HomeNorth CarolinaMacon County
Macon County, North Carolina: commercial real estate data.
Macon County, North Carolina has a population of 37,941 across 516 square miles, up 4.6 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $2.13 bn in 2024, 1,282 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 35 7(a) approvals worth $28.0 m.
124 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Macon County
How many people live in Macon County
- Population37,941
- Households18,406
- Average household size2.06
- Median household income$59,061
- Median age49.7
- Median gross rent$803 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$251,900
- Home value to household income4.3 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income16.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher27.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree10.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over28,732
- Population under 186,723
- Share under 1817.7 percent
- Population 65 and over11,079
- Share 65 and over29.2 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6420,139
- Civilian labor force17,023
- Unemployment rate2.8 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over54.5 percent
- Rank by population among North Carolina counties64th of 100
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1253rd
Macon County is the 64th largest of 100 North Carolina counties by population. A median home costs 4.3 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 29.2 percent against 17.7 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.
Macon County
Is Macon County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base4.60 percent
- Census 2020 base population37,016
- Births, 2024340
- Deaths, 2024581
- Natural change, 2024-241
- Net domestic migration, 2024482
- Net international migration, 202445
- Total net migration, 2024527
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20242,571
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents595th
The county has grown 4.60 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.
Macon County
Where people moving to Macon County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving1,112
- People arriving, from those returns1,955
- Adjusted gross income arriving$148.2 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$133,313
- Largest single originMacon County Non-migrants (13,397 households)
- Largest single destination (13,397 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Macon County Non-migrants | 13,397 | 26,252 | $1.71 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 709 | 1,229 | $116.3 m |
| Other flows - South | 524 | 905 | $97.5 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 163 | 291 | $10.3 m |
| Jackson County | 83 | 161 | $5.5 m |
| Other flows - West | 71 | 118 | $9.4 m |
| Other flows - Northeast | 58 | 115 | $5.2 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 56 | 91 | $4.2 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Macon 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.
Macon County
What the Macon County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$2.13 bn
- County GDP, 2023$2.09 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20241.7 percent
- GDP change over five years26.1 percent
- Rank by GDP among North Carolina counties58th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1224th
- GDP per resident$56,133
Output grew 1.7 percent in the latest year and 26.1 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.
Macon County
Who employs people in Macon County
- Covered employment, annual average12,334
- Establishments reporting1,457
- Average annual pay$46,461
- Average weekly wage$893
- Sector 44-45, employment2,217
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$35,426
- Sector 72, employment2,006
- Sector 72, average annual pay$32,673
- Sector 62, employment1,420
- Sector 62, average annual pay$51,047
- Sector 23, employment1,064
- Sector 23, average annual pay$50,008
- Sector 54, employment1,030
- Sector 81, employment513
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 44-45 | 2,217 | 212 | $35,426 |
| Sector 72 | 2,006 | 132 | $32,673 |
| Sector 62 | 1,420 | 118 | $51,047 |
| Sector 23 | 1,064 | 260 | $50,008 |
| Sector 54 | 1,030 | 136 | $68,989 |
| Sector 81 | 513 | 130 | $44,969 |
| Sector 31-33 | 399 | 31 | $46,467 |
| Sector 56 | 396 | 89 | $44,697 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 2,217 jobs, 18.0 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.
Macon County
What businesses operate in Macon County
- Establishments, all industries1,282
- Employment at those establishments10,736
- Annual payroll$464.5 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents33.8
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.
Macon County
What is being built in Macon County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024218
- Declared construction value permitted$125.5 m
- Single family units authorised218
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$575,564
- Units authorised per 1,000 households11.8
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Macon County
How much SBA lending happens in Macon County
- 7(a) approvals recorded35
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$28.0 m
- Average 7(a) approval$801,063
- Median 7(a) approval$229,000
- 10th percentile approval$20,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,987,200
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)305
- Jobs per approval8.7
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active20
- Distinct industries receiving approvals27
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer17.1 percent
- Loans on real estate terms6
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter27
- Franchise loans5
- Franchise share of approvals14.3 percent
- Leading industry by approval countClothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers (3)
- Most active lenderNortheast Bank (4)
- 504 approvals recorded2
- 504 gross approval dollars$3.5 m
- Average 504 approval$1,759,000
- Median 504 approval$2,031,000
- Distinct CDCs active2
- 504 jobs per approval4.5
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved2.6
- Most active CDC504 Capital Corporation (1)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals94.6 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$31.6 m
The average approval of $801,063 sits well above the median of $229,000, 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 17.1 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.
Macon County
Do SBA loans in Macon County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded6
- Paid in full4
- Charged off2
- Status: Paid in full4
- Status: Cancelled7
- Status: Exempt from disclosure19
- Status: Charged off2
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed3
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 6 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.
Macon County
Which parts of Macon County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending3
- Franklin, approvals26
- HIGHLANDS, approvals8
- SCALY MOUNTAIN, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Franklin | 26 | $18,128,100 |
| HIGHLANDS | 8 | $9,659,100 |
| SCALY MOUNTAIN | 1 | $250,000 |
Franklin accounts for 26 approvals against 8 in HIGHLANDS. 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.
Macon County
How big is Macon County
- Land area516 sq mi
- Rank by land area among North Carolina counties39th of 100
- Width, east to west35.6 mi
- Height, north to south23.3 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land74
- Establishments per square mile2.48
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.
Macon County
What hazards affect Macon County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/LZone 2
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book3
- Of those, participating in the NFIP3
- 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 Macon 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 Macon County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population37,941
- Households18,406
- Average household size2.06
- Median household income$59,061
- Median age49.7
Common questions
Macon County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Macon County, North Carolina?
37,941, in 18,406 households, ranking 64th of 100 North Carolina counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Macon County growing?
The population has grown 4.60 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 340 births against 581 deaths, with net migration of 527. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Macon County?
$59,061. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $251,900, which is 4.3 times income, and median gross rent is $803 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Macon County?
1,282 establishments, employing 10,736 people with an annual payroll of $464.5 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 Macon County?
Average annual pay is $46,461, or $893 a week, across 12,334 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Macon County?
35 7(a) approvals totalling $28.0 m since FY2020, across 20 lenders, with a median approval of $229,000, plus 2 504 approvals worth $3.5 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Macon County?
218 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $125.5 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Macon 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 Macon County come from?
The largest single origin is Macon County Non-migrants, with 13,397 households. Arriving households report an average income of $133,313 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 Macon 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 Macon 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.