Guernsey County, Ohio: commercial real estate data.
Guernsey County, Ohio has a population of 38,223 across 522 square miles, down 0.6 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $3.69 bn in 2024, 828 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 80 7(a) approvals worth $22.7 m.
128 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Guernsey County
How many people live in Guernsey County
- Population38,223
- Households16,318
- Average household size2.34
- Median household income$58,478
- Median age42.9
- Median gross rent$864 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$157,700
- Home value to household income2.7 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income17.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher15.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree5.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over26,959
- Population under 188,455
- Share under 1822.1 percent
- Population 65 and over7,664
- Share 65 and over20.1 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6422,104
- Civilian labor force17,561
- Unemployment rate5.3 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over59.0 percent
- Rank by population among Ohio counties65th of 88
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1244th
Guernsey County is the 65th largest of 88 Ohio 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 22.1 percent against 20.1 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Guernsey County
Is Guernsey County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base-0.56 percent
- Census 2020 base population38,434
- Births, 2024408
- Deaths, 2024577
- Natural change, 2024-169
- Net domestic migration, 2024251
- Net international migration, 202413
- Total net migration, 2024264
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024489
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2038th
The county has lost 0.56 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.
Guernsey County
Where people moving to Guernsey County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving728
- People arriving, from those returns1,373
- Adjusted gross income arriving$34.6 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$47,488
- Largest single originGuernsey County Non-migrants (14,919 households)
- Largest single destination (14,919 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guernsey County Non-migrants | 14,919 | 29,064 | $924.4 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 223 | 399 | $9.6 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 166 | 355 | $9.4 m |
| Muskingum County | 142 | 266 | $6.2 m |
| Other flows - South | 106 | 218 | $5.6 m |
| Noble County | 72 | 120 | $2.5 m |
| Franklin County | 48 | 77 | $3.7 m |
| Belmont County | 39 | 85 | $1.6 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Guernsey 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.
Guernsey County
What the Guernsey County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$3.69 bn
- County GDP, 2023$3.30 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 202411.8 percent
- GDP change over five years79.4 percent
- Rank by GDP among Ohio counties43rd
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents863rd
- GDP per resident$96,572
Output grew 11.8 percent in the latest year and 79.4 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.
Guernsey County
Who employs people in Guernsey County
- Covered employment, annual average14,599
- Establishments reporting976
- Average annual pay$52,287
- Average weekly wage$1,006
- Sector 31-33, employment2,842
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$69,551
- Sector 62, employment2,712
- Sector 62, average annual pay$47,969
- Sector 72, employment1,682
- Sector 72, average annual pay$20,564
- Sector 44-45, employment1,650
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$33,087
- Sector 21, employment557
- Sector 48-49, employment554
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 2,842 | 43 | $69,551 |
| Sector 62 | 2,712 | 118 | $47,969 |
| Sector 72 | 1,682 | 94 | $20,564 |
| Sector 44-45 | 1,650 | 135 | $33,087 |
| Sector 21 | 557 | 34 | $99,935 |
| Sector 48-49 | 554 | 49 | $60,151 |
| Sector 23 | 463 | 72 | $77,179 |
| Sector 54 | 384 | 44 | $64,132 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 2,842 jobs, 19.5 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.
Guernsey County
What businesses operate in Guernsey County
- Establishments, all industries828
- Employment at those establishments12,636
- Annual payroll$596.6 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents21.7
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.
Guernsey County
What is being built in Guernsey County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 202435
- Declared construction value permitted$7.5 m
- Single family units authorised35
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$215,350
- Units authorised per 1,000 households2.1
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Guernsey County
How much SBA lending happens in Guernsey County
- 7(a) approvals recorded80
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$22.7 m
- Average 7(a) approval$283,808
- Median 7(a) approval$50,000
- 10th percentile approval$15,000
- 90th percentile approval$610,000
- Largest single approval$4,720,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)428
- Jobs per approval5.3
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active12
- Distinct industries receiving approvals45
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer11.3 percent
- Loans on real estate terms9
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter67
- Franchise loans10
- Franchise share of approvals12.5 percent
- Leading industry by approval countHotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (4)
- Most active lenderThe Huntington National Bank (42)
- 504 approvals recorded4
- 504 gross approval dollars$3.7 m
- Average 504 approval$913,250
- Median 504 approval$1,199,000
- Distinct CDCs active2
- 504 jobs per approval19.8
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved21.6
- Most active CDCOhio Statewide Development Corporation (3)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals95.2 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$26.4 m
The average approval of $283,808 sits well above the median of $50,000, 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 11.3 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.
Guernsey County
Do SBA loans in Guernsey County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded18
- Paid in full16
- Charged off2
- Charge off rate on resolved loans11.1 percent
- Status: Exempt from disclosure58
- Status: Paid in full16
- Status: Cancelled2
- Status: Charged off2
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed2
Of the 18 loans that have reached a final outcome, 11.1 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.
Guernsey County
Which parts of Guernsey County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending9
- Cambridge, approvals50
- BYESVILLE, approvals12
- Lore City, approvals5
- Pleasant City, approvals3
- Quaker City, approvals3
- KIMBOLTON, approvals3
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Cambridge | 50 | $20,374,300 |
| BYESVILLE | 12 | $1,048,700 |
| Lore City | 5 | $454,500 |
| Pleasant City | 3 | $75,000 |
| Quaker City | 3 | $120,000 |
| KIMBOLTON | 3 | $281,500 |
| SENECAVILLE | 2 | $80,000 |
| Cumberland | 1 | $245,600 |
Cambridge accounts for 50 approvals against 12 in BYESVILLE. 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.
Guernsey County
How big is Guernsey County
- Land area522 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Ohio counties22nd of 88
- Width, east to west26.6 mi
- Height, north to south26.4 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land73
- Establishments per square mile1.59
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.
Guernsey County
What hazards affect Guernsey County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/LZone 1
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book8
- Of those, participating in the NFIP8
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
The EPA places the county in radon zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 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 Guernsey 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 Guernsey County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population38,223
- Households16,318
- Average household size2.34
- Median household income$58,478
- Median age42.9
Common questions
Guernsey County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Guernsey County, Ohio?
38,223, in 16,318 households, ranking 65th of 88 Ohio counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Guernsey County growing?
The population has fallen 0.56 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 408 births against 577 deaths, with net migration of 264. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Guernsey County?
$58,478. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $157,700, which is 2.7 times income, and median gross rent is $864 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Guernsey County?
828 establishments, employing 12,636 people with an annual payroll of $596.6 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 Guernsey County?
Average annual pay is $52,287, or $1,006 a week, across 14,599 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Guernsey County?
80 7(a) approvals totalling $22.7 m since FY2020, across 12 lenders, with a median approval of $50,000, plus 4 504 approvals worth $3.7 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Guernsey County get paid back?
Of the 18 loans that have reached a final outcome, 16 were paid in full and 2 charged off, a charge off rate of 11.1 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Guernsey County?
35 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $7.5 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Guernsey 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 Guernsey County come from?
The largest single origin is Guernsey County Non-migrants, with 14,919 households. Arriving households report an average income of $47,488 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 Guernsey 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 Guernsey 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.