DeKalb County, Tennessee: commercial real estate data.
DeKalb County, Tennessee has a population of 20,959 across 304 square miles, up 8.3 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $882.9 m in 2024, 339 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 2 7(a) approvals worth $32,200.
114 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
DeKalb County
How many people live in DeKalb County
- Population20,959
- Households8,652
- Average household size2.42
- Median household income$53,153
- Median age41.9
- Median gross rent$839 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$235,500
- Home value to household income4.4 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income18.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher20.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree7.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over14,826
- Population under 184,557
- Share under 1821.7 percent
- Population 65 and over3,933
- Share 65 and over18.8 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6412,469
- Civilian labor force9,446
- Unemployment rate5.6 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over57.6 percent
- Rank by population among Tennessee counties65th of 95
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1825th
DeKalb County is the 65th largest of 95 Tennessee counties by population. A median home costs 4.4 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 21.7 percent against 18.8 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
DeKalb County
Is DeKalb County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base8.31 percent
- Census 2020 base population20,079
- Births, 2024272
- Deaths, 2024283
- Natural change, 2024-11
- Net domestic migration, 2024365
- Net international migration, 202455
- Total net migration, 2024420
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20241,562
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents220th
The county has grown 8.31 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.
DeKalb County
Where people moving to DeKalb County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving749
- People arriving, from those returns1,390
- Adjusted gross income arriving$45.2 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$60,284
- Largest single originDeKalb County Non-migrants (6,989 households)
- Largest single destination (6,989 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeKalb County Non-migrants | 6,989 | 14,737 | $449.8 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 199 | 371 | $15.5 m |
| Other flows - South | 103 | 192 | $7.0 m |
| Wilson County | 100 | 204 | $5.3 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 93 | 155 | $3.9 m |
| Rutherford County | 92 | 187 | $5.8 m |
| Warren County | 60 | 105 | $1.9 m |
| Davidson County | 55 | 87 | $4.3 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is DeKalb 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.
DeKalb County
What the DeKalb County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$882.9 m
- County GDP, 2023$876.3 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20240.8 percent
- GDP change over five years25.6 percent
- Rank by GDP among Tennessee counties60th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1946th
- GDP per resident$42,126
Output grew 0.8 percent in the latest year and 25.6 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.
DeKalb County
Who employs people in DeKalb County
- Covered employment, annual average5,388
- Establishments reporting467
- Average annual pay$48,873
- Average weekly wage$940
- Sector 31-33, employment1,917
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$59,274
- Sector 44-45, employment561
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$29,670
- Sector 72, employment441
- Sector 72, average annual pay$19,382
- Sector 23, employment149
- Sector 23, average annual pay$47,226
- Sector 52, employment130
- Sector 42, employment125
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 1,917 | 37 | $59,274 |
| Sector 44-45 | 561 | 66 | $29,670 |
| Sector 72 | 441 | 34 | $19,382 |
| Sector 23 | 149 | 48 | $47,226 |
| Sector 52 | 130 | 25 | $59,368 |
| Sector 42 | 125 | 18 | $60,669 |
| Sector 54 | 114 | 42 | $63,095 |
| Sector 71 | 113 | 14 | $38,741 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 1,917 jobs, 35.6 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.
DeKalb County
What businesses operate in DeKalb County
- Establishments, all industries339
- Employment at those establishments4,323
- Annual payroll$193.7 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents16.2
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.
DeKalb County
What is being built in DeKalb County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024143
- Declared construction value permitted$22.1 m
- Single family units authorised143
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$154,623
- Units authorised per 1,000 households16.5
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
DeKalb County
How much SBA lending happens in DeKalb County
- 7(a) approvals recorded2
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$32,200
- Average 7(a) approval$16,100
- Median 7(a) approval$25,500
- 10th percentile approval$6,700
- 90th percentile approval$25,500
- Largest single approval$25,500
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)5
- Jobs per approval2.5
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active1
- Distinct industries receiving approvals2
- Median 7(a) term60 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer0.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms0
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter2
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countGeneral Freight Trucking, Local (1)
- Most active lenderU.S. Bank, National Association (2)
- 504 approvals recorded1
- 504 gross approval dollars$4.9 m
- Average 504 approval$4,931,000
- Median 504 approval$4,931,000
- Distinct CDCs active1
- 504 jobs per approval80.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved16.2
- Most active CDCSouth Central Tennessee Business Development Corporation (1)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals66.7 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$5.0 m
The average approval of $16,100 sits close to the median of $25,500, so lending here is fairly evenly sized rather than driven by a few large deals. Only 0.0 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.
DeKalb County
Do SBA loans in DeKalb County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded0
- Paid in full0
- Charged off0
- Status: Cancelled2
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 0 resolved loans, too few to publish a rate. A rate computed on a handful of loans is noise, so none is shown.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
DeKalb County
Which parts of DeKalb County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending2
- SMITHVILLE, approvals1
- SPARTA, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| SMITHVILLE | 1 | $6,700 |
| SPARTA | 1 | $25,500 |
SMITHVILLE accounts for 1 approvals against 1 in SPARTA. 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.
DeKalb County
How big is DeKalb County
- Land area304 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Tennessee counties73rd of 95
- Width, east to west23.7 mi
- Height, north to south20.7 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land69
- Establishments per square mile1.12
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 DeKalb 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 DeKalb County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population20,959
- Households8,652
- Average household size2.42
- Median household income$53,153
- Median age41.9
Common questions
DeKalb County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in DeKalb County, Tennessee?
20,959, in 8,652 households, ranking 65th of 95 Tennessee counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is DeKalb County growing?
The population has grown 8.31 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 272 births against 283 deaths, with net migration of 420. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in DeKalb County?
$53,153. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $235,500, which is 4.4 times income, and median gross rent is $839 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in DeKalb County?
339 establishments, employing 4,323 people with an annual payroll of $193.7 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 DeKalb County?
Average annual pay is $48,873, or $940 a week, across 5,388 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in DeKalb County?
2 7(a) approvals totalling $32,200 since FY2020, across 1 lenders, with a median approval of $25,500, plus 1 504 approvals worth $4.9 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in DeKalb County?
143 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $22.1 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for DeKalb 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 DeKalb County come from?
The largest single origin is DeKalb County Non-migrants, with 6,989 households. Arriving households report an average income of $60,284 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 DeKalb 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 DeKalb 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.