Monroe County, Tennessee: commercial real estate data.
Monroe County, Tennessee has a population of 47,695 across 636 square miles, up 6.3 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $2.22 bn in 2024, 773 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 14 7(a) approvals worth $10.0 m.
119 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Monroe County
How many people live in Monroe County
- Population47,695
- Households19,714
- Average household size2.42
- Median household income$56,895
- Median age45.2
- Median gross rent$714 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$227,500
- Home value to household income4.0 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income15.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher17.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree5.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over34,614
- Population under 189,792
- Share under 1820.5 percent
- Population 65 and over10,627
- Share 65 and over22.3 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6427,276
- Civilian labor force19,859
- Unemployment rate4.3 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over52.4 percent
- Rank by population among Tennessee counties34th of 95
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1047th
Monroe County is the 34th largest of 95 Tennessee counties by population. A median home costs 4.0 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 22.3 percent against 20.5 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.
Monroe County
Is Monroe County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base6.28 percent
- Census 2020 base population46,250
- Births, 2024501
- Deaths, 2024793
- Natural change, 2024-292
- Net domestic migration, 2024865
- Net international migration, 2024-1
- Total net migration, 2024864
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20243,768
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents372nd
The county has grown 6.28 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.
Monroe County
Where people moving to Monroe County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving1,681
- People arriving, from those returns3,319
- Adjusted gross income arriving$123.6 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$73,536
- Largest single originMonroe County Non-migrants (16,125 households)
- Largest single destination (16,125 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe County Non-migrants | 16,125 | 34,115 | $1.03 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 770 | 1,515 | $73.5 m |
| Other flows - South | 353 | 694 | $28.4 m |
| Loudon County | 179 | 384 | $10.3 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 178 | 336 | $9.1 m |
| McMinn County | 172 | 349 | $6.7 m |
| Other flows - West | 170 | 345 | $19.5 m |
| Blount County | 165 | 337 | $11.3 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Monroe 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.
Monroe County
What the Monroe County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$2.22 bn
- County GDP, 2023$2.13 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20244.1 percent
- GDP change over five years54.2 percent
- Rank by GDP among Tennessee counties33rd
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1192nd
- GDP per resident$46,487
Output grew 4.1 percent in the latest year and 54.2 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.
Monroe County
Who employs people in Monroe County
- Covered employment, annual average15,485
- Establishments reporting958
- Average annual pay$49,323
- Average weekly wage$949
- Sector 31-33, employment5,854
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$62,401
- Sector 44-45, employment1,986
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$32,007
- Sector 72, employment1,448
- Sector 72, average annual pay$18,313
- Sector 56, employment739
- Sector 56, average annual pay$30,918
- Sector 42, employment339
- Sector 52, employment292
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 5,854 | 72 | $62,401 |
| Sector 44-45 | 1,986 | 157 | $32,007 |
| Sector 72 | 1,448 | 94 | $18,313 |
| Sector 56 | 739 | 43 | $30,918 |
| Sector 42 | 339 | 46 | $61,332 |
| Sector 52 | 292 | 62 | $70,107 |
| Sector 23 | 273 | 64 | $54,028 |
| Sector 54 | 252 | 86 | $87,127 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 5,854 jobs, 37.8 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.
Monroe County
What businesses operate in Monroe County
- Establishments, all industries773
- Employment at those establishments13,318
- Annual payroll$612.6 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.
Monroe County
What is being built in Monroe County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024157
- Declared construction value permitted$47.1 m
- Single family units authorised151
- Multifamily units authorised6
- Multifamily share of units3.8 percent
- Average declared value per unit$300,234
- Units authorised per 1,000 households8.0
Multifamily is 3.8 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Monroe County
How much SBA lending happens in Monroe County
- 7(a) approvals recorded14
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$10.0 m
- Average 7(a) approval$712,036
- Median 7(a) approval$657,800
- 10th percentile approval$100,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,250,000
- Largest single approval$1,707,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)199
- Jobs per approval14.2
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active12
- Distinct industries receiving approvals12
- Median 7(a) term300 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer64.3 percent
- Loans on real estate terms9
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter4
- Franchise loans2
- Franchise share of approvals14.3 percent
- Leading industry by approval countFull-Service Restaurants (2)
- Most active lenderPinnacle Bank (2)
- 504 approvals recorded3
- 504 gross approval dollars$5.3 m
- Average 504 approval$1,756,000
- Median 504 approval$478,000
- Distinct CDCs active1
- 504 jobs per approval8.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved4.6
- Most active CDCBrightbridge, Inc. (3)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals82.4 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$15.2 m
The average approval of $712,036 sits close to the median of $657,800, so lending here is fairly evenly sized rather than driven by a few large deals. 64.3 percent of approvals run on real estate terms of 240 months or more, so this is a market where SBA credit is buying buildings, not just funding operations.
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.
Monroe County
Do SBA loans in Monroe County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded2
- Paid in full2
- Charged off0
- Status: Exempt from disclosure10
- Status: Paid in full2
- Status: Cancelled1
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed1
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 2 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.
Monroe County
Which parts of Monroe County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending4
- SWEETWATER, approvals8
- Madisonville, approvals4
- TELLICO PLAINS, approvals1
- VONORE, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| SWEETWATER | 8 | $4,180,800 |
| Madisonville | 4 | $3,907,700 |
| TELLICO PLAINS | 1 | $1,250,000 |
| VONORE | 1 | $630,000 |
SWEETWATER accounts for 8 approvals against 4 in Madisonville. 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.
Monroe County
How big is Monroe County
- Land area636 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Tennessee counties6th of 95
- Width, east to west31.9 mi
- Height, north to south32.1 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land75
- Establishments per square mile1.22
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 Monroe 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 Monroe County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population47,695
- Households19,714
- Average household size2.42
- Median household income$56,895
- Median age45.2
Common questions
Monroe County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Monroe County, Tennessee?
47,695, in 19,714 households, ranking 34th of 95 Tennessee counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Monroe County growing?
The population has grown 6.28 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 501 births against 793 deaths, with net migration of 864. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Monroe County?
$56,895. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $227,500, which is 4.0 times income, and median gross rent is $714 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Monroe County?
773 establishments, employing 13,318 people with an annual payroll of $612.6 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 Monroe County?
Average annual pay is $49,323, or $949 a week, across 15,485 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Monroe County?
14 7(a) approvals totalling $10.0 m since FY2020, across 12 lenders, with a median approval of $657,800, plus 3 504 approvals worth $5.3 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Monroe County?
157 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $47.1 m. Multifamily was 3.8 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Monroe 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 Monroe County come from?
The largest single origin is Monroe County Non-migrants, with 16,125 households. Arriving households report an average income of $73,536 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 Monroe 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 Monroe 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.