Rabun County, Georgia: commercial real estate data.
Rabun County, Georgia had an estimated 17,711 residents on July 1, 2024, up 4.9 percent since the 2020 census base of 16,879, across 370 square miles. County output reached $851.9 m in 2024, 535 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 16 7(a) approvals worth $14.9 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Rabun County
How many people live in Rabun County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202417,312
- Households7,615
- Average household size2.27
- Median household income$67,493
- Median age50.1
- Median gross rent$1,047 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$295,200
- Home value to household income4.4 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income18.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher31.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree14.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over13,448
- Population under 182,812
- Share under 1816.2 percent
- Population 65 and over4,992
- Share 65 and over28.8 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 649,508
- Civilian labor force7,727
- Unemployment rate1.3 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over53.3 percent
- Rank by population among Georgia counties102nd of 159
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included2019th of 3,222
Rabun County is the 102nd largest of 159 Georgia counties by population. A median home costs 4.4 times median household income, which is seriously unaffordable by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 28.8 percent against 16.2 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.
Rabun County
Is Rabun County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 202417,711
- Census 2020 base population16,879
- Population change since the 2020 census base4.93 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024186
- Births, 2024163
- Deaths, 2024251
- Natural change, 2024-88
- Net domestic migration, 2024196
- Net international migration, 202476
- Total net migration, 2024272
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20241,019
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents542nd of 3,144
The county has grown 4.93 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.
Rabun County
Where are people moving to Rabun County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving563
- People arriving, from those returns1,018
- Tax returns filed by households leaving463
- Net household movement100
- Adjusted gross income arriving$62.2 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$8.7 m
- Average income of an arriving household$110,499
- Average income of a leaving household$115,499
- Largest single originHabersham County (32 households)
- Largest single destinationHabersham County (42 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Habersham County | 32 | 59 | $2.6 m |
| Fulton County | 31 | 54 | $7.6 m |
| Gwinnett County | 31 | 63 | $4.0 m |
| Cobb County | 30 | 49 | $6.3 m |
| Macon County | 26 | 42 | $1.0 m |
| Hall County | 22 | 38 | $1.3 m |
| DeKalb County | 21 | 44 | $4.1 m |
Households arriving report $5,000 less average income than households leaving, which drains spending power even where headcount holds up. The largest single source of arrivals is Habersham 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.
Rabun County
What is the Rabun County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$851.9 m
- County GDP, 2023$805.0 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20245.8 percent
- GDP change over five years45.2 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Georgia areas BEA publishes92nd of 159
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes1980th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$49,209
Output grew 5.8 percent in the latest year and 45.2 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.
Rabun County
Employment by industry in Rabun County
- Covered employment, annual average5,758
- Establishments reporting622
- Average annual pay$41,641
- Average weekly wage$801
- Retail trade, employment1,144
- Retail trade, average annual pay$35,832
- Accommodation and food services, employment1,019
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$26,628
- Construction, employment438
- Construction, average annual pay$51,504
- Manufacturing, employment342
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$43,817
- Other services, except public administration, employment249
- Arts, entertainment and recreation, employment172
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 1,144 | 82 | $35,832 |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,019 | 80 | $26,628 |
| Construction | 438 | 100 | $51,504 |
| Manufacturing | 342 | 28 | $43,817 |
| Other services, except public administration | 249 | 37 | $19,551 |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 172 | 16 | $33,496 |
| Finance and insurance | 112 | 22 | $78,849 |
| Utilities | 66 | 6 | $110,006 |
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 1,144 jobs, 19.9 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Rabun County
How many businesses are in Rabun County?
- Establishments, all industries535
- Employment at those establishments5,271
- Annual payroll$206.3 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents30.9
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.
Rabun County
Building permits in Rabun County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 2024146
- Declared construction value permitted$82.5 m
- Single family units authorized142
- Multifamily units authorized4
- Multifamily share of units2.7 percent
- Average declared value per unit$564,823
- Units authorized per 1,000 households19.2
Single-family homes are 97.3 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Rabun County
SBA loans in Rabun County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded16
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$14.9 m
- Average 7(a) approval$928,925
- Median 7(a) approval$742,500
- Largest single approval$2,650,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)155
- Jobs per approval9.7
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active10
- Distinct industries receiving approvals13
- Median 7(a) term300 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer62.5 percent
- Loans on real estate terms10
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter6
- Franchise loans3
- Franchise share of approvals18.8 percent
- Leading industry by approval countHotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (3)
- Most active lenderHomeTrust Bank (3)
- 504 approvals recorded8
- 504 gross approval dollars$6.1 m
- Average 504 approval$768,000
- Median 504 approval$415,000
- Distinct CDCs active3
- 504 jobs per approval5.9
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved7.6
- Most active CDCSmall Business Access Partners, Inc. (5)
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$21.0 m
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.
Rabun County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Rabun County
Do SBA loans in Rabun County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded3
- Paid in full3
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full3
- Status: Exempt from disclosure11
- Status: Cancelled1
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed1
Only 3 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.
Rabun County
SBA lending by place in Rabun County
- Borrower cities with recorded lending4
- Clayton, approvals11
- Dillard, approvals3
- Lakemont, approvals1
- Tiger, approvals1
| Borrower city | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Clayton | 11 | $7,200,100 |
| Dillard | 3 | $5,566,000 |
| Lakemont | 1 | $1,250,000 |
| Tiger | 1 | $846,700 |
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Rabun County
How large is Rabun County?
- Land area370 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Georgia counties67th of 159
- Width, east to west31.1 mi
- Height, north to south19.7 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land47
- Establishments per square mile1.45
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.
Rabun County
Flood risk in Rabun County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Rabun County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 130156
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book7
- Of those, participating in the NFIP6
- NFIP participation rate85.7 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Rabun 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 Rabun County (community 130156), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Rabun 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. 85.7 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 Rabun 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 Rabun County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202417,312
- Households7,615
- Average household size2.27
- Median household income$67,493
- Median age50.1
Common questions
Rabun County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Rabun County, Georgia?
The Census Bureau estimates 17,711 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 17,312, in 7,615 households, ranking 102nd of 159 Georgia counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Rabun County's population growing?
The population has grown 4.93 percent since the 2020 census base of 16,879, to 17,711 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 163 births against 251 deaths, with net migration of 272. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Rabun County?
$67,493. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $295,200, which is 4.4 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 in Rabun County?
535 establishments, employing 5,271 people with an annual payroll of $206.3 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 Rabun County?
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 1,144 jobs, 19.9 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 5,758 jobs at an average annual pay of $41,641, or $801 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Rabun County?
16 7(a) approvals totaling $14.9 m since FY2020, across 10 lenders, with a median approval of $742,500, plus 8 504 approvals worth $6.1 m since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Rabun County?
146 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $82.5 m. Multifamily was 2.7 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Rabun 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 Rabun County come from?
The largest single origin is Habersham County, with 32 households. Arriving households report an average income of $110,499 against $115,499 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Rabun 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 Rabun 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.
Rabun County
Cities and places in Rabun.
6 Census places lie wholly or partly in Rabun County. All 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clayton | city | 2,018 | 11 | Wholly in this county |
| Mountain City | town | 1,004 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Sky Valley | city | 647 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Tiger | town | 362 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Dillard | city | 326 | 3 | Wholly in this county |
| Tallulah Falls | town | 288 | None recorded | 45.7 percent here, 54.3 percent Habersham County |
A further 1 of the county's 16 SBA 7(a) approvals are to borrowers in cities that match no Census place in Rabun County, the largest being Lakemont (1). 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.