Sullivan County, Tennessee: commercial real estate data.
Sullivan County, Tennessee has a population of 160,624 across 413 square miles, up 2.9 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $11.88 bn in 2024, 3,382 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 71 7(a) approvals worth $46.8 m.
122 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Sullivan County
How many people live in Sullivan County
- Population160,624
- Households68,907
- Average household size2.33
- Median household income$58,807
- Median age45.0
- Median gross rent$889 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$213,300
- Home value to household income3.6 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income18.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher26.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree9.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over118,080
- Population under 1830,610
- Share under 1819.1 percent
- Population 65 and over35,721
- Share 65 and over22.2 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6494,293
- Civilian labor force75,119
- Unemployment rate5.4 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over57.8 percent
- Rank by population among Tennessee counties9th of 95
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents431st
Sullivan County is the 9th largest of 95 Tennessee counties by population. A median home costs 3.6 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 22.2 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.
Sullivan County
Is Sullivan County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base2.87 percent
- Census 2020 base population158,161
- Births, 20241,519
- Deaths, 20242,486
- Natural change, 2024-967
- Net domestic migration, 20241,527
- Net international migration, 202488
- Total net migration, 20241,615
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20248,522
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents906th
The county has grown 2.87 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.
Sullivan County
Where people moving to Sullivan County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving4,658
- People arriving, from those returns8,567
- Adjusted gross income arriving$301.8 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$64,786
- Largest single originSullivan County Non-migrants (59,453 households)
- Largest single destination (59,453 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sullivan County Non-migrants | 59,453 | 117,804 | $4.36 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 1,950 | 3,730 | $148.9 m |
| Other flows - South | 1,105 | 2,061 | $84.2 m |
| Washington County | 780 | 1,348 | $47.1 m |
| Hawkins County | 383 | 735 | $18.7 m |
| Other flows - West | 348 | 775 | $30.5 m |
| Other flows - Northeast | 258 | 461 | $18.6 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 239 | 433 | $15.6 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Sullivan 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.
Sullivan County
What the Sullivan County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$11.88 bn
- County GDP, 2023$11.08 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20247.2 percent
- GDP change over five years41.2 percent
- Rank by GDP among Tennessee counties8th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents386th
- GDP per resident$73,959
Output grew 7.2 percent in the latest year and 41.2 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.
Sullivan County
Who employs people in Sullivan County
- Covered employment, annual average70,256
- Establishments reporting4,219
- Average annual pay$62,036
- Average weekly wage$1,193
- Sector 31-33, employment11,494
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$99,215
- Sector 62, employment10,532
- Sector 62, average annual pay$73,644
- Sector 44-45, employment8,982
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$36,352
- Sector 72, employment7,178
- Sector 72, average annual pay$22,369
- Sector 56, employment5,539
- Sector 23, employment4,391
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 11,494 | 207 | $99,215 |
| Sector 62 | 10,532 | 616 | $73,644 |
| Sector 44-45 | 8,982 | 605 | $36,352 |
| Sector 72 | 7,178 | 353 | $22,369 |
| Sector 56 | 5,539 | 228 | $43,610 |
| Sector 23 | 4,391 | 357 | $72,086 |
| Sector 54 | 2,895 | 470 | $75,493 |
| Sector 48-49 | 2,592 | 112 | $54,169 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 11,494 jobs, 16.4 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job exceeds median household income, which usually means single earner households and a wage base that can carry rent.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Sullivan County
What businesses operate in Sullivan County
- Establishments, all industries3,382
- Employment at those establishments60,008
- Annual payroll$3.65 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents21.1
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.
Sullivan County
What is being built in Sullivan County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024453
- Declared construction value permitted$107.9 m
- Single family units authorised423
- Multifamily units authorised30
- Multifamily share of units6.6 percent
- Average declared value per unit$238,267
- Units authorised per 1,000 households6.6
Multifamily is 6.6 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Sullivan County
How much SBA lending happens in Sullivan County
- 7(a) approvals recorded71
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$46.8 m
- Average 7(a) approval$658,793
- Median 7(a) approval$246,300
- 10th percentile approval$35,000
- 90th percentile approval$2,192,000
- Largest single approval$4,650,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)699
- Jobs per approval9.8
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active32
- Distinct industries receiving approvals43
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer21.1 percent
- Loans on real estate terms15
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter49
- Franchise loans18
- Franchise share of approvals25.4 percent
- Leading industry by approval countAll Other Specialty Trade Contractors (11)
- Most active lenderThe First Bank and Trust Company (22)
- 504 approvals recorded8
- 504 gross approval dollars$4.8 m
- Average 504 approval$598,500
- Median 504 approval$644,000
- Distinct CDCs active3
- 504 jobs per approval5.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved8.4
- Most active CDCBrightbridge, Inc. (5)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals89.9 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$51.6 m
The average approval of $658,793 sits well above the median of $246,300, 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 21.1 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.
Sullivan County
Do SBA loans in Sullivan County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded22
- Paid in full22
- Charged off0
- Charge off rate on resolved loans0.0 percent
- Status: Paid in full22
- Status: Cancelled7
- Status: Exempt from disclosure39
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed3
Of the 22 loans that have reached a final outcome, 0.0 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.
Sullivan County
Which parts of Sullivan County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending7
- Kingsport, approvals25
- BRISTOL, approvals22
- Blountville, approvals16
- Bluff City, approvals4
- PINEY FLATS, approvals2
- ASHBURN, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Kingsport | 25 | $19,640,400 |
| BRISTOL | 22 | $13,376,900 |
| Blountville | 16 | $9,736,600 |
| Bluff City | 4 | $991,900 |
| PINEY FLATS | 2 | $2,893,500 |
| ASHBURN | 1 | $85,000 |
| AFTON | 1 | $50,000 |
Kingsport accounts for 25 approvals against 22 in BRISTOL. 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.
Sullivan County
How big is Sullivan County
- Land area413 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Tennessee counties56th of 95
- Width, east to west47.4 mi
- Height, north to south15.2 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land389
- Establishments per square mile8.19
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 Sullivan 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 Sullivan County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population160,624
- Households68,907
- Average household size2.33
- Median household income$58,807
- Median age45.0
Common questions
Sullivan County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Sullivan County, Tennessee?
160,624, in 68,907 households, ranking 9th of 95 Tennessee counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Sullivan County growing?
The population has grown 2.87 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 1,519 births against 2,486 deaths, with net migration of 1,615. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Sullivan County?
$58,807. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $213,300, which is 3.6 times income, and median gross rent is $889 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Sullivan County?
3,382 establishments, employing 60,008 people with an annual payroll of $3.65 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 Sullivan County?
Average annual pay is $62,036, or $1,193 a week, across 70,256 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Sullivan County?
71 7(a) approvals totalling $46.8 m since FY2020, across 32 lenders, with a median approval of $246,300, plus 8 504 approvals worth $4.8 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Sullivan County get paid back?
Of the 22 loans that have reached a final outcome, 22 were paid in full and 0 charged off, a charge off rate of 0.0 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Sullivan County?
453 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $107.9 m. Multifamily was 6.6 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Sullivan 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 Sullivan County come from?
The largest single origin is Sullivan County Non-migrants, with 59,453 households. Arriving households report an average income of $64,786 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 Sullivan 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 Sullivan 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.