Nueces County, Texas: commercial real estate data.
Nueces County, Texas has a population of 352,955 across 838 square miles, down 0.1 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $27.85 bn in 2024, 8,111 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 174 7(a) approvals worth $127.7 m.
127 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Nueces County
How many people live in Nueces County
- Population352,955
- Households131,160
- Average household size2.69
- Median household income$66,897
- Median age37.2
- Median gross rent$1,283 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$208,800
- Home value to household income3.1 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income23.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher23.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree8.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over234,725
- Population under 1883,585
- Share under 1823.7 percent
- Population 65 and over56,776
- Share 65 and over16.1 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64212,594
- Civilian labor force168,725
- Unemployment rate5.2 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over62.6 percent
- Rank by population among Texas counties17th of 254
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents210th
Nueces County is the 17th largest of 254 Texas counties by population. A median home costs 3.1 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 23.7 percent against 16.1 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Nueces County
Is Nueces County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base-0.07 percent
- Census 2020 base population353,357
- Births, 20244,230
- Deaths, 20243,465
- Natural change, 2024765
- Net domestic migration, 2024-1,536
- Net international migration, 20241,248
- Total net migration, 2024-288
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-5,905
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1866th
The county has lost 0.07 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. Births exceeded deaths in 2024 but more people left than arrived, so the population is being sustained internally rather than attracting.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Nueces County
Where people moving to Nueces County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving7,373
- People arriving, from those returns13,340
- Adjusted gross income arriving$491.3 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$66,629
- Largest single originNueces County Non-migrants (125,542 households)
- Largest single destination (125,542 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nueces County Non-migrants | 125,542 | 254,428 | $8.81 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 2,047 | 3,716 | $165.3 m |
| Other flows - South | 816 | 1,535 | $61.3 m |
| San Patricio County | 648 | 1,193 | $32.7 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 639 | 1,232 | $41.6 m |
| Other flows - West | 602 | 1,116 | $43.5 m |
| Bexar County | 569 | 957 | $34.6 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 404 | 700 | $32.5 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Nueces 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.
Nueces County
What the Nueces County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$27.85 bn
- County GDP, 2023$26.83 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20243.8 percent
- GDP change over five years49.3 percent
- Rank by GDP among Texas counties14th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents207th
- GDP per resident$78,910
Output grew 3.8 percent in the latest year and 49.3 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.
Nueces County
Who employs people in Nueces County
- Covered employment, annual average163,763
- Establishments reporting8,568
- Average annual pay$60,476
- Average weekly wage$1,163
- Sector 62, employment29,876
- Sector 62, average annual pay$57,815
- Sector 72, employment20,165
- Sector 72, average annual pay$24,027
- Sector 44-45, employment17,257
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$39,025
- Sector 23, employment16,307
- Sector 23, average annual pay$85,253
- Sector 56, employment7,654
- Sector 54, employment7,511
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 62 | 29,876 | 1,191 | $57,815 |
| Sector 72 | 20,165 | 929 | $24,027 |
| Sector 44-45 | 17,257 | 1,018 | $39,025 |
| Sector 23 | 16,307 | 664 | $85,253 |
| Sector 56 | 7,654 | 438 | $49,003 |
| Sector 54 | 7,511 | 913 | $86,325 |
| Sector 31-33 | 6,885 | 220 | $105,859 |
| Sector 42 | 5,288 | 417 | $82,992 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 29,876 jobs, 18.2 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.
Nueces County
What businesses operate in Nueces County
- Establishments, all industries8,111
- Employment at those establishments134,586
- Annual payroll$7.23 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents23.0
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.
Nueces County
What is being built in Nueces County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 20241,645
- Declared construction value permitted$445.1 m
- Single family units authorised1,523
- Multifamily units authorised122
- Multifamily share of units7.4 percent
- Average declared value per unit$270,571
- Units authorised per 1,000 households12.5
Multifamily is 7.4 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Nueces County
How much SBA lending happens in Nueces County
- 7(a) approvals recorded174
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$127.7 m
- Average 7(a) approval$734,171
- Median 7(a) approval$300,000
- 10th percentile approval$28,600
- 90th percentile approval$2,209,000
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)2,078
- Jobs per approval11.9
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active53
- Distinct industries receiving approvals86
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer20.7 percent
- Loans on real estate terms36
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter127
- Franchise loans30
- Franchise share of approvals17.2 percent
- Leading industry by approval countFull-Service Restaurants (11)
- Most active lenderNortheast Bank (15)
- 504 approvals recorded56
- 504 gross approval dollars$42.8 m
- Average 504 approval$765,018
- Median 504 approval$452,000
- Distinct CDCs active6
- 504 jobs per approval8.1
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved10.6
- Most active CDCCapital Certified Development Corporation (27)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals75.7 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$170.6 m
The average approval of $734,171 sits well above the median of $300,000, 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 20.7 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.
Nueces County
Do SBA loans in Nueces County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded19
- Paid in full18
- Charged off1
- Charge off rate on resolved loans5.3 percent
- Status: Paid in full18
- Status: Cancelled17
- Status: Exempt from disclosure130
- Status: Charged off1
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed8
Of the 19 loans that have reached a final outcome, 5.3 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.
Nueces County
Which parts of Nueces County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending4
- CORPUS CHRISTI, approvals157
- PORT ARANSAS, approvals11
- ROBSTOWN, approvals5
- ALICE, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| CORPUS CHRISTI | 157 | $116,203,400 |
| PORT ARANSAS | 11 | $6,372,300 |
| ROBSTOWN | 5 | $170,000 |
| ALICE | 1 | $5,000,000 |
CORPUS CHRISTI accounts for 157 approvals against 11 in PORT ARANSAS. 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.
Nueces County
How big is Nueces County
- Land area838 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Texas counties189th of 254
- Width, east to west42.1 mi
- Height, north to south30.2 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary3
- Residents per square mile of land421
- Establishments per square mile9.68
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.
Nueces County
What hazards affect Nueces County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/LZone 3
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book10
- Of those, participating in the NFIP9
- NFIP participation rate90.0 percent
- Best Community Rating System class in the county A lower CRS class is a larger flood insurance premium discount.Class 7
- 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 7, 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 Nueces 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 Nueces County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population352,955
- Households131,160
- Average household size2.69
- Median household income$66,897
- Median age37.2
Common questions
Nueces County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Nueces County, Texas?
352,955, in 131,160 households, ranking 17th of 254 Texas counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Nueces County growing?
The population has fallen 0.07 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 4,230 births against 3,465 deaths, with net migration of -288. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Nueces County?
$66,897. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $208,800, which is 3.1 times income, and median gross rent is $1,283 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Nueces County?
8,111 establishments, employing 134,586 people with an annual payroll of $7.23 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 Nueces County?
Average annual pay is $60,476, or $1,163 a week, across 163,763 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Nueces County?
174 7(a) approvals totalling $127.7 m since FY2020, across 53 lenders, with a median approval of $300,000, plus 56 504 approvals worth $42.8 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Nueces County get paid back?
Of the 19 loans that have reached a final outcome, 18 were paid in full and 1 charged off, a charge off rate of 5.3 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Nueces County?
1,645 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $445.1 m. Multifamily was 7.4 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Nueces 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 Nueces County come from?
The largest single origin is Nueces County Non-migrants, with 125,542 households. Arriving households report an average income of $66,629 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 Nueces 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 Nueces 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.