Bell County, Texas: commercial real estate data.
Bell County, Texas has a population of 386,897 across 1,051 square miles, up 7.8 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $26.06 bn in 2024, 5,923 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 296 7(a) approvals worth $161.2 m.
129 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Bell County
How many people live in Bell County
- Population386,897
- Households142,305
- Average household size2.72
- Median household income$68,865
- Median age32.3
- Median gross rent$1,224 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$241,000
- Home value to household income3.5 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income21.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher27.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree9.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over239,452
- Population under 18106,248
- Share under 1827.5 percent
- Population 65 and over46,147
- Share 65 and over11.9 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64234,502
- Civilian labor force170,572
- Unemployment rate6.8 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over60.8 percent
- Rank by population among Texas counties15th of 254
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents192nd
Bell County is the 15th largest of 254 Texas counties by population. A median home costs 3.5 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 27.5 percent against 11.9 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Bell County
Is Bell County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base7.76 percent
- Census 2020 base population370,790
- Births, 20246,197
- Deaths, 20242,955
- Natural change, 20243,242
- Net domestic migration, 2024587
- Net international migration, 20241,651
- Total net migration, 20242,238
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 202410,864
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents256th
The county has grown 7.76 percent since the 2020 census base.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Bell County
Where people moving to Bell County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving16,788
- People arriving, from those returns33,980
- Adjusted gross income arriving$927.8 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$55,265
- Largest single originBell County Non-migrants (126,659 households)
- Largest single destination (126,659 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bell County Non-migrants | 126,659 | 273,852 | $8.55 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 4,168 | 7,913 | $209.1 m |
| Other flows - South | 1,811 | 3,433 | $86.9 m |
| Williamson County | 1,458 | 2,980 | $104.8 m |
| Coryell County | 1,084 | 2,416 | $46.4 m |
| Travis County | 1,000 | 1,925 | $74.4 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 943 | 1,787 | $48.0 m |
| Other flows - West | 856 | 1,687 | $48.0 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Bell 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.
Bell County
What the Bell County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$26.06 bn
- County GDP, 2023$24.39 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20246.9 percent
- GDP change over five years42.4 percent
- Rank by GDP among Texas counties17th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents218th
- GDP per resident$67,350
Output grew 6.9 percent in the latest year and 42.4 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.
Bell County
Who employs people in Bell County
- Covered employment, annual average129,627
- Establishments reporting6,521
- Average annual pay$62,107
- Average weekly wage$1,194
- Sector 62, employment20,994
- Sector 62, average annual pay$95,040
- Sector 44-45, employment16,488
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$39,354
- Sector 72, employment14,123
- Sector 72, average annual pay$22,088
- Sector 31-33, employment7,144
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$66,621
- Sector 23, employment6,581
- Sector 54, employment5,311
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 62 | 20,994 | 817 | $95,040 |
| Sector 44-45 | 16,488 | 890 | $39,354 |
| Sector 72 | 14,123 | 721 | $22,088 |
| Sector 31-33 | 7,144 | 203 | $66,621 |
| Sector 23 | 6,581 | 585 | $77,323 |
| Sector 54 | 5,311 | 558 | $77,287 |
| Sector 56 | 4,679 | 429 | $45,290 |
| Sector 42 | 4,327 | 192 | $83,138 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 20,994 jobs, 16.2 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.
Bell County
What businesses operate in Bell County
- Establishments, all industries5,923
- Employment at those establishments104,607
- Annual payroll$5.83 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents15.3
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.
Bell County
What is being built in Bell County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 20243,243
- Declared construction value permitted$828.8 m
- Single family units authorised2,655
- Multifamily units authorised588
- Multifamily share of units18.1 percent
- Average declared value per unit$255,578
- Units authorised per 1,000 households22.8
Multifamily is 18.1 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Bell County
How much SBA lending happens in Bell County
- 7(a) approvals recorded296
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$161.2 m
- Average 7(a) approval$544,481
- Median 7(a) approval$250,000
- 10th percentile approval$25,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,500,000
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)2,788
- Jobs per approval9.4
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active80
- Distinct industries receiving approvals125
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer23.3 percent
- Loans on real estate terms69
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter208
- Franchise loans62
- Franchise share of approvals20.9 percent
- Leading industry by approval countHotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (14)
- Most active lenderFirst National Bank Texas (48)
- 504 approvals recorded49
- 504 gross approval dollars$50.5 m
- Average 504 approval$1,029,980
- Median 504 approval$657,000
- Distinct CDCs active9
- 504 jobs per approval13.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved12.7
- Most active CDCCapital Certified Development Corporation (14)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals85.8 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$211.6 m
The average approval of $544,481 sits well above the median of $250,000, 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 23.3 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.
Bell County
Do SBA loans in Bell County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded56
- Paid in full50
- Charged off6
- Charge off rate on resolved loans10.7 percent
- Status: Cancelled39
- Status: Exempt from disclosure188
- Status: Paid in full50
- Status: Charged off6
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed13
Of the 56 loans that have reached a final outcome, 10.7 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.
Bell County
Which parts of Bell County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending17
- KILLEEN, approvals95
- TEMPLE, approvals94
- BELTON, approvals37
- SALADO, approvals23
- Harker Heights, approvals20
- NOLANVILLE, approvals8
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| KILLEEN | 95 | $64,235,000 |
| TEMPLE | 94 | $55,799,700 |
| BELTON | 37 | $17,375,300 |
| SALADO | 23 | $4,889,600 |
| Harker Heights | 20 | $8,228,600 |
| NOLANVILLE | 8 | $2,039,100 |
| Troy | 6 | $1,298,800 |
| KEMPNER | 2 | $475,000 |
KILLEEN accounts for 95 approvals against 94 in TEMPLE. 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.
Bell County
How big is Bell County
- Land area1,051 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Texas counties63rd of 254
- Width, east to west50 mi
- Height, north to south39.2 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary7
- Residents per square mile of land368
- Establishments per square mile5.64
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.
Bell County
What hazards affect Bell County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/LZone 3
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book14
- Of those, participating in the NFIP14
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Best Community Rating System class in the county A lower CRS class is a larger flood insurance premium discount.Class 8
- Communities carrying a CRS class1
The EPA places the county in radon zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. The best Community Rating System class in the county is 8, which carries a flood insurance premium discount for properties in the participating community.
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 Bell 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 Bell County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population386,897
- Households142,305
- Average household size2.72
- Median household income$68,865
- Median age32.3
Common questions
Bell County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Bell County, Texas?
386,897, in 142,305 households, ranking 15th of 254 Texas counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Bell County growing?
The population has grown 7.76 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 6,197 births against 2,955 deaths, with net migration of 2,238. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Bell County?
$68,865. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $241,000, which is 3.5 times income, and median gross rent is $1,224 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Bell County?
5,923 establishments, employing 104,607 people with an annual payroll of $5.83 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 Bell County?
Average annual pay is $62,107, or $1,194 a week, across 129,627 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Bell County?
296 7(a) approvals totalling $161.2 m since FY2020, across 80 lenders, with a median approval of $250,000, plus 49 504 approvals worth $50.5 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Bell County get paid back?
Of the 56 loans that have reached a final outcome, 50 were paid in full and 6 charged off, a charge off rate of 10.7 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Bell County?
3,243 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $828.8 m. Multifamily was 18.1 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Bell County?
Zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Bell County come from?
The largest single origin is Bell County Non-migrants, with 126,659 households. Arriving households report an average income of $55,265 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 Bell 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 Bell 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.