Marion County, Florida: commercial real estate data.
Marion County, Florida had an estimated 428,905 residents on July 1, 2024, up 14.1 percent since the 2020 census base of 375,902, across 1,585 square miles. County output reached $17.64 bn in 2024, 8,389 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 311 7(a) approvals worth $190.8 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Marion County
How many people live in Marion County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-2024400,078
- Households164,881
- Average household size2.43
- Median household income$61,010
- Median age47.9
- Median gross rent$1,277 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$243,100
- Home value to household income4.0 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income25.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher23.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree8.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over299,128
- Population under 1875,043
- Share under 1818.8 percent
- Population 65 and over114,789
- Share 65 and over28.7 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64210,246
- Civilian labor force163,861
- Unemployment rate4.8 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over50.4 percent
- Rank by population among Florida counties18th of 67
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included185th of 3,222
Marion County is the 18th largest of 67 Florida counties by population. A median home costs 4.0 times median household income, which is moderately unaffordable by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 28.7 percent against 18.8 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single story product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Marion County
Is Marion County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 2024428,905
- Census 2020 base population375,902
- Population change since the 2020 census base14.10 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 202416,567
- Births, 20243,550
- Deaths, 20246,007
- Natural change, 2024-2,457
- Net domestic migration, 202416,105
- Net international migration, 20242,893
- Total net migration, 202418,998
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 202455,611
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents76th of 3,144
The county has grown 14.10 percent since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024 and the population still grew, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration 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.
Marion County
Where are people moving to Marion County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving16,054
- People arriving, from those returns29,108
- Tax returns filed by households leaving9,598
- Net household movement6,456
- Adjusted gross income arriving$1.13 bn
- Net adjusted gross income movement$593.8 m
- Average income of an arriving household$70,462
- Average income of a leaving household$55,989
- Largest single originLake County (910 households)
- Largest single destinationLake County (600 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake County | 910 | 1,701 | $42.6 m |
| Orange County | 583 | 1,118 | $45.9 m |
| Alachua County | 548 | 921 | $26.9 m |
| Sumter County | 522 | 946 | $68.2 m |
| Citrus County | 511 | 930 | $29.5 m |
| Broward County | 475 | 883 | $28.3 m |
| Miami-Dade County | 462 | 820 | $24.3 m |
| Hillsborough County | 404 | 716 | $23.8 m |
Households arriving report $14,473 more average income than households leaving, so the migration is raising local spending power rather than just moving it around. The largest single source of arrivals is Lake County, 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.
Marion County
What is the Marion County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$17.64 bn
- County GDP, 2023$16.47 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20247.1 percent
- GDP change over five years52.5 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Florida areas BEA publishes24th of 67
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes288th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$44,093
Output grew 7.1 percent in the latest year and 52.5 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.
Marion County
Employment by industry in Marion County
- Covered employment, annual average119,528
- Establishments reporting10,226
- Average annual pay$52,526
- Average weekly wage$1,010
- Health care and social assistance, employment19,406
- Health care and social assistance, average annual pay$64,698
- Retail trade, employment19,264
- Retail trade, average annual pay$41,011
- Accommodation and food services, employment12,016
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$26,092
- Construction, employment9,812
- Construction, average annual pay$59,283
- Manufacturing, employment9,298
- Transportation and warehousing, employment5,496
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 19,406 | 1,211 | $64,698 |
| Retail trade | 19,264 | 1,280 | $41,011 |
| Accommodation and food services | 12,016 | 658 | $26,092 |
| Construction | 9,812 | 1,390 | $59,283 |
| Manufacturing | 9,298 | 300 | $61,684 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 5,496 | 311 | $49,615 |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | 5,130 | 780 | $44,570 |
| Wholesale trade | 4,559 | 378 | $72,451 |
Health care and social assistance is the largest private sector at 19,406 jobs, 16.2 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Marion County
How many businesses are in Marion County?
- Establishments, all industries8,389
- Employment at those establishments101,916
- Annual payroll$4.82 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents21.0
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Marion County
Building permits in Marion County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20246,729
- Declared construction value permitted$1.29 bn
- Single family units authorized6,067
- Multifamily units authorized662
- Multifamily share of units9.8 percent
- Average declared value per unit$191,180
- Units authorized per 1,000 households40.8
Single-family homes are 90.2 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Marion County
SBA loans in Marion County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded311
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$190.8 m
- Average 7(a) approval$613,638
- Median 7(a) approval$300,000
- 10th percentile approval$35,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,479,700
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)3,720
- Jobs per approval12.0
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active62
- Distinct industries receiving approvals132
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer20.9 percent
- Loans on real estate terms65
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter226
- Franchise loans48
- Franchise share of approvals15.4 percent
- Leading industry by approval countLimited-Service Restaurants (18)
- Most active lenderThe Huntington National Bank (30)
- 504 approvals recorded118
- 504 gross approval dollars$90.7 m
- Average 504 approval$768,492
- Median 504 approval$406,500
- Distinct CDCs active5
- 504 jobs per approval18.3
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved23.8
- Most active CDCFlorida Business Development Corporation (64)
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$281.5 m
The average approval of $613,638 sits well above the median of $300,000, pulled up by a few larger deals, so the median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here gets. Only 20.9 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.
Marion County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Marion County
Do SBA loans in Marion County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded61
- Paid in full57
- Charged off4
- Charge-off rate on resolved loans6.6 percent
- Status: Cancelled40
- Status: Paid in full57
- Status: Exempt from disclosure194
- Status: Charged off4
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed16
Of the 61 loans that have reached a final outcome, 6.6 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.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Marion County
SBA lending by place in Marion County
- Borrower cities with recorded lending14
- Ocala, approvals229
- Belleview, approvals23
- Summerfield, approvals17
- Dunnellon, approvals16
- Silver Springs, approvals8
- Reddick, approvals5
| Borrower city | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Ocala | 229 | $131,174,500 |
| Belleview | 23 | $21,260,200 |
| Summerfield | 17 | $13,819,700 |
| Dunnellon | 16 | $11,362,600 |
| Silver Springs | 8 | $4,146,800 |
| Reddick | 5 | $4,248,700 |
| Citra | 4 | $710,000 |
| Fort Mc Coy | 3 | $1,403,600 |
| 6 other borrower cities | 6 | $2,715,200 |
Ocala accounts for 229 approvals against 23 in Belleview. 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.
Marion County
How large is Marion County?
- Land area1,585 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Florida counties5th of 67
- Width, east to west54.1 mi
- Height, north to south38.7 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary7
- Residents per square mile of land252
- Establishments per square mile5.29
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.
Marion County
Flood risk in Marion County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Marion County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 120160
- Community Rating System class of the county's own communityClass 7
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book5
- Of those, participating in the NFIP5
- 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 3
- Communities carrying a CRS class2
- Radon levels in Marion County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/LZone 2
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Marion County (community 120160), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries Community Rating System class 7, a flood insurance premium discount for policies written there. The EPA places Marion County in radon zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. The best Community Rating System class among the county's communities is 3, which carries a flood insurance premium discount for policies written in that community. 100.0 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Marion 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 Marion County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-2024400,078
- Households164,881
- Average household size2.43
- Median household income$61,010
- Median age47.9
Common questions
Marion County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Marion County, Florida?
The Census Bureau estimates 428,905 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 400,078, in 164,881 households, ranking 18th of 67 Florida counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Marion County's population growing?
The population has grown 14.10 percent since the 2020 census base of 375,902, to 428,905 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 3,550 births against 6,007 deaths, with net migration of 18,998. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Marion County?
$61,010. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $243,100, which is 4.0 times income, and median gross rent is $1,277 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Marion County?
8,389 establishments, employing 101,916 people with an annual payroll of $4.82 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Marion County?
Health care and social assistance is the largest private sector at 19,406 jobs, 16.2 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 119,528 jobs at an average annual pay of $52,526, or $1,010 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Marion County?
311 7(a) approvals totaling $190.8 m since FY2020, across 62 lenders, with a median approval of $300,000, plus 118 504 approvals worth $90.7 m since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Marion County get paid back?
Of the 61 loans that have reached a final outcome, 57 were paid in full and 4 charged off, a charge-off rate of 6.6 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
How many building permits were issued in Marion County?
6,729 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $1.29 bn. Multifamily was 9.8 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Marion County?
Zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 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 Marion County come from?
The largest single origin is Lake County, with 910 households. Arriving households report an average income of $70,462 against $55,989 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Marion 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 Marion County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Marion County
Cities and places in Marion.
18 Census places lie wholly or partly in Marion County. All 18 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Villages | CDP | 83,498 | None recorded | 11.7 percent here, 88.3 percent Sumter County |
| Ocala | city | 66,584 | 229 | Wholly in this county |
| Silver Springs Shores | CDP | 28,537 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Liberty Triangle | CDP | 24,888 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Marion Oaks | CDP | 23,972 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| On Top of the World | CDP | 16,007 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Rainbow Springs | CDP | 6,082 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Belleview | city | 5,805 | 23 | Wholly in this county |
| Rainbow Lakes Estates | CDP | 3,762 | None recorded | 87.0 percent here, 13.0 percent Levy County |
| Silver Springs | CDP | 2,712 | 8 | Wholly in this county |
| Dunnellon | city | 2,216 | 16 | Wholly in this county |
| Rainbow Park | CDP | 2,056 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Silver Springs Shores East | CDP | 1,777 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Ocala Estates | CDP | 1,705 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Lake Kerr | CDP | 1,697 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Ocklawaha | CDP | 1,586 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Reddick | town | 573 | 5 | Wholly in this county |
| McIntosh | town | 333 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
A further 30 of the county's 311 SBA 7(a) approvals are to borrowers in cities that match no Census place in Marion County, the largest being Summerfield (17), Citra (4), Fort Mc Coy (3). Those are postal cities, unincorporated areas and cities outside the county, so no place row claims them; they are counted in the county total above.
Nearby