Telfair County, Georgia: commercial real estate data.
Telfair County, Georgia had an estimated 11,000 residents on July 1, 2024, down 11.8 percent since the 2020 census base of 12,472, across 437 square miles. County output reached $414.9 m in 2024, 178 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 5 7(a) approvals worth $6.2 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Telfair County
How many people live in Telfair County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202411,831
- Households3,351
- Average household size3.53
- Median household income$50,929
- Median age43.2
- Median gross rent$712 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$113,300
- Home value to household income2.2 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income16.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher10.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree4.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over8,685
- Population under 181,907
- Share under 1816.1 percent
- Population 65 and over2,242
- Share 65 and over19.0 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 647,682
- Civilian labor force3,583
- Unemployment rate5.2 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over36.1 percent
- Rank by population among Georgia counties116th of 159
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included2364th of 3,222
Telfair County is the 116th largest of 159 Georgia counties by population. A median home costs 2.2 times median household income, which is affordable by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 19.0 percent against 16.1 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.
Telfair County
Is Telfair County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 202411,000
- Census 2020 base population12,472
- Population change since the 2020 census base-11.80 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 202431
- Births, 2024139
- Deaths, 2024174
- Natural change, 2024-35
- Net domestic migration, 202438
- Net international migration, 202428
- Total net migration, 202466
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-1,442
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents3134th of 3,144
The county has lost 11.80 percent of its population 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.
Telfair County
Where are people moving to Telfair County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving248
- People arriving, from those returns480
- Tax returns filed by households leaving235
- Net household movement13
- Adjusted gross income arriving$7.6 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$946,000
- Average income of an arriving household$30,681
- Average income of a leaving household$28,353
- Largest single originDodge County (32 households)
- Largest single destinationDodge County (39 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dodge County | 32 | 68 | $875,000 |
| Jeff Davis County | 23 | 53 | $718,000 |
Households arriving report $2,328 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 Dodge 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.
Telfair County
What is the Telfair County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$414.9 m
- County GDP, 2023$397.6 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20244.4 percent
- GDP change over five years48.9 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Georgia areas BEA publishes118th of 159
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes2523rd of 3,127
- GDP per resident$35,072
Output grew 4.4 percent in the latest year and 48.9 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.
Telfair County
Employment by industry in Telfair County
- Covered employment, annual average2,068
- Establishments reporting225
- Average annual pay$41,880
- Average weekly wage$805
- Retail trade, employment301
- Retail trade, average annual pay$24,230
- Wholesale trade, employment113
- Wholesale trade, average annual pay$63,396
- Manufacturing, employment103
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$55,543
- Construction, employment80
- Construction, average annual pay$67,101
- Finance and insurance, employment60
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, employment48
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 301 | 46 | $24,230 |
| Wholesale trade | 113 | 12 | $63,396 |
| Manufacturing | 103 | 6 | $55,543 |
| Construction | 80 | 10 | $67,101 |
| Finance and insurance | 60 | 10 | $60,112 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting | 48 | 11 | $47,672 |
| Other services, except public administration | 40 | 14 | $37,457 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 30 | 7 | $45,810 |
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 301 jobs, 14.6 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Telfair County
How many businesses are in Telfair County?
- Establishments, all industries178
- Employment at those establishments1,399
- Annual payroll$51.2 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents15.0
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.
Telfair County
Building permits in Telfair County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20240
- Declared construction value permitted$0
- Single family units authorized0
- Multifamily units authorized0
No residential units were authorized by permit in 2024. In a small county this is common and is not by itself a sign of distress, but it does mean there is no recent residential pipeline to read demand from.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Telfair County
SBA loans in Telfair County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded5
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$6.2 m
- Average 7(a) approval$1,230,620
- Median 7(a) approval$324,000
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)48
- Jobs per approval9.6
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active4
- Distinct industries receiving approvals4
- Median 7(a) term144 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer40.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms2
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter2
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- 504 approvals recorded1
- 504 gross approval dollars$2.0 m
- Average 504 approval$1,959,000
- Median 504 approval$1,959,000
- Distinct CDCs active1
- 504 jobs per approval103.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved52.6
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$8.1 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.
Telfair County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Telfair County
Do SBA loans in Telfair County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded0
- Paid in full0
- Charged off0
- Status: Cancelled1
- Status: Exempt from disclosure4
Only 0 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.
Telfair County
SBA lending by place in Telfair County
- Borrower cities with recorded lending2
- McRae-Helena, approvals4
- Austell, approvals1
| Borrower city | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| McRae-Helena | 4 | $5,787,500 |
| Austell | 1 | $365,600 |
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Telfair County
How large is Telfair County?
- Land area437 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Georgia counties44th of 159
- Width, east to west32.9 mi
- Height, north to south25.7 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land27
- Establishments per square mile0.41
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.
Telfair County
Flood risk in Telfair County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Telfair County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 130166
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book5
- Of those, participating in the NFIP5
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Telfair County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/LZone 3
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Telfair County (community 130166), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Telfair County in radon zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 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 Telfair 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 Telfair County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202411,831
- Households3,351
- Average household size3.53
- Median household income$50,929
- Median age43.2
Common questions
Telfair County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Telfair County, Georgia?
The Census Bureau estimates 11,000 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 11,831, in 3,351 households, ranking 116th of 159 Georgia counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Telfair County's population growing?
The population has fallen 11.80 percent since the 2020 census base of 12,472, to 11,000 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 139 births against 174 deaths, with net migration of 66. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Telfair County?
$50,929. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $113,300, which is 2.2 times income, and median gross rent is $712 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Telfair County?
178 establishments, employing 1,399 people with an annual payroll of $51.2 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 Telfair County?
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 301 jobs, 14.6 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 2,068 jobs at an average annual pay of $41,880, or $805 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Telfair County?
5 7(a) approvals totaling $6.2 m since FY2020, across 4 lenders, with a median approval of $324,000, plus 1 504 approvals worth $2.0 m since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Telfair County?
No residential units were authorized by permit in 2024. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Telfair 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 Telfair County come from?
The largest single origin is Dodge County, with 32 households. Arriving households report an average income of $30,681 against $28,353 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Telfair 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 Telfair 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.
Telfair County
Cities and places in Telfair.
5 Census places lie wholly or partly in Telfair County. All 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McRae-Helena | city | 6,030 | 4 | Wholly in this county |
| Lumber City | city | 1,004 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Milan | city | 842 | None recorded | 55.0 percent here, 45.0 percent Dodge County |
| Scotland | city | 218 | None recorded | 84.4 percent here, 15.6 percent Wheeler County |
| Jacksonville | city | 121 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
A further 1 of the county's 5 SBA 7(a) approvals are to borrowers in cities that match no Census place in Telfair County, the largest being Austell (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.
Nearby