Pope County, Illinois: commercial real estate data.
Pope County, Illinois had an estimated 3,703 residents on July 1, 2024, down 1.7 percent since the 2020 census base of 3,768, across 369 square miles. County output reached $85.1 m in 2024, 49 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 2 7(a) approvals worth $163,700 since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Pope County
How many people live in Pope County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20243,739
- Households1,385
- Average household size2.70
- Median household income$60,050
- Median age53.9
- Median gross rent$449 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$143,800
- Home value to household income2.4 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income9.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher15.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree4.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over2,949
- Population under 18539
- Share under 1814.4 percent
- Population 65 and over1,084
- Share 65 and over29.0 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 642,116
- Civilian labor force1,399
- Unemployment rate2.8 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over43.7 percent
- Rank by population among Illinois counties101st of 102
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included2982nd of 3,222
Pope County is the 101st largest of 102 Illinois 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 29.0 percent against 14.4 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.
Pope County
Is Pope County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 20243,703
- Census 2020 base population3,768
- Population change since the 2020 census base-1.73 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024-12
- Births, 202414
- Deaths, 202468
- Natural change, 2024-54
- Net domestic migration, 202438
- Net international migration, 20244
- Total net migration, 202442
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024114
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2428th of 3,144
The county has lost 1.73 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024 by more than net migration added, so the population fell even though more people moved in than left.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Pope County
Where are people moving to Pope County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving56
- People arriving, from those returns95
- Tax returns filed by households leaving63
- Net household movement-7
- Adjusted gross income arriving$2.6 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$86,000
- Average income of an arriving household$46,839
- Average income of a leaving household$40,270
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|
Households arriving report $6,569 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.
Pope County
What is the Pope County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$85.1 m
- County GDP, 2023$82.1 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20243.6 percent
- GDP change over five years49.1 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Illinois areas BEA publishes102nd of 102
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes3072nd of 3,127
- GDP per resident$22,755
Output grew 3.6 percent in the latest year and 49.1 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.
Pope County
Employment by industry in Pope County
- Covered employment, annual average643
- Establishments reporting48
- Average annual pay$41,535
- Average weekly wage$799
- Accommodation and food services, employment63
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$17,299
- Retail trade, employment51
- Retail trade, average annual pay$18,300
- Other services, except public administration, employment10
- Other services, except public administration, average annual pay$69,484
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and food services | 63 | 6 | $17,299 |
| Retail trade | 51 | 8 | $18,300 |
| Other services, except public administration | 10 | 5 | $69,484 |
Accommodation and food services is the largest private sector at 63 jobs, 9.8 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Pope County
How many businesses are in Pope County?
- Establishments, all industries49
- Employment at those establishments430
- Annual payroll$12.3 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents13.1
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.
Pope County
Building permits in Pope 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.
Pope County
SBA loans in Pope County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded2
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$163,700
- Average 7(a) approval$81,850
- Median 7(a) approval$81,850
- Largest single approval$100,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)6
- Jobs per approval3.0
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active1
- Distinct industries receiving approvals1
- Median 7(a) term66 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer0.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms0
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter2
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Pope County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Pope County
Do SBA loans in Pope County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded0
- Paid in full0
- Charged off0
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed2
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.
Pope County
How large is Pope County?
- Land area369 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Illinois counties81st of 102
- Width, east to west16.4 mi
- Height, north to south36.8 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land10
- Establishments per square mile0.13
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.
Pope County
Flood risk in Pope County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Pope County, unincorporated areasNot participating, community 170904
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book2
- Of those, participating in the NFIP1
- NFIP participation rate50.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Pope 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 Pope County (community 170904), does not participate in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Pope 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 Pope 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 Pope County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20243,739
- Households1,385
- Average household size2.70
- Median household income$60,050
- Median age53.9
Common questions
Pope County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Pope County, Illinois?
The Census Bureau estimates 3,703 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 3,739, in 1,385 households, ranking 101st of 102 Illinois counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Pope County's population growing?
The population has fallen 1.73 percent since the 2020 census base of 3,768, to 3,703 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 14 births against 68 deaths, with net migration of 42. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Pope County?
$60,050. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $143,800, which is 2.4 times income, and median gross rent is $449 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Pope County?
49 establishments, employing 430 people with an annual payroll of $12.3 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 Pope County?
Accommodation and food services is the largest private sector at 63 jobs, 9.8 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 643 jobs at an average annual pay of $41,535, or $799 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Pope County?
2 7(a) approvals totaling $163,700 since FY2020, across 1 lenders, with a median approval of $81,850. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Pope 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 Pope 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.
Are traffic counts available for Pope 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 Pope 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.
Pope County
Cities and places in Pope.
2 Census places lie wholly or partly in Pope County. All 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golconda | city | 691 | 2 | Wholly in this county |
| Eddyville | village | 64 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
Nearby