531 |
| Sector 48-49 | 1,180 | 84 | $45,201 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 4,958 jobs, 17.7 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.
Harnett County
What businesses operate in Harnett County
- Establishments, all industries1,960
- Employment at those establishments24,279
- Annual payroll$987.5 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents14.1
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.
Harnett County
What is being built in Harnett County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 20242,231
- Declared construction value permitted$687.1 m
- Single family units authorised2,219
- Multifamily units authorised12
- Multifamily share of units0.5 percent
- Average declared value per unit$307,974
- Units authorised per 1,000 households44.8
Multifamily is 0.5 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Harnett County
How much SBA lending happens in Harnett County
- 7(a) approvals recorded65
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$41.5 m
- Average 7(a) approval$638,552
- Median 7(a) approval$204,000
- 10th percentile approval$30,000
- 90th percentile approval$2,259,400
- Largest single approval$4,022,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)1,083
- Jobs per approval16.7
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active36
- Distinct industries receiving approvals45
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer20.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms13
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter49
- Franchise loans14
- Franchise share of approvals21.5 percent
- Leading industry by approval countFull-Service Restaurants (6)
- Most active lenderNortheast Bank (5)
- 504 approvals recorded12
- 504 gross approval dollars$12.8 m
- Average 504 approval$1,065,917
- Median 504 approval$1,101,000
- Distinct CDCs active2
- 504 jobs per approval11.3
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved10.6
- Most active CDCBusiness Expansion Funding Corporation (9)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals84.4 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$54.3 m
The average approval of $638,552 sits well above the median of $204,000, 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 20.0 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. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Harnett County
Do SBA loans in Harnett County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded10
- Paid in full10
- Charged off0
- Charge off rate on resolved loans0.0 percent
- Status: Paid in full10
- Status: Exempt from disclosure39
- Status: Cancelled12
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed4
Of the 10 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.
Harnett County
Which parts of Harnett County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending11
- DUNN, approvals17
- LILLINGTON, approvals12
- ANGIER, approvals11
- Cameron, approvals7
- Spring Lake, approvals5
- SANFORD, approvals4
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| DUNN | 17 | $17,068,000 |
| LILLINGTON | 12 | $2,814,600 |
| ANGIER | 11 | $10,607,500 |
| Cameron | 7 | $4,661,500 |
| Spring Lake | 5 | $1,270,000 |
| SANFORD | 4 | $734,000 |
| Fuquay Varina | 3 | $2,811,500 |
| BUNNLEVEL | 2 | $522,300 |
DUNN accounts for 17 approvals against 12 in LILLINGTON. 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.
Harnett County
How big is Harnett County
- Land area595 sq mi
- Rank by land area among North Carolina counties25th of 100
- Width, east to west39.1 mi
- Height, north to south27 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary7
- Residents per square mile of land234
- Establishments per square mile3.29
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.
Harnett County
What hazards affect Harnett 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.
- 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 Harnett 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 Harnett County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population139,150
- Households49,845
- Average household size2.79
- Median household income$71,287
- Median age35.6
Common questions
Harnett County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Harnett County, North Carolina?
139,150, in 49,845 households, ranking 23rd of 100 North Carolina counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Harnett County growing?
The population has grown 9.39 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 1,822 births against 1,256 deaths, with net migration of 3,736. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Harnett County?
$71,287. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $246,200, which is 3.5 times income, and median gross rent is $1,112 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Harnett County?
1,960 establishments, employing 24,279 people with an annual payroll of $987.5 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 Harnett County?
Average annual pay is $46,955, or $903 a week, across 28,081 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Harnett County?
65 7(a) approvals totalling $41.5 m since FY2020, across 36 lenders, with a median approval of $204,000, plus 12 504 approvals worth $12.8 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Harnett County get paid back?
Of the 10 loans that have reached a final outcome, 10 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 Harnett County?
2,231 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $687.1 m. Multifamily was 0.5 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Harnett 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 Harnett County come from?
The largest single origin is Harnett County Non-migrants, with 42,290 households. Arriving households report an average income of $64,551 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 Harnett 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 Harnett 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.