Portage County, Ohio: commercial real estate data.
Portage County, Ohio has a population of 161,956 across 487 square miles, up 1.3 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $8.79 bn in 2024, 3,051 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 364 7(a) approvals worth $103.1 m.
128 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Portage County
How many people live in Portage County
- Population161,956
- Households65,249
- Average household size2.48
- Median household income$75,766
- Median age39.6
- Median gross rent$1,064 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$227,000
- Home value to household income3.0 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income16.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher32.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree12.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over108,400
- Population under 1829,466
- Share under 1818.2 percent
- Population 65 and over29,702
- Share 65 and over18.3 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64102,788
- Civilian labor force87,728
- Unemployment rate5.3 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over66.2 percent
- Rank by population among Ohio counties20th of 88
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents428th
Portage County is the 20th 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 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 18.3 percent against 18.2 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.
Portage County
Is Portage County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base1.26 percent
- Census 2020 base population161,798
- Births, 20241,348
- Deaths, 20241,652
- Natural change, 2024-304
- Net domestic migration, 2024372
- Net international migration, 2024694
- Total net migration, 20241,066
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20241,865
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1400th
The county has grown 1.26 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.
Portage County
Where people moving to Portage County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving4,839
- People arriving, from those returns7,920
- Adjusted gross income arriving$320.3 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$66,197
- Largest single originPortage County Non-migrants (61,695 households)
- Largest single destination (61,695 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portage County Non-migrants | 61,695 | 116,376 | $4.93 bn |
| Summit County | 1,566 | 2,606 | $104.0 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 1,046 | 1,712 | $71.6 m |
| Cuyahoga County | 763 | 1,323 | $54.8 m |
| Other flows - South | 488 | 813 | $32.6 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 271 | 395 | $13.2 m |
| Stark County | 257 | 421 | $13.7 m |
| Trumbull County | 215 | 337 | $9.9 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Portage 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.
Portage County
What the Portage County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$8.79 bn
- County GDP, 2023$8.48 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20243.7 percent
- GDP change over five years31.2 percent
- Rank by GDP among Ohio counties22nd
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents492nd
- GDP per resident$54,293
Output grew 3.7 percent in the latest year and 31.2 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.
Portage County
Who employs people in Portage County
- Covered employment, annual average56,561
- Establishments reporting3,770
- Average annual pay$57,670
- Average weekly wage$1,109
- Sector 31-33, employment10,209
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$69,029
- Sector 44-45, employment7,000
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$36,578
- Sector 62, employment5,899
- Sector 62, average annual pay$45,483
- Sector 72, employment5,748
- Sector 72, average annual pay$20,690
- Sector 42, employment3,019
- Sector 54, employment2,403
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 10,209 | 284 | $69,029 |
| Sector 44-45 | 7,000 | 440 | $36,578 |
| Sector 62 | 5,899 | 303 | $45,483 |
| Sector 72 | 5,748 | 351 | $20,690 |
| Sector 42 | 3,019 | 230 | $98,855 |
| Sector 54 | 2,403 | 394 | $81,820 |
| Sector 23 | 2,273 | 380 | $73,201 |
| Sector 81 | 1,560 | 285 | $37,421 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 10,209 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.
Portage County
What businesses operate in Portage County
- Establishments, all industries3,051
- Employment at those establishments48,660
- Annual payroll$2.56 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents18.8
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.
Portage County
What is being built in Portage County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024200
- Declared construction value permitted$78.0 m
- Single family units authorised181
- Multifamily units authorised19
- Multifamily share of units9.5 percent
- Average declared value per unit$390,128
- Units authorised per 1,000 households3.1
Multifamily is 9.5 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Portage County
How much SBA lending happens in Portage County
- 7(a) approvals recorded364
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$103.1 m
- Average 7(a) approval$283,358
- Median 7(a) approval$75,800
- 10th percentile approval$20,000
- 90th percentile approval$739,500
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)2,477
- Jobs per approval6.8
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active43
- Distinct industries receiving approvals113
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer9.6 percent
- Loans on real estate terms35
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter323
- Franchise loans27
- Franchise share of approvals7.4 percent
- Leading industry by approval countGeneral Freight Trucking, Long-Distance, Truckload (27)
- Most active lenderThe Huntington National Bank (256)
- 504 approvals recorded43
- 504 gross approval dollars$36.5 m
- Average 504 approval$849,256
- Median 504 approval$538,000
- Distinct CDCs active6
- 504 jobs per approval10.1
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved11.9
- Most active CDCCascade Capital Corporation (25)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals89.4 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$139.7 m
The average approval of $283,358 sits well above the median of $75,800, 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 9.6 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.
Portage County
Do SBA loans in Portage County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded97
- Paid in full86
- Charged off11
- Charge off rate on resolved loans11.3 percent
- Status: Paid in full86
- Status: Exempt from disclosure215
- Status: Cancelled30
- Status: Charged off11
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed22
Of the 97 loans that have reached a final outcome, 11.3 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.
Portage County
Which parts of Portage County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending23
- Ravenna, approvals71
- Kent, approvals63
- Streetsboro, approvals62
- Aurora, approvals44
- MOGADORE, approvals23
- Mantua, approvals22
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Ravenna | 71 | $10,750,700 |
| Kent | 63 | $23,641,700 |
| Streetsboro | 62 | $34,310,300 |
| Aurora | 44 | $11,441,200 |
| MOGADORE | 23 | $2,323,200 |
| Mantua | 22 | $7,653,000 |
| Garrettsville | 18 | $4,863,500 |
| Atwater | 11 | $3,433,100 |
Ravenna accounts for 71 approvals against 63 in Kent. 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.
Portage County
How big is Portage County
- Land area487 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Ohio counties30th of 88
- Width, east to west20.4 mi
- Height, north to south24.9 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land333
- Establishments per square mile6.26
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.
Portage County
What hazards affect Portage County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/LZone 2
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book9
- Of those, participating in the NFIP8
- NFIP participation rate88.9 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 Portage 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 Portage County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population161,956
- Households65,249
- Average household size2.48
- Median household income$75,766
- Median age39.6
Common questions
Portage County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Portage County, Ohio?
161,956, in 65,249 households, ranking 20th of 88 Ohio counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Portage County growing?
The population has grown 1.26 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 1,348 births against 1,652 deaths, with net migration of 1,066. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Portage County?
$75,766. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $227,000, which is 3.0 times income, and median gross rent is $1,064 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Portage County?
3,051 establishments, employing 48,660 people with an annual payroll of $2.56 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 Portage County?
Average annual pay is $57,670, or $1,109 a week, across 56,561 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Portage County?
364 7(a) approvals totalling $103.1 m since FY2020, across 43 lenders, with a median approval of $75,800, plus 43 504 approvals worth $36.5 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Portage County get paid back?
Of the 97 loans that have reached a final outcome, 86 were paid in full and 11 charged off, a charge off rate of 11.3 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Portage County?
200 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $78.0 m. Multifamily was 9.5 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Portage 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 Portage County come from?
The largest single origin is Portage County Non-migrants, with 61,695 households. Arriving households report an average income of $66,197 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 Portage 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 Portage 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.