HomeNorth CarolinaLenoir County
Lenoir County, North Carolina: commercial real estate data.
Lenoir County, North Carolina has a population of 54,919 across 401 square miles, up 0.4 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $3.63 bn in 2024, 1,220 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 12 7(a) approvals worth $15.7 m.
122 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Lenoir County
How many people live in Lenoir County
- Population54,919
- Households23,351
- Average household size2.35
- Median household income$45,143
- Median age41.9
- Median gross rent$861 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$120,500
- Home value to household income2.7 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income22.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher16.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree5.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over38,187
- Population under 1812,393
- Share under 1822.6 percent
- Population 65 and over11,781
- Share 65 and over21.5 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6430,745
- Civilian labor force24,727
- Unemployment rate9.0 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over58.1 percent
- Rank by population among North Carolina counties49th of 100
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents948th
Lenoir County is the 49th largest of 100 North Carolina counties by population. A median home costs 2.7 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 22.6 percent against 21.5 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Lenoir County
Is Lenoir County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base0.37 percent
- Census 2020 base population55,126
- Births, 2024654
- Deaths, 2024872
- Natural change, 2024-218
- Net domestic migration, 2024452
- Net international migration, 2024134
- Total net migration, 2024586
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20241,016
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1692nd
The county has grown 0.37 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.
Lenoir County
Where people moving to Lenoir County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving1,286
- People arriving, from those returns2,428
- Adjusted gross income arriving$54.0 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$42,030
- Largest single originLenoir County Non-migrants (19,254 households)
- Largest single destination (19,254 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lenoir County Non-migrants | 19,254 | 38,287 | $1.08 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 354 | 647 | $14.2 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 206 | 348 | $6.1 m |
| Other flows - South | 191 | 338 | $7.5 m |
| Wayne County | 176 | 348 | $11.7 m |
| Pitt County | 165 | 324 | $6.8 m |
| Greene County | 81 | 159 | $2.8 m |
| Other flows - Northeast | 77 | 142 | $2.7 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Lenoir 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.
Lenoir County
What the Lenoir County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$3.63 bn
- County GDP, 2023$3.47 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20244.5 percent
- GDP change over five years30.2 percent
- Rank by GDP among North Carolina counties38th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents871st
- GDP per resident$66,045
Output grew 4.5 percent in the latest year and 30.2 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.
Lenoir County
Who employs people in Lenoir County
- Covered employment, annual average29,083
- Establishments reporting1,412
- Average annual pay$50,091
- Average weekly wage$963
- Sector 31-33, employment8,017
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$53,428
- Sector 62, employment2,745
- Sector 62, average annual pay$43,780
- Sector 44-45, employment2,537
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$32,003
- Sector 23, employment1,885
- Sector 23, average annual pay$68,226
- Sector 72, employment1,827
- Sector 48-49, employment1,774
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 8,017 | 58 | $53,428 |
| Sector 62 | 2,745 | 180 | $43,780 |
| Sector 44-45 | 2,537 | 223 | $32,003 |
| Sector 23 | 1,885 | 149 | $68,226 |
| Sector 72 | 1,827 | 112 | $19,697 |
| Sector 48-49 | 1,774 | 58 | $72,209 |
| Sector 56 | 1,334 | 86 | $33,736 |
| Sector 42 | 782 | 63 | $65,171 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 8,017 jobs, 27.6 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.
Lenoir County
What businesses operate in Lenoir County
- Establishments, all industries1,220
- Employment at those establishments25,562
- Annual payroll$1.19 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents22.2
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.
Lenoir County
What is being built in Lenoir County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024148
- Declared construction value permitted$28.1 m
- Single family units authorised148
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$189,966
- Units authorised per 1,000 households6.3
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Lenoir County
How much SBA lending happens in Lenoir County
- 7(a) approvals recorded12
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$15.7 m
- Average 7(a) approval$1,305,250
- Median 7(a) approval$514,000
- 10th percentile approval$200,000
- 90th percentile approval$4,100,000
- Largest single approval$4,611,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)103
- Jobs per approval8.6
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active8
- Distinct industries receiving approvals9
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer25.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms3
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter7
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countWater and Sewer Line and Related Structures Construction (2)
- Most active lenderFirst Internet Bank of Indiana (2)
- 504 approvals recorded4
- 504 gross approval dollars$784,000
- Average 504 approval$196,000
- Median 504 approval$214,000
- Distinct CDCs active2
- 504 jobs per approval5.5
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved28.1
- Most active CDCBusiness Expansion Funding Corporation (3)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals75.0 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$16.4 m
The average approval of $1,305,250 sits well above the median of $514,000, 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 25.0 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.
Lenoir County
Do SBA loans in Lenoir County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded3
- Paid in full3
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full3
- Status: Exempt from disclosure9
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 3 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.
Lenoir County
Which parts of Lenoir County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending3
- Kinston, approvals10
- LA GRANGE, approvals1
- GASTONIA, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Kinston | 10 | $10,622,000 |
| LA GRANGE | 1 | $941,000 |
| GASTONIA | 1 | $4,100,000 |
Kinston accounts for 10 approvals against 1 in LA GRANGE. 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.
Lenoir County
How big is Lenoir County
- Land area401 sq mi
- Rank by land area among North Carolina counties61st of 100
- Width, east to west25 mi
- Height, north to south28.9 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land137
- Establishments per square mile3.04
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.
Lenoir County
What hazards affect Lenoir 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 6
- Communities carrying a CRS class3
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 6, 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 Lenoir 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 Lenoir County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population54,919
- Households23,351
- Average household size2.35
- Median household income$45,143
- Median age41.9
Common questions
Lenoir County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Lenoir County, North Carolina?
54,919, in 23,351 households, ranking 49th of 100 North Carolina counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Lenoir County growing?
The population has grown 0.37 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 654 births against 872 deaths, with net migration of 586. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Lenoir County?
$45,143. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $120,500, which is 2.7 times income, and median gross rent is $861 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Lenoir County?
1,220 establishments, employing 25,562 people with an annual payroll of $1.19 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 Lenoir County?
Average annual pay is $50,091, or $963 a week, across 29,083 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Lenoir County?
12 7(a) approvals totalling $15.7 m since FY2020, across 8 lenders, with a median approval of $514,000, plus 4 504 approvals worth $784,000. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Lenoir County?
148 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $28.1 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Lenoir 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 Lenoir County come from?
The largest single origin is Lenoir County Non-migrants, with 19,254 households. Arriving households report an average income of $42,030 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 Lenoir 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 Lenoir 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.