Wilkes County, Georgia: commercial real estate data.
Wilkes County, Georgia had an estimated 9,567 residents on July 1, 2024, up 0.1 percent since the 2020 census base of 9,561, across 469 square miles. County output reached $500.6 m in 2024, 190 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 5 7(a) approvals worth $1.6 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Wilkes County
How many people live in Wilkes County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20249,549
- Households4,133
- Average household size2.31
- Median household income$52,043
- Median age46.0
- Median gross rent$786 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$122,700
- Home value to household income2.4 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income18.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher16.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree4.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over7,125
- Population under 181,925
- Share under 1820.2 percent
- Population 65 and over2,309
- Share 65 and over24.2 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 645,315
- Civilian labor force3,746
- Unemployment rate1.5 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over49.1 percent
- Rank by population among Georgia counties126th of 159
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included2520th of 3,222
Wilkes County is the 126th largest of 159 Georgia counties by population. A median home costs 2.4 times median household income, which is affordable by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 24.2 percent against 20.2 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.
Wilkes County
Is Wilkes County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 20249,567
- Census 2020 base population9,561
- Population change since the 2020 census base0.06 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 202415
- Births, 202493
- Deaths, 2024149
- Natural change, 2024-56
- Net domestic migration, 202449
- Net international migration, 202421
- Total net migration, 202470
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024245
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1802nd of 3,144
The county has grown 0.06 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.
Wilkes County
Where are people moving to Wilkes County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving201
- People arriving, from those returns367
- Tax returns filed by households leaving174
- Net household movement27
- Adjusted gross income arriving$9.7 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$2.5 m
- Average income of an arriving household$48,070
- Average income of a leaving household$41,305
- Largest single destinationMcDuffie County (23 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|
Households arriving report $6,765 more average income than households leaving, so the migration is raising local spending power rather than just moving it around.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Wilkes County
What is the Wilkes County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$500.6 m
- County GDP, 2023$452.2 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 202410.7 percent
- GDP change over five years74.2 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Georgia areas BEA publishes114th of 159
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes2407th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$52,424
Output grew 10.7 percent in the latest year and 74.2 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.
Wilkes County
Employment by industry in Wilkes County
- Covered employment, annual average2,697
- Establishments reporting243
- Average annual pay$49,819
- Average weekly wage$958
- Construction, employment415
- Construction, average annual pay$85,409
- Retail trade, employment343
- Retail trade, average annual pay$32,880
- Manufacturing, employment313
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$56,350
- Finance and insurance, employment95
- Finance and insurance, average annual pay$64,249
- Wholesale trade, employment78
- Professional, scientific and technical services, employment40
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | 415 | 19 | $85,409 |
| Retail trade | 343 | 50 | $32,880 |
| Manufacturing | 313 | 12 | $56,350 |
| Finance and insurance | 95 | 11 | $64,249 |
| Wholesale trade | 78 | 9 | $63,126 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 40 | 12 | $50,246 |
| Other services, except public administration | 35 | 9 | $26,634 |
| Real estate and rental and leasing | 27 | 5 | $37,996 |
Construction is the largest private sector at 415 jobs, 15.4 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Wilkes County
How many businesses are in Wilkes County?
- Establishments, all industries190
- Employment at those establishments2,244
- Annual payroll$108.7 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents19.9
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.
Wilkes County
Building permits in Wilkes County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 202473
- Declared construction value permitted$14.2 m
- Single family units authorized49
- Multifamily units authorized24
- Multifamily share of units32.9 percent
- Average declared value per unit$193,931
- Units authorized per 1,000 households17.7
Single-family homes are 67.1 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Wilkes County
SBA loans in Wilkes County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded5
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$1.6 m
- Average 7(a) approval$311,520
- Median 7(a) approval$191,500
- Largest single approval$700,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)27
- Jobs per approval5.4
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active5
- Distinct industries receiving approvals5
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer20.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms1
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter4
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- 504 approvals recorded1
- 504 gross approval dollars$760,000
- Average 504 approval$760,000
- Median 504 approval$760,000
- Distinct CDCs active1
- 504 jobs per approval2.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved2.6
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$2.3 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.
Wilkes County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Wilkes County
Do SBA loans in Wilkes County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded3
- Paid in full3
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full3
- Status: Exempt from disclosure2
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.
Wilkes County
How large is Wilkes County?
- Land area469 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Georgia counties33rd of 159
- Width, east to west29.2 mi
- Height, north to south26.8 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land20
- 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.
Wilkes County
Flood risk in Wilkes County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Wilkes County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 135263
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book2
- Of those, participating in the NFIP2
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Wilkes 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 Wilkes County (community 135263), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Wilkes 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 Wilkes 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 Wilkes County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20249,549
- Households4,133
- Average household size2.31
- Median household income$52,043
- Median age46.0
Common questions
Wilkes County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Wilkes County, Georgia?
The Census Bureau estimates 9,567 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 9,549, in 4,133 households, ranking 126th of 159 Georgia counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Wilkes County's population growing?
The population has grown 0.06 percent since the 2020 census base of 9,561, to 9,567 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 93 births against 149 deaths, with net migration of 70. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Wilkes County?
$52,043. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $122,700, which is 2.4 times income, and median gross rent is $786 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Wilkes County?
190 establishments, employing 2,244 people with an annual payroll of $108.7 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 Wilkes County?
Construction is the largest private sector at 415 jobs, 15.4 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 2,697 jobs at an average annual pay of $49,819, 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 Wilkes County?
5 7(a) approvals totaling $1.6 m since FY2020, across 5 lenders, with a median approval of $191,500, plus 1 504 approvals worth $760,000 since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Wilkes County?
73 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $14.2 m. Multifamily was 32.9 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Wilkes 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.
Are traffic counts available for Wilkes 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 Wilkes 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.
Wilkes County
Cities and places in Wilkes.
3 Census places lie wholly or partly in Wilkes 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | city | 3,680 | 5 | Wholly in this county |
| Tignall | town | 763 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Rayle | town | 174 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
Nearby