Pickens County, Georgia: commercial real estate data.
Pickens County, Georgia had an estimated 36,580 residents on July 1, 2024, up 10.1 percent since the 2020 census base of 33,222, across 232 square miles. County output reached $1.59 bn in 2024, 809 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 77 7(a) approvals worth $68.0 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Pickens County
How many people live in Pickens County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202434,951
- Households13,430
- Average household size2.60
- Median household income$78,930
- Median age46.7
- Median gross rent$1,136 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$332,700
- Home value to household income4.2 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income17.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher26.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree8.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over26,052
- Population under 186,557
- Share under 1818.8 percent
- Population 65 and over8,031
- Share 65 and over23.0 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6420,363
- Civilian labor force17,000
- Unemployment rate3.0 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over59.9 percent
- Rank by population among Georgia counties55th of 159
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included1340th of 3,222
Pickens County is the 55th largest of 159 Georgia counties by population. A median home costs 4.2 times median household income, which is seriously unaffordable by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 23.0 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.
Pickens County
Is Pickens County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 202436,580
- Census 2020 base population33,222
- Population change since the 2020 census base10.11 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024605
- Births, 2024336
- Deaths, 2024453
- Natural change, 2024-117
- Net domestic migration, 2024677
- Net international migration, 202441
- Total net migration, 2024718
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20243,717
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents144th of 3,144
The county has grown 10.11 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.
Pickens County
Where are people moving to Pickens County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving1,581
- People arriving, from those returns2,975
- Tax returns filed by households leaving1,045
- Net household movement536
- Adjusted gross income arriving$161.6 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$85.0 m
- Average income of an arriving household$102,194
- Average income of a leaving household$73,316
- Largest single originCherokee County (476 households)
- Largest single destinationCherokee County (271 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cherokee County | 476 | 967 | $36.9 m |
| Cobb County | 118 | 220 | $25.0 m |
| Fulton County | 80 | 136 | $14.5 m |
| Gilmer County | 75 | 169 | $6.1 m |
| Forsyth County | 72 | 134 | $9.1 m |
| Gwinnett County | 56 | 100 | $6.0 m |
| Dawson County | 39 | 75 | $6.1 m |
| DeKalb County | 31 | 46 | $5.0 m |
Households arriving report $28,878 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 Cherokee 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.
Pickens County
What is the Pickens County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$1.59 bn
- County GDP, 2023$1.43 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 202410.9 percent
- GDP change over five years52.1 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Georgia areas BEA publishes59th of 159
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes1463rd of 3,127
- GDP per resident$45,435
Output grew 10.9 percent in the latest year and 52.1 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.
Pickens County
Employment by industry in Pickens County
- Covered employment, annual average9,212
- Establishments reporting932
- Average annual pay$55,748
- Average weekly wage$1,072
- Health care and social assistance, employment1,536
- Health care and social assistance, average annual pay$93,405
- Retail trade, employment1,309
- Retail trade, average annual pay$37,717
- Manufacturing, employment872
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$60,092
- Construction, employment736
- Construction, average annual pay$62,548
- Other services, except public administration, employment455
- Finance and insurance, employment246
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 1,536 | 90 | $93,405 |
| Retail trade | 1,309 | 109 | $37,717 |
| Manufacturing | 872 | 60 | $60,092 |
| Construction | 736 | 126 | $62,548 |
| Other services, except public administration | 455 | 69 | $41,172 |
| Finance and insurance | 246 | 46 | $68,820 |
| Real estate and rental and leasing | 163 | 35 | $50,904 |
| Wholesale trade | 152 | 43 | $70,935 |
Health care and social assistance is the largest private sector at 1,536 jobs, 16.7 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Pickens County
How many businesses are in Pickens County?
- Establishments, all industries809
- Employment at those establishments7,790
- Annual payroll$408.2 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents23.1
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.
Pickens County
Building permits in Pickens County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 2024259
- Declared construction value permitted$101.2 m
- Single family units authorized255
- Multifamily units authorized4
- Multifamily share of units1.5 percent
- Average declared value per unit$390,679
- Units authorized per 1,000 households19.3
Single-family homes are 98.5 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Pickens County
SBA loans in Pickens County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded77
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$68.0 m
- Average 7(a) approval$882,642
- Median 7(a) approval$500,000
- 10th percentile approval$62,200
- 90th percentile approval$2,634,600
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)759
- Jobs per approval9.9
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active27
- Distinct industries receiving approvals50
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer39.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms30
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter39
- Franchise loans10
- Franchise share of approvals13.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countFull-Service Restaurants (4)
- Most active lenderCommunity Bank of Pickens County (17)
- 504 approvals recorded11
- 504 gross approval dollars$5.7 m
- Average 504 approval$518,727
- Median 504 approval$387,000
- Distinct CDCs active4
- 504 jobs per approval3.7
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved7.2
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$73.7 m
The average approval of $882,642 sits well above the median of $500,000, pulled up by a few larger deals, so the median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here gets. 39.0 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.
Pickens County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Pickens County
Do SBA loans in Pickens County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded16
- Paid in full16
- Charged off0
- Status: Cancelled10
- Status: Exempt from disclosure48
- Status: Paid in full16
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed3
Only 16 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
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.
Pickens County
SBA lending by place in Pickens County
- Borrower cities with recorded lending8
- Jasper, approvals57
- Marble Hill, approvals6
- Talking Rock, approvals5
- Tate, approvals3
- Canton, approvals2
- Ball Ground, approvals2
| Borrower city | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Jasper | 57 | $46,043,500 |
| Marble Hill | 6 | $6,190,000 |
| Talking Rock | 5 | $7,199,000 |
| Tate | 3 | $4,064,400 |
| Canton | 2 | $2,316,000 |
| Ball Ground | 2 | $1,211,000 |
| Suwanee | 1 | $673,500 |
| Fairmount | 1 | $266,000 |
Jasper accounts for 57 approvals against 6 in Marble Hill. 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.
Pickens County
How large is Pickens County?
- Land area232 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Georgia counties128th of 159
- Width, east to west22.7 mi
- Height, north to south12.6 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land151
- Establishments per square mile3.49
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.
Pickens County
Flood risk in Pickens County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Pickens County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 130149
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book4
- Of those, participating in the NFIP4
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Pickens 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 Pickens County (community 130149), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Pickens 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. 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 Pickens 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 Pickens County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202434,951
- Households13,430
- Average household size2.60
- Median household income$78,930
- Median age46.7
Common questions
Pickens County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Pickens County, Georgia?
The Census Bureau estimates 36,580 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 34,951, in 13,430 households, ranking 55th of 159 Georgia counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Pickens County's population growing?
The population has grown 10.11 percent since the 2020 census base of 33,222, to 36,580 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 336 births against 453 deaths, with net migration of 718. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Pickens County?
$78,930. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $332,700, which is 4.2 times income, and median gross rent is $1,136 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Pickens County?
809 establishments, employing 7,790 people with an annual payroll of $408.2 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Pickens County?
Health care and social assistance is the largest private sector at 1,536 jobs, 16.7 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 9,212 jobs at an average annual pay of $55,748, or $1,072 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Pickens County?
77 7(a) approvals totaling $68.0 m since FY2020, across 27 lenders, with a median approval of $500,000, plus 11 504 approvals worth $5.7 m since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Pickens County?
259 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $101.2 m. Multifamily was 1.5 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Pickens 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 Pickens County come from?
The largest single origin is Cherokee County, with 476 households. Arriving households report an average income of $102,194 against $73,316 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Pickens 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 Pickens 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.
Pickens County
Cities and places in Pickens.
3 Census places lie wholly or partly in Pickens County. All 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jasper | city | 4,630 | 57 | Wholly in this county |
| Nelson | city | 1,166 | None recorded | 38.9 percent here, 61.1 percent Cherokee County |
| Talking Rock | town | 274 | 5 | Wholly in this county |
A further 15 of the county's 77 SBA 7(a) approvals are to borrowers in cities that match no Census place in Pickens County, the largest being Marble Hill (6), Tate (3), Canton (2). 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