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Watauga County, North Carolina: commercial real estate data.
Watauga County, North Carolina has a population of 55,123 across 313 square miles, up 1.7 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $3.19 bn in 2024, 1,740 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 48 7(a) approvals worth $25.8 m.
129 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Watauga County
How many people live in Watauga County
- Population55,123
- Households21,198
- Average household size2.60
- Median household income$51,693
- Median age31.4
- Median gross rent$1,127 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$358,900
- Home value to household income6.9 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income26.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher48.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree21.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over31,109
- Population under 186,676
- Share under 1812.1 percent
- Population 65 and over9,435
- Share 65 and over17.1 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6439,012
- Civilian labor force29,053
- Unemployment rate7.9 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over60.0 percent
- Rank by population among North Carolina counties48th of 100
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents945th
Watauga County is the 48th largest of 100 North Carolina counties by population. A median home costs 6.9 times median household income, which is a stretched ownership market and usually shows up as rental demand. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 17.1 percent against 12.1 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.
Watauga County
Is Watauga County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base1.70 percent
- Census 2020 base population54,079
- Births, 2024296
- Deaths, 2024429
- Natural change, 2024-133
- Net domestic migration, 2024-509
- Net international migration, 2024216
- Total net migration, 2024-293
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024689
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1271st
The county has grown 1.70 percent since the 2020 census base.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Watauga County
Where people moving to Watauga County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving1,607
- People arriving, from those returns2,547
- Adjusted gross income arriving$145.5 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$90,554
- Largest single originWatauga County Non-migrants (15,230 households)
- Largest single destination (15,230 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watauga County Non-migrants | 15,230 | 29,597 | $1.44 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 695 | 1,146 | $60.8 m |
| Other flows - South | 410 | 692 | $40.3 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 352 | 514 | $28.1 m |
| Other flows - West | 114 | 186 | $7.6 m |
| Mecklenburg County | 98 | 143 | $12.4 m |
| Wake County | 92 | 146 | $13.0 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 86 | 134 | $5.1 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Watauga 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.
Watauga County
What the Watauga County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$3.19 bn
- County GDP, 2023$3.06 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20244.3 percent
- GDP change over five years35.8 percent
- Rank by GDP among North Carolina counties42nd
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents935th
- GDP per resident$57,918
Output grew 4.3 percent in the latest year and 35.8 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.
Watauga County
Who employs people in Watauga County
- Covered employment, annual average25,106
- Establishments reporting2,018
- Average annual pay$48,024
- Average weekly wage$924
- Sector 72, employment4,300
- Sector 72, average annual pay$22,204
- Sector 62, employment3,864
- Sector 62, average annual pay$65,945
- Sector 44-45, employment3,504
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$30,974
- Sector 23, employment1,082
- Sector 23, average annual pay$52,752
- Sector 71, employment922
- Sector 56, employment911
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 72 | 4,300 | 205 | $22,204 |
| Sector 62 | 3,864 | 176 | $65,945 |
| Sector 44-45 | 3,504 | 292 | $30,974 |
| Sector 23 | 1,082 | 257 | $52,752 |
| Sector 71 | 922 | 44 | $28,408 |
| Sector 56 | 911 | 129 | $42,360 |
| Sector 54 | 908 | 246 | $83,111 |
| Sector 53 | 764 | 168 | $46,492 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 4,300 jobs, 17.1 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.
Watauga County
What businesses operate in Watauga County
- Establishments, all industries1,740
- Employment at those establishments20,781
- Annual payroll$898.7 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents31.6
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.
Watauga County
What is being built in Watauga County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024296
- Declared construction value permitted$176.6 m
- Single family units authorised268
- Multifamily units authorised28
- Multifamily share of units9.5 percent
- Average declared value per unit$596,646
- Units authorised per 1,000 households14.0
Multifamily is 9.5 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Watauga County
How much SBA lending happens in Watauga County
- 7(a) approvals recorded48
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$25.8 m
- Average 7(a) approval$537,090
- Median 7(a) approval$210,000
- 10th percentile approval$20,000
- 90th percentile approval$2,083,000
- Largest single approval$2,292,500
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)467
- Jobs per approval9.7
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active20
- Distinct industries receiving approvals35
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer6.3 percent
- Loans on real estate terms3
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter35
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countWindow Treatment Retailers (5)
- Most active lenderWells Fargo Bank National Association (6)
- 504 approvals recorded5
- 504 gross approval dollars$8.9 m
- Average 504 approval$1,789,200
- Median 504 approval$1,369,000
- Distinct CDCs active2
- 504 jobs per approval17.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved9.5
- Most active CDCCarolina Business Capital, Inc. (3)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals90.6 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$34.7 m
The average approval of $537,090 sits well above the median of $210,000, 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 6.3 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.
Watauga County
Do SBA loans in Watauga County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded16
- Paid in full13
- Charged off3
- Charge off rate on resolved loans18.8 percent
- Status: Paid in full13
- Status: Charged off3
- Status: Exempt from disclosure21
- Status: Cancelled9
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed2
Of the 16 loans that have reached a final outcome, 18.8 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.
Watauga County
Which parts of Watauga County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending6
- BOONE, approvals36
- BLOWING ROCK, approvals6
- Deep Gap, approvals3
- TODD, approvals1
- Zionville, approvals1
- SUGAR GROVE, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| BOONE | 36 | $22,376,100 |
| BLOWING ROCK | 6 | $1,464,100 |
| Deep Gap | 3 | $157,300 |
| TODD | 1 | $1,632,800 |
| Zionville | 1 | $50,000 |
| SUGAR GROVE | 1 | $100,000 |
BOONE accounts for 36 approvals against 6 in BLOWING ROCK. 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.
Watauga County
How big is Watauga County
- Land area313 sq mi
- Rank by land area among North Carolina counties81st of 100
- Width, east to west25.8 mi
- Height, north to south19.1 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land176
- Establishments per square mile5.56
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.
Watauga County
What hazards affect Watauga County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/LZone 1
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book4
- Of those, participating in the NFIP4
- 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 class2
The EPA places the county in radon zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 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 Watauga 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 Watauga County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population55,123
- Households21,198
- Average household size2.60
- Median household income$51,693
- Median age31.4
Common questions
Watauga County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Watauga County, North Carolina?
55,123, in 21,198 households, ranking 48th of 100 North Carolina counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Watauga County growing?
The population has grown 1.70 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 296 births against 429 deaths, with net migration of -293. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Watauga County?
$51,693. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $358,900, which is 6.9 times income, and median gross rent is $1,127 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Watauga County?
1,740 establishments, employing 20,781 people with an annual payroll of $898.7 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 Watauga County?
Average annual pay is $48,024, or $924 a week, across 25,106 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Watauga County?
48 7(a) approvals totalling $25.8 m since FY2020, across 20 lenders, with a median approval of $210,000, plus 5 504 approvals worth $8.9 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Watauga County get paid back?
Of the 16 loans that have reached a final outcome, 13 were paid in full and 3 charged off, a charge off rate of 18.8 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Watauga County?
296 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $176.6 m. Multifamily was 9.5 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Watauga County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 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 Watauga County come from?
The largest single origin is Watauga County Non-migrants, with 15,230 households. Arriving households report an average income of $90,554 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 Watauga 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 Watauga 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.