HomeSouth CarolinaOconee County
Oconee County, South Carolina: commercial real estate data.
Oconee County, South Carolina has a population of 80,469 across 626 square miles, up 4.9 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $5.24 bn in 2024, 1,761 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 59 7(a) approvals worth $31.4 m.
123 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Oconee County
How many people live in Oconee County
- Population80,469
- Households34,515
- Average household size2.33
- Median household income$62,388
- Median age47.3
- Median gross rent$881 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$237,100
- Home value to household income3.8 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income16.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher28.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree11.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over59,158
- Population under 1815,374
- Share under 1819.1 percent
- Population 65 and over20,015
- Share 65 and over24.9 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6445,080
- Civilian labor force35,647
- Unemployment rate5.9 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over54.8 percent
- Rank by population among South Carolina counties18th of 46
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents723rd
Oconee County is the 18th largest of 46 South Carolina counties by population. A median home costs 3.8 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 24.9 percent against 19.1 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.
Oconee County
Is Oconee County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base4.93 percent
- Census 2020 base population78,601
- Births, 2024714
- Deaths, 20241,122
- Natural change, 2024-408
- Net domestic migration, 20241,001
- Net international migration, 2024348
- Total net migration, 20241,349
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20244,720
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents546th
The county has grown 4.93 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.
Oconee County
Where people moving to Oconee County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving2,323
- People arriving, from those returns4,381
- Adjusted gross income arriving$256.3 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$110,320
- Largest single originOconee County Non-migrants (28,426 households)
- Largest single destination (28,426 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oconee County Non-migrants | 28,426 | 57,744 | $2.50 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 1,248 | 2,392 | $151.5 m |
| Other flows - South | 681 | 1,255 | $83.6 m |
| Pickens County | 286 | 498 | $17.1 m |
| Anderson County | 219 | 408 | $12.2 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 200 | 423 | $21.1 m |
| Other flows - Northeast | 197 | 375 | $24.9 m |
| Greenville County | 170 | 332 | $28.1 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Oconee 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.
Oconee County
What the Oconee County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$5.24 bn
- County GDP, 2023$5.02 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20244.4 percent
- GDP change over five years36.0 percent
- Rank by GDP among South Carolina counties17th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents695th
- GDP per resident$65,150
Output grew 4.4 percent in the latest year and 36.0 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.
Oconee County
Who employs people in Oconee County
- Covered employment, annual average25,478
- Establishments reporting2,024
- Average annual pay$57,970
- Average weekly wage$1,115
- Sector 31-33, employment6,128
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$67,814
- Sector 44-45, employment3,615
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$34,269
- Sector 72, employment1,904
- Sector 72, average annual pay$21,724
- Sector 62, employment1,874
- Sector 62, average annual pay$64,847
- Sector 23, employment1,512
- Sector 56, employment1,240
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 6,128 | 117 | $67,814 |
| Sector 44-45 | 3,615 | 299 | $34,269 |
| Sector 72 | 1,904 | 150 | $21,724 |
| Sector 62 | 1,874 | 188 | $64,847 |
| Sector 23 | 1,512 | 278 | $57,273 |
| Sector 56 | 1,240 | 128 | $68,355 |
| Sector 54 | 752 | 222 | $77,169 |
| Sector 81 | 696 | 135 | $36,003 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 6,128 jobs, 24.1 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.
Oconee County
What businesses operate in Oconee County
- Establishments, all industries1,761
- Employment at those establishments22,175
- Annual payroll$1.18 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents21.9
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.
Oconee County
What is being built in Oconee County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024648
- Declared construction value permitted$248.7 m
- Single family units authorised608
- Multifamily units authorised40
- Multifamily share of units6.2 percent
- Average declared value per unit$383,857
- Units authorised per 1,000 households18.8
Multifamily is 6.2 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Oconee County
How much SBA lending happens in Oconee County
- 7(a) approvals recorded59
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$31.4 m
- Average 7(a) approval$532,736
- Median 7(a) approval$212,500
- 10th percentile approval$15,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,655,000
- Largest single approval$3,941,200
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)440
- Jobs per approval7.5
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active26
- Distinct industries receiving approvals39
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer22.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms13
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter39
- Franchise loans7
- Franchise share of approvals11.9 percent
- Leading industry by approval countFull-Service Restaurants (6)
- Most active lenderTD Bank, National Association (11)
- 504 approvals recorded3
- 504 gross approval dollars$1.6 m
- Average 504 approval$543,667
- Median 504 approval$267,000
- Distinct CDCs active2
- 504 jobs per approval1.3
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved2.5
- Most active CDCAppalachian Development Corporation (2)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals95.2 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$33.1 m
The average approval of $532,736 sits well above the median of $212,500, 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 22.0 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.
Oconee County
Do SBA loans in Oconee County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded16
- Paid in full15
- Charged off1
- Charge off rate on resolved loans6.3 percent
- Status: Exempt from disclosure31
- Status: Paid in full15
- Status: Cancelled7
- Status: Charged off1
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed5
Of the 16 loans that have reached a final outcome, 6.3 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.
Oconee County
Which parts of Oconee County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending8
- SENECA, approvals43
- FAIR PLAY, approvals4
- Salem, approvals3
- West Union, approvals3
- WESTMINSTER, approvals3
- WALHALLA, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| SENECA | 43 | $28,028,500 |
| FAIR PLAY | 4 | $743,000 |
| Salem | 3 | $536,500 |
| West Union | 3 | $160,000 |
| WESTMINSTER | 3 | $928,000 |
| WALHALLA | 1 | $150,000 |
| TAMASSEE | 1 | $386,400 |
| ALPHARETTA | 1 | $499,000 |
SENECA accounts for 43 approvals against 4 in FAIR PLAY. 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.
Oconee County
How big is Oconee County
- Land area626 sq mi
- Rank by land area among South Carolina counties23rd of 46
- Width, east to west29.1 mi
- Height, north to south40.2 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary2
- Residents per square mile of land129
- Establishments per square mile2.81
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.
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.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- 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 Oconee 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 Oconee County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population80,469
- Households34,515
- Average household size2.33
- Median household income$62,388
- Median age47.3
Common questions
Oconee County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Oconee County, South Carolina?
80,469, in 34,515 households, ranking 18th of 46 South Carolina counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Oconee County growing?
The population has grown 4.93 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 714 births against 1,122 deaths, with net migration of 1,349. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Oconee County?
$62,388. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $237,100, which is 3.8 times income, and median gross rent is $881 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Oconee County?
1,761 establishments, employing 22,175 people with an annual payroll of $1.18 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 Oconee County?
Average annual pay is $57,970, or $1,115 a week, across 25,478 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Oconee County?
59 7(a) approvals totalling $31.4 m since FY2020, across 26 lenders, with a median approval of $212,500, plus 3 504 approvals worth $1.6 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Oconee County get paid back?
Of the 16 loans that have reached a final outcome, 15 were paid in full and 1 charged off, a charge off rate of 6.3 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Oconee County?
648 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $248.7 m. Multifamily was 6.2 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Oconee 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 Oconee County come from?
The largest single origin is Oconee County Non-migrants, with 28,426 households. Arriving households report an average income of $110,320 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 Oconee 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 Oconee 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.