Rusk County, Texas: commercial real estate data.
Rusk County, Texas has a population of 52,842 across 924 square miles, up 2.3 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $2.79 bn in 2024, 833 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 15 7(a) approvals worth $20.3 m.
125 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Rusk County
How many people live in Rusk County
- Population52,842
- Households18,027
- Average household size2.93
- Median household income$68,658
- Median age39.1
- Median gross rent$1,015 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$171,300
- Home value to household income2.5 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income17.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher17.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree5.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over36,376
- Population under 1811,930
- Share under 1822.6 percent
- Population 65 and over9,225
- Share 65 and over17.5 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6431,687
- Civilian labor force22,476
- Unemployment rate4.5 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over54.9 percent
- Rank by population among Texas counties65th of 254
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents978th
Rusk County is the 65th largest of 254 Texas counties by population. A median home costs 2.5 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 22.6 percent against 17.5 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Rusk County
Is Rusk County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base2.25 percent
- Census 2020 base population52,216
- Births, 2024568
- Deaths, 2024610
- Natural change, 2024-42
- Net domestic migration, 202486
- Net international migration, 202474
- Total net migration, 2024160
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20241,449
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1090th
The county has grown 2.25 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.
Rusk County
Where people moving to Rusk County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving1,511
- People arriving, from those returns3,033
- Adjusted gross income arriving$87.3 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$57,787
- Largest single originRusk County Non-migrants (16,593 households)
- Largest single destination (16,593 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rusk County Non-migrants | 16,593 | 36,439 | $1.07 bn |
| Other flows - Same State | 360 | 734 | $24.0 m |
| Gregg County | 359 | 733 | $21.6 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 303 | 616 | $18.6 m |
| Smith County | 154 | 291 | $7.1 m |
| Other flows - West | 143 | 275 | $8.8 m |
| Other flows - South | 108 | 218 | $6.9 m |
| Panola County | 52 | 102 | $2.6 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Rusk 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.
Rusk County
What the Rusk County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$2.79 bn
- County GDP, 2023$3.03 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 2024-8.0 percent
- GDP change over five years15.5 percent
- Rank by GDP among Texas counties83rd
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1026th
- GDP per resident$52,853
Output grew -8.0 percent in the latest year and 15.5 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.
Rusk County
Who employs people in Rusk County
- Covered employment, annual average13,100
- Establishments reporting874
- Average annual pay$53,942
- Average weekly wage$1,037
- Sector 62, employment1,652
- Sector 62, average annual pay$39,159
- Sector 31-33, employment1,310
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$58,360
- Sector 44-45, employment1,230
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$35,037
- Sector 23, employment1,165
- Sector 23, average annual pay$53,111
- Sector 72, employment992
- Sector 21, employment780
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 62 | 1,652 | 90 | $39,159 |
| Sector 31-33 | 1,310 | 37 | $58,360 |
| Sector 44-45 | 1,230 | 94 | $35,037 |
| Sector 23 | 1,165 | 78 | $53,111 |
| Sector 72 | 992 | 63 | $21,630 |
| Sector 21 | 780 | 51 | $91,709 |
| Sector 56 | 663 | 40 | $47,668 |
| Sector 52 | 578 | 54 | $83,139 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 1,652 jobs, 12.6 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.
Rusk County
What businesses operate in Rusk County
- Establishments, all industries833
- Employment at those establishments10,458
- Annual payroll$552.9 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents15.8
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.
Rusk County
What is being built in Rusk County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 20243
- Declared construction value permitted$497,645
- Single family units authorised3
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$165,882
- Units authorised per 1,000 households0.2
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Rusk County
How much SBA lending happens in Rusk County
- 7(a) approvals recorded15
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$20.3 m
- Average 7(a) approval$1,352,000
- Median 7(a) approval$1,000,000
- 10th percentile approval$150,000
- 90th percentile approval$3,808,400
- Largest single approval$4,750,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)282
- Jobs per approval18.8
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active11
- Distinct industries receiving approvals9
- Median 7(a) term219 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer46.7 percent
- Loans on real estate terms7
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter5
- Franchise loans2
- Franchise share of approvals13.3 percent
- Leading industry by approval countBroilers and Other Meat Type Chicken Production (5)
- Most active lenderFirst Financial Bank (5)
- 504 approvals recorded3
- 504 gross approval dollars$2.1 m
- Average 504 approval$711,667
- Median 504 approval$332,000
- Distinct CDCs active2
- 504 jobs per approval45.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved63.2
- Most active CDCGreater East Texas Certified Development Company (2)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals83.3 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$22.4 m
The average approval of $1,352,000 sits close to the median of $1,000,000, so lending here is fairly evenly sized rather than driven by a few large deals. 46.7 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.
Rusk County
Do SBA loans in Rusk County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded1
- Paid in full1
- Charged off0
- Status: Exempt from disclosure11
- Status: Paid in full1
- Status: Cancelled3
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 1 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.
Rusk County
Which parts of Rusk County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending6
- HENDERSON, approvals6
- GARRISON, approvals4
- MOUNT ENTERPRISE, approvals2
- KILGORE, approvals1
- Overton, approvals1
- LONGVIEW, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| HENDERSON | 6 | $8,053,000 |
| GARRISON | 4 | $4,856,000 |
| MOUNT ENTERPRISE | 2 | $6,097,000 |
| KILGORE | 1 | $785,000 |
| Overton | 1 | $339,000 |
| LONGVIEW | 1 | $150,000 |
HENDERSON accounts for 6 approvals against 4 in GARRISON. 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.
Rusk County
How big is Rusk County
- Land area924 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Texas counties105th of 254
- Width, east to west31.2 mi
- Height, north to south38 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary7
- Residents per square mile of land57
- Establishments per square mile0.90
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.
Rusk County
What hazards affect Rusk County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/LZone 3
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book9
- Of those, participating in the NFIP9
- 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 Rusk 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 Rusk County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population52,842
- Households18,027
- Average household size2.93
- Median household income$68,658
- Median age39.1
Common questions
Rusk County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Rusk County, Texas?
52,842, in 18,027 households, ranking 65th of 254 Texas counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Rusk County growing?
The population has grown 2.25 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 568 births against 610 deaths, with net migration of 160. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Rusk County?
$68,658. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $171,300, which is 2.5 times income, and median gross rent is $1,015 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Rusk County?
833 establishments, employing 10,458 people with an annual payroll of $552.9 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 Rusk County?
Average annual pay is $53,942, or $1,037 a week, across 13,100 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Rusk County?
15 7(a) approvals totalling $20.3 m since FY2020, across 11 lenders, with a median approval of $1,000,000, plus 3 504 approvals worth $2.1 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Rusk County?
3 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $497,645. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Rusk 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 Rusk County come from?
The largest single origin is Rusk County Non-migrants, with 16,593 households. Arriving households report an average income of $57,787 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 Rusk 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 Rusk 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.