Lorain County, Ohio: commercial real estate data.
Lorain County, Ohio has a population of 317,129 across 491 square miles, up 2.9 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $15.03 bn in 2024, 5,664 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 641 7(a) approvals worth $158.3 m.
128 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Lorain County
How many people live in Lorain County
- Population317,129
- Households127,544
- Average household size2.49
- Median household income$73,347
- Median age42.1
- Median gross rent$966 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$223,200
- Home value to household income3.0 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income15.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher28.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree10.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over222,831
- Population under 1868,331
- Share under 1821.5 percent
- Population 65 and over62,902
- Share 65 and over19.8 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64185,896
- Civilian labor force156,503
- Unemployment rate4.3 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over62.9 percent
- Rank by population among Ohio counties9th of 88
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents231st
Lorain County is the 9th largest of 88 Ohio counties by population. A median home costs 3.0 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 21.5 percent against 19.8 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Lorain County
Is Lorain County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base2.89 percent
- Census 2020 base population312,981
- Births, 20243,160
- Deaths, 20243,388
- Natural change, 2024-228
- Net domestic migration, 20242,327
- Net international migration, 2024771
- Total net migration, 20243,098
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20248,518
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents898th
The county has grown 2.89 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.
Lorain County
Where people moving to Lorain County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving7,041
- People arriving, from those returns12,006
- Adjusted gross income arriving$478.4 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$67,948
- Largest single originLorain County Non-migrants (128,526 households)
- Largest single destination (128,526 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lorain County Non-migrants | 128,526 | 248,070 | $10.08 bn |
| Cuyahoga County | 3,232 | 5,586 | $220.5 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 1,698 | 2,973 | $118.4 m |
| Other flows - South | 835 | 1,412 | $51.1 m |
| Medina County | 364 | 641 | $29.8 m |
| Erie County | 346 | 588 | $20.9 m |
| Other flows - Northeast | 303 | 528 | $21.2 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 281 | 523 | $21.7 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Lorain 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.
Lorain County
What the Lorain County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$15.03 bn
- County GDP, 2023$14.20 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20245.8 percent
- GDP change over five years35.0 percent
- Rank by GDP among Ohio counties12th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents326th
- GDP per resident$47,390
Output grew 5.8 percent in the latest year and 35.0 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.
Lorain County
Who employs people in Lorain County
- Covered employment, annual average98,291
- Establishments reporting6,969
- Average annual pay$55,721
- Average weekly wage$1,072
- Sector 31-33, employment15,678
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$74,465
- Sector 62, employment14,290
- Sector 62, average annual pay$51,929
- Sector 44-45, employment12,625
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$34,991
- Sector 72, employment9,493
- Sector 72, average annual pay$21,839
- Sector 56, employment5,205
- Sector 23, employment4,547
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 15,678 | 407 | $74,465 |
| Sector 62 | 14,290 | 740 | $51,929 |
| Sector 44-45 | 12,625 | 793 | $34,991 |
| Sector 72 | 9,493 | 568 | $21,839 |
| Sector 56 | 5,205 | 459 | $47,817 |
| Sector 23 | 4,547 | 677 | $64,734 |
| Sector 42 | 4,505 | 476 | $90,994 |
| Sector 81 | 2,957 | 584 | $38,925 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 15,678 jobs, 16.0 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.
Lorain County
What businesses operate in Lorain County
- Establishments, all industries5,664
- Employment at those establishments89,159
- Annual payroll$4.49 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents17.9
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.
Lorain County
What is being built in Lorain County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 20241,331
- Declared construction value permitted$409.7 m
- Single family units authorised1,091
- Multifamily units authorised240
- Multifamily share of units18.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$307,780
- Units authorised per 1,000 households10.4
Multifamily is 18.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Lorain County
How much SBA lending happens in Lorain County
- 7(a) approvals recorded641
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$158.3 m
- Average 7(a) approval$246,890
- Median 7(a) approval$80,000
- 10th percentile approval$20,000
- 90th percentile approval$587,000
- Largest single approval$4,483,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)4,298
- Jobs per approval6.7
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active48
- Distinct industries receiving approvals196
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer8.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms51
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter566
- Franchise loans76
- Franchise share of approvals11.9 percent
- Leading industry by approval countLandscaping Services (37)
- Most active lenderThe Huntington National Bank (426)
- 504 approvals recorded71
- 504 gross approval dollars$49.4 m
- Average 504 approval$695,070
- Median 504 approval$436,000
- Distinct CDCs active5
- 504 jobs per approval11.7
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved16.8
- Most active CDCGrowth Capital Corp. (51)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals90.0 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$207.6 m
The average approval of $246,890 sits well above the median of $80,000, 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 8.0 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.
Lorain County
Do SBA loans in Lorain County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded124
- Paid in full120
- Charged off4
- Charge off rate on resolved loans3.2 percent
- Status: Paid in full120
- Status: Cancelled58
- Status: Exempt from disclosure426
- Status: Charged off4
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed33
Of the 124 loans that have reached a final outcome, 3.2 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.
Lorain County
Which parts of Lorain County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending24
- North Ridgeville, approvals98
- Elyria, approvals95
- Avon, approvals72
- Lorain, approvals62
- Avon Lake, approvals62
- Columbia Station, approvals49
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| North Ridgeville | 98 | $20,466,900 |
| Elyria | 95 | $21,149,900 |
| Avon | 72 | $29,760,700 |
| Lorain | 62 | $14,980,700 |
| Avon Lake | 62 | $16,516,200 |
| Columbia Station | 49 | $11,307,900 |
| Amherst | 41 | $13,328,900 |
| Wellington | 31 | $6,073,200 |
North Ridgeville accounts for 98 approvals against 95 in Elyria. 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.
Lorain County
How big is Lorain County
- Land area491 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Ohio counties28th of 88
- Width, east to west24.5 mi
- Height, north to south31.2 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land646
- Establishments per square mile11.54
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.
Lorain County
What hazards affect Lorain County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/LZone 2
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book17
- Of those, participating in the NFIP16
- NFIP participation rate94.1 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 Lorain 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 Lorain County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population317,129
- Households127,544
- Average household size2.49
- Median household income$73,347
- Median age42.1
Common questions
Lorain County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Lorain County, Ohio?
317,129, in 127,544 households, ranking 9th of 88 Ohio counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Lorain County growing?
The population has grown 2.89 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 3,160 births against 3,388 deaths, with net migration of 3,098. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Lorain County?
$73,347. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $223,200, which is 3.0 times income, and median gross rent is $966 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Lorain County?
5,664 establishments, employing 89,159 people with an annual payroll of $4.49 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 Lorain County?
Average annual pay is $55,721, or $1,072 a week, across 98,291 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Lorain County?
641 7(a) approvals totalling $158.3 m since FY2020, across 48 lenders, with a median approval of $80,000, plus 71 504 approvals worth $49.4 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Lorain County get paid back?
Of the 124 loans that have reached a final outcome, 120 were paid in full and 4 charged off, a charge off rate of 3.2 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Lorain County?
1,331 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $409.7 m. Multifamily was 18.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Lorain 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 Lorain County come from?
The largest single origin is Lorain County Non-migrants, with 128,526 households. Arriving households report an average income of $67,948 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 Lorain 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 Lorain 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.