Stephens County, Georgia: commercial real estate data.
Stephens County, Georgia had an estimated 27,498 residents on July 1, 2024, up 2.7 percent since the 2020 census base of 26,776, across 179 square miles. County output reached $1.44 bn in 2024, 539 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 6 7(a) approvals worth $5.0 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Stephens County
How many people live in Stephens County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202427,012
- Households10,524
- Average household size2.57
- Median household income$54,754
- Median age40.8
- Median gross rent$820 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$175,300
- Home value to household income3.2 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income18.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher15.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree5.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over18,632
- Population under 185,763
- Share under 1821.3 percent
- Population 65 and over5,735
- Share 65 and over21.2 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6415,514
- Civilian labor force12,519
- Unemployment rate5.4 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over58.9 percent
- Rank by population among Georgia counties71st of 159
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included1578th of 3,222
Stephens County is the 71st largest of 159 Georgia counties by population. A median home costs 3.2 times median household income, which is moderately unaffordable by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 21.3 percent against 21.2 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Stephens County
Is Stephens County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 202427,498
- Census 2020 base population26,776
- Population change since the 2020 census base2.70 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024243
- Births, 2024311
- Deaths, 2024411
- Natural change, 2024-100
- Net domestic migration, 2024298
- Net international migration, 202443
- Total net migration, 2024341
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20241,144
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents951st of 3,144
The county has grown 2.70 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.
Stephens County
Where are people moving to Stephens County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving867
- People arriving, from those returns1,681
- Tax returns filed by households leaving661
- Net household movement206
- Adjusted gross income arriving$49.9 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$18.0 m
- Average income of an arriving household$57,584
- Average income of a leaving household$48,324
- Largest single originHabersham County (101 households)
- Largest single destinationHabersham County (85 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Habersham County | 101 | 215 | $4.5 m |
| Franklin County | 88 | 186 | $3.4 m |
| Hall County | 63 | 112 | $2.6 m |
| Gwinnett County | 42 | 86 | $3.8 m |
| Jackson County | 35 | 63 | $1.7 m |
| Banks County | 27 | 71 | $1.1 m |
| Hart County | 23 | 52 | $1.2 m |
| White County | 23 | 41 | $994,000 |
Households arriving report $9,260 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 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.
Stephens County
What is the Stephens County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$1.44 bn
- County GDP, 2023$1.36 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20245.6 percent
- GDP change over five years46.8 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Georgia areas BEA publishes65th of 159
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes1549th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$53,321
Output grew 5.6 percent in the latest year and 46.8 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.
Stephens County
Employment by industry in Stephens County
- Covered employment, annual average8,540
- Establishments reporting636
- Average annual pay$49,830
- Average weekly wage$958
- Manufacturing, employment2,110
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$59,527
- Retail trade, employment1,300
- Retail trade, average annual pay$32,431
- Accommodation and food services, employment677
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$20,560
- Construction, employment290
- Construction, average annual pay$57,353
- Administrative and support and waste management services, employment202
- Finance and insurance, employment185
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 2,110 | 52 | $59,527 |
| Retail trade | 1,300 | 110 | $32,431 |
| Accommodation and food services | 677 | 47 | $20,560 |
| Construction | 290 | 52 | $57,353 |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | 202 | 40 | $39,717 |
| Finance and insurance | 185 | 32 | $49,449 |
| Information | 182 | 8 | $140,682 |
| Other services, except public administration | 161 | 44 | $29,785 |
Manufacturing is the largest private sector at 2,110 jobs, 24.7 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Stephens County
How many businesses are in Stephens County?
- Establishments, all industries539
- Employment at those establishments7,799
- Annual payroll$340.5 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents20.0
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.
Stephens County
Building permits in Stephens County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 202454
- Declared construction value permitted$11.9 m
- Single family units authorized54
- Multifamily units authorized0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$220,923
- Units authorized per 1,000 households5.1
Single-family homes are 100.0 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Stephens County
SBA loans in Stephens County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded6
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$5.0 m
- Average 7(a) approval$839,717
- Median 7(a) approval$599,750
- Largest single approval$2,377,300
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)88
- Jobs per approval14.7
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active6
- Distinct industries receiving approvals5
- Median 7(a) term276 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer66.7 percent
- Loans on real estate terms4
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter1
- Franchise loans2
- Franchise share of approvals33.3 percent
- 504 approvals recorded5
- 504 gross approval dollars$4.3 m
- Average 504 approval$859,600
- Median 504 approval$968,000
- Distinct CDCs active3
- 504 jobs per approval10.4
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved12.1
- Most active CDCSmall Business Access Partners, Inc. (3)
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$9.3 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.
Stephens County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Stephens County
Do SBA loans in Stephens County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded1
- Paid in full1
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full1
- Status: Exempt from disclosure5
Only 1 loan has 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.
Stephens County
How large is Stephens County?
- Land area179 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Georgia counties148th of 159
- Width, east to west20.1 mi
- Height, north to south15.7 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land151
- Establishments per square mile3.01
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.
Stephens County
Flood risk in Stephens County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Stephens County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 130391
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book4
- Of those, participating in the NFIP2
- NFIP participation rate50.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Stephens 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 Stephens County (community 130391), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Stephens 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. 50.0 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 Stephens 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 Stephens County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202427,012
- Households10,524
- Average household size2.57
- Median household income$54,754
- Median age40.8
Common questions
Stephens County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Stephens County, Georgia?
The Census Bureau estimates 27,498 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 27,012, in 10,524 households, ranking 71st of 159 Georgia counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Stephens County's population growing?
The population has grown 2.70 percent since the 2020 census base of 26,776, to 27,498 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 311 births against 411 deaths, with net migration of 341. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Stephens County?
$54,754. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $175,300, which is 3.2 times income, and median gross rent is $820 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Stephens County?
539 establishments, employing 7,799 people with an annual payroll of $340.5 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 Stephens County?
Manufacturing is the largest private sector at 2,110 jobs, 24.7 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 8,540 jobs at an average annual pay of $49,830, or $958 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Stephens County?
6 7(a) approvals totaling $5.0 m since FY2020, across 6 lenders, with a median approval of $599,750, plus 5 504 approvals worth $4.3 m since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Stephens County?
54 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $11.9 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Stephens 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 Stephens County come from?
The largest single origin is Habersham County, with 101 households. Arriving households report an average income of $57,584 against $48,324 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Stephens 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 Stephens 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.
Stephens County
Cities and places in Stephens.
3 Census places lie wholly or partly in Stephens 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toccoa | city | 9,238 | 6 | Wholly in this county |
| Martin | town | 422 | None recorded | 96.9 percent here, 3.1 percent Franklin County |
| Avalon | town | 314 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
Nearby