Cooke County, Texas: commercial real estate data.
Cooke County, Texas has a population of 43,046 across 875 square miles, up 6.2 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $3.43 bn in 2024, 1,040 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 37 7(a) approvals worth $65.6 m.
126 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Cooke County
How many people live in Cooke County
- Population43,046
- Households16,528
- Average household size2.60
- Median household income$73,932
- Median age40.5
- Median gross rent$1,047 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$240,400
- Home value to household income3.3 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income17.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher23.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree8.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over29,120
- Population under 189,987
- Share under 1823.2 percent
- Population 65 and over8,136
- Share 65 and over18.9 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6424,923
- Civilian labor force21,765
- Unemployment rate4.5 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over65.8 percent
- Rank by population among Texas counties78th of 254
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1145th
Cooke County is the 78th largest of 254 Texas counties by population. A median home costs 3.3 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 23.2 percent against 18.9 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Cooke County
Is Cooke County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base6.21 percent
- Census 2020 base population41,669
- Births, 2024505
- Deaths, 2024447
- Natural change, 202458
- Net domestic migration, 2024366
- Net international migration, 202455
- Total net migration, 2024421
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20242,274
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents380th
The county has grown 6.21 percent since the 2020 census base. Migration contributed more to 2024 change than births over deaths, so demand here follows people arriving rather than families forming.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Cooke County
Where people moving to Cooke County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving1,470
- People arriving, from those returns2,931
- Adjusted gross income arriving$160.8 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$109,380
- Largest single originCooke County Non-migrants (15,180 households)
- Largest single destination (15,180 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooke County Non-migrants | 15,180 | 32,683 | $1.34 bn |
| Denton County | 490 | 1,072 | $69.6 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 286 | 514 | $34.2 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 205 | 383 | $18.6 m |
| Grayson County | 169 | 347 | $12.3 m |
| Other flows - South | 132 | 241 | $8.2 m |
| Other flows - West | 108 | 193 | $12.0 m |
| Tarrant County | 97 | 182 | $6.0 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Cooke 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.
Cooke County
What the Cooke County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$3.43 bn
- County GDP, 2023$3.13 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20249.6 percent
- GDP change over five years66.1 percent
- Rank by GDP among Texas counties75th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents900th
- GDP per resident$79,748
Output grew 9.6 percent in the latest year and 66.1 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.
Cooke County
Who employs people in Cooke County
- Covered employment, annual average16,535
- Establishments reporting1,110
- Average annual pay$62,891
- Average weekly wage$1,209
- Sector 31-33, employment3,156
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$73,913
- Sector 44-45, employment1,872
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$38,692
- Sector 21, employment1,834
- Sector 21, average annual pay$109,867
- Sector 72, employment1,556
- Sector 72, average annual pay$24,259
- Sector 62, employment914
- Sector 23, employment885
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 3,156 | 70 | $73,913 |
| Sector 44-45 | 1,872 | 137 | $38,692 |
| Sector 21 | 1,834 | 40 | $109,867 |
| Sector 72 | 1,556 | 81 | $24,259 |
| Sector 62 | 914 | 104 | $42,141 |
| Sector 23 | 885 | 123 | $60,544 |
| Sector 52 | 619 | 56 | $73,970 |
| Sector 42 | 536 | 64 | $90,887 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 3,156 jobs, 19.1 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.
Cooke County
What businesses operate in Cooke County
- Establishments, all industries1,040
- Employment at those establishments13,433
- Annual payroll$709.5 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents24.2
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.
Cooke County
What is being built in Cooke County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024155
- Declared construction value permitted$41.2 m
- Single family units authorised143
- Multifamily units authorised12
- Multifamily share of units7.7 percent
- Average declared value per unit$266,007
- Units authorised per 1,000 households9.4
Multifamily is 7.7 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Cooke County
How much SBA lending happens in Cooke County
- 7(a) approvals recorded37
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$65.6 m
- Average 7(a) approval$1,774,011
- Median 7(a) approval$1,000,000
- 10th percentile approval$150,000
- 90th percentile approval$5,000,000
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)373
- Jobs per approval10.1
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active22
- Distinct industries receiving approvals17
- Median 7(a) term300 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer67.6 percent
- Loans on real estate terms25
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter12
- Franchise loans15
- Franchise share of approvals40.5 percent
- Leading industry by approval countGasoline Stations with Convenience Stores (10)
- Most active lenderMetro City Bank (8)
- 504 approvals recorded3
- 504 gross approval dollars$6.6 m
- Average 504 approval$2,190,667
- Median 504 approval$702,000
- Distinct CDCs active2
- 504 jobs per approval54.3
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved24.8
- Most active CDCGreater East Texas Certified Development Company (2)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals92.5 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$72.2 m
The average approval of $1,774,011 sits well above the median of $1,000,000, 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. 67.6 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.
Cooke County
Do SBA loans in Cooke County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded8
- Paid in full8
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full8
- Status: Exempt from disclosure24
- Status: Cancelled4
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed1
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 8 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.
Cooke County
Which parts of Cooke County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending6
- Gainesville, approvals29
- Collinsville, approvals2
- ERA, approvals2
- VALLEY VIEW, approvals2
- Oak Ridge, approvals1
- Lindsay, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Gainesville | 29 | $49,848,200 |
| Collinsville | 2 | $7,570,800 |
| ERA | 2 | $4,880,000 |
| VALLEY VIEW | 2 | $400,000 |
| Oak Ridge | 1 | $853,400 |
| Lindsay | 1 | $2,086,000 |
Gainesville accounts for 29 approvals against 2 in Collinsville. 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.
Cooke County
How big is Cooke County
- Land area875 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Texas counties175th of 254
- Width, east to west31.2 mi
- Height, north to south36.8 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land49
- Establishments per square mile1.19
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.
Cooke County
What hazards affect Cooke County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/LZone 3
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book7
- Of those, participating in the NFIP7
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
The EPA places the county in radon zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L.
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 Cooke 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 Cooke County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population43,046
- Households16,528
- Average household size2.60
- Median household income$73,932
- Median age40.5
Common questions
Cooke County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Cooke County, Texas?
43,046, in 16,528 households, ranking 78th of 254 Texas counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Cooke County growing?
The population has grown 6.21 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 505 births against 447 deaths, with net migration of 421. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Cooke County?
$73,932. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $240,400, which is 3.3 times income, and median gross rent is $1,047 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Cooke County?
1,040 establishments, employing 13,433 people with an annual payroll of $709.5 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 Cooke County?
Average annual pay is $62,891, or $1,209 a week, across 16,535 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Cooke County?
37 7(a) approvals totalling $65.6 m since FY2020, across 22 lenders, with a median approval of $1,000,000, plus 3 504 approvals worth $6.6 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Cooke County?
155 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $41.2 m. Multifamily was 7.7 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Cooke 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 Cooke County come from?
The largest single origin is Cooke County Non-migrants, with 15,180 households. Arriving households report an average income of $109,380 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 Cooke 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 Cooke 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.