HomeNorth CarolinaRichmond County
Richmond County, North Carolina: commercial real estate data.
Richmond County, North Carolina has a population of 42,344 across 474 square miles, down 2.2 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $2.62 bn in 2024, 814 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 30 7(a) approvals worth $34.9 m.
126 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Richmond County
How many people live in Richmond County
- Population42,344
- Households17,026
- Average household size2.49
- Median household income$44,883
- Median age40.5
- Median gross rent$724 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$127,800
- Home value to household income2.8 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income19.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher16.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree5.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over28,881
- Population under 189,943
- Share under 1823.5 percent
- Population 65 and over7,670
- Share 65 and over18.1 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6424,731
- Civilian labor force19,253
- Unemployment rate9.8 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over59.4 percent
- Rank by population among North Carolina counties60th of 100
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1162nd
Richmond County is the 60th largest of 100 North Carolina counties by population. A median home costs 2.8 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 23.5 percent against 18.1 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Richmond County
Is Richmond County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base-2.22 percent
- Census 2020 base population42,943
- Births, 2024533
- Deaths, 2024634
- Natural change, 2024-101
- Net domestic migration, 202491
- Net international migration, 2024-4
- Total net migration, 202487
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-103
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2554th
The county has lost 2.22 percent of its population 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.
Richmond County
Where people moving to Richmond County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving749
- People arriving, from those returns1,403
- Adjusted gross income arriving$29.4 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$39,219
- Largest single originRichmond County Non-migrants (14,900 households)
- Largest single destination (14,900 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond County Non-migrants | 14,900 | 30,476 | $740.5 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 231 | 451 | $11.9 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 164 | 281 | $5.2 m |
| Other flows - South | 128 | 244 | $6.2 m |
| Moore County | 70 | 151 | $3.0 m |
| Anson County | 53 | 103 | $1.6 m |
| Scotland County | 48 | 95 | $1.8 m |
| Other flows - Northeast | 45 | 87 | $2.0 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Richmond 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.
Richmond County
What the Richmond County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$2.62 bn
- County GDP, 2023$2.55 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20242.8 percent
- GDP change over five years33.4 percent
- Rank by GDP among North Carolina counties49th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1079th
- GDP per resident$61,851
Output grew 2.8 percent in the latest year and 33.4 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.
Richmond County
Who employs people in Richmond County
- Covered employment, annual average14,036
- Establishments reporting928
- Average annual pay$46,814
- Average weekly wage$900
- Sector 31-33, employment3,411
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$51,041
- Sector 62, employment2,046
- Sector 62, average annual pay$50,340
- Sector 44-45, employment1,894
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$30,456
- Sector 72, employment1,086
- Sector 72, average annual pay$16,132
- Sector 56, employment557
- Sector 23, employment433
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 3,411 | 41 | $51,041 |
| Sector 62 | 2,046 | 112 | $50,340 |
| Sector 44-45 | 1,894 | 174 | $30,456 |
| Sector 72 | 1,086 | 86 | $16,132 |
| Sector 56 | 557 | 48 | $59,038 |
| Sector 23 | 433 | 82 | $63,523 |
| Sector 11 | 226 | 32 | $32,832 |
| Sector 48-49 | 188 | 31 | $39,338 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 3,411 jobs, 24.3 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.
Richmond County
What businesses operate in Richmond County
- Establishments, all industries814
- Employment at those establishments12,523
- Annual payroll$564.4 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents19.2
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.
Richmond County
What is being built in Richmond County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 202458
- Declared construction value permitted$16.2 m
- Single family units authorised56
- Multifamily units authorised2
- Multifamily share of units3.4 percent
- Average declared value per unit$280,102
- Units authorised per 1,000 households3.4
Multifamily is 3.4 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Richmond County
How much SBA lending happens in Richmond County
- 7(a) approvals recorded30
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$34.9 m
- Average 7(a) approval$1,162,293
- Median 7(a) approval$773,000
- 10th percentile approval$25,000
- 90th percentile approval$3,162,000
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)150
- Jobs per approval5.0
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active12
- Distinct industries receiving approvals14
- Median 7(a) term179 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer33.3 percent
- Loans on real estate terms10
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter10
- Franchise loans5
- Franchise share of approvals16.7 percent
- Leading industry by approval countBroilers and Other Meat Type Chicken Production (13)
- Most active lenderFirst Financial Bank (10)
- 504 approvals recorded1
- 504 gross approval dollars$436,000
- Average 504 approval$436,000
- Median 504 approval$436,000
- Distinct CDCs active1
- 504 jobs per approval2.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved4.6
- Most active CDCBusiness Expansion Funding Corporation (1)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals96.8 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$35.3 m
The average approval of $1,162,293 sits well above the median of $773,000, 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. 33.3 percent of approvals run on real estate terms of 240 months or more, so this is a market where SBA credit is buying buildings, not just funding operations.
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.
Richmond County
Do SBA loans in Richmond County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded4
- Paid in full4
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full4
- Status: Exempt from disclosure23
- Status: Cancelled1
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed2
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 4 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.
Richmond County
Which parts of Richmond County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending6
- ROCKINGHAM, approvals18
- ELLERBE, approvals5
- MOUNT GILEAD, approvals3
- MARSTON, approvals2
- NORMAN, approvals1
- HAMLET, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| ROCKINGHAM | 18 | $23,952,800 |
| ELLERBE | 5 | $5,699,000 |
| MOUNT GILEAD | 3 | $2,287,000 |
| MARSTON | 2 | $857,000 |
| NORMAN | 1 | $2,063,000 |
| HAMLET | 1 | $10,000 |
ROCKINGHAM accounts for 18 approvals against 5 in ELLERBE. 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.
Richmond County
How big is Richmond County
- Land area474 sq mi
- Rank by land area among North Carolina counties47th of 100
- Width, east to west34.9 mi
- Height, north to south26.1 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land89
- Establishments per square mile1.72
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.
Richmond County
What hazards affect Richmond County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/LZone 3
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book4
- Of those, participating in the NFIP3
- NFIP participation rate75.0 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 Richmond 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 Richmond County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population42,344
- Households17,026
- Average household size2.49
- Median household income$44,883
- Median age40.5
Common questions
Richmond County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Richmond County, North Carolina?
42,344, in 17,026 households, ranking 60th of 100 North Carolina counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Richmond County growing?
The population has fallen 2.22 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 533 births against 634 deaths, with net migration of 87. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Richmond County?
$44,883. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $127,800, which is 2.8 times income, and median gross rent is $724 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Richmond County?
814 establishments, employing 12,523 people with an annual payroll of $564.4 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 Richmond County?
Average annual pay is $46,814, or $900 a week, across 14,036 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Richmond County?
30 7(a) approvals totalling $34.9 m since FY2020, across 12 lenders, with a median approval of $773,000, plus 1 504 approvals worth $436,000. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Richmond County?
58 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $16.2 m. Multifamily was 3.4 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Richmond 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 Richmond County come from?
The largest single origin is Richmond County Non-migrants, with 14,900 households. Arriving households report an average income of $39,219 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 Richmond 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 Richmond 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.