Lee County, Kentucky: commercial real estate data.
Lee County, Kentucky had an estimated 7,313 residents on July 1, 2024, down 1.0 percent since the 2020 census base of 7,386, across 209 square miles. County output reached $160.5 m in 2024, 90 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 1 7(a) approvals worth $75,000 since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Lee County
How many people live in Lee County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20247,339
- Households2,595
- Average household size2.83
- Median household income$37,568
- Median age43.6
- Median gross rent$603 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$83,900
- Home value to household income2.2 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income19.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher9.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree3.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over5,493
- Population under 181,330
- Share under 1818.1 percent
- Population 65 and over1,435
- Share 65 and over19.6 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 644,574
- Civilian labor force2,523
- Unemployment rate4.7 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over42.0 percent
- Rank by population among Kentucky counties111th of 120
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included2712th of 3,222
Lee County is the 111th largest of 120 Kentucky 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 19.6 percent against 18.1 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.
Lee County
Is Lee County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 20247,313
- Census 2020 base population7,386
- Population change since the 2020 census base-0.99 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 202412
- Births, 202469
- Deaths, 2024112
- Natural change, 2024-43
- Net domestic migration, 202453
- Net international migration, 20240
- Total net migration, 202453
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024196
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2184th of 3,144
The county has lost 0.99 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.
Lee County
Where are people moving to Lee County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving130
- People arriving, from those returns247
- Tax returns filed by households leaving139
- Net household movement-9
- Adjusted gross income arriving$4.3 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$971,000
- Average income of an arriving household$33,169
- Average income of a leaving household$24,036
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|
Households arriving report $9,133 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.
Lee County
What is the Lee County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$160.5 m
- County GDP, 2023$159.4 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20240.7 percent
- GDP change over five years24.9 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Kentucky areas BEA publishes114th of 120
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes2959th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$21,872
Output grew 0.7 percent in the latest year and 24.9 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.
Lee County
Employment by industry in Lee County
- Covered employment, annual average1,706
- Establishments reporting163
- Average annual pay$43,886
- Average weekly wage$844
- Health care and social assistance, employment348
- Health care and social assistance, average annual pay$49,934
- Accommodation and food services, employment266
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$29,824
- Administrative and support and waste management services, employment226
- Administrative and support and waste management services, average annual pay$54,466
- Retail trade, employment165
- Retail trade, average annual pay$30,604
- Construction, employment28
- Transportation and warehousing, employment24
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 348 | 27 | $49,934 |
| Accommodation and food services | 266 | 14 | $29,824 |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | 226 | 6 | $54,466 |
| Retail trade | 165 | 25 | $30,604 |
| Construction | 28 | 5 | $61,284 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 24 | 6 | $37,309 |
| Finance and insurance | 17 | 4 | $56,997 |
Health care and social assistance is the largest private sector at 348 jobs, 20.4 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Lee County
How many businesses are in Lee County?
- Establishments, all industries90
- Employment at those establishments1,387
- Annual payroll$54.3 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents12.3
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.
Lee County
SBA loans in Lee County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded1
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$75,000
- Average 7(a) approval$75,000
- Median 7(a) approval$75,000
- Largest single approval$75,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)14
- Jobs per approval14.0
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active1
- Distinct industries receiving approvals1
- Median 7(a) term120 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 shorter1
- 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.
Lee County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Lee County
Do SBA loans in Lee County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded0
- Paid in full0
- Charged off0
- Status: Exempt from disclosure1
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.
Lee County
How large is Lee County?
- Land area209 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Kentucky counties96th of 120
- Width, east to west21 mi
- Height, north to south16.1 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land35
- Establishments per square mile0.43
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.
Lee County
Flood risk in Lee County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Lee County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 210135
- 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 Lee 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 Lee County (community 210135), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Lee 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. 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 Lee 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 Lee County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20247,339
- Households2,595
- Average household size2.83
- Median household income$37,568
- Median age43.6
Common questions
Lee County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Lee County, Kentucky?
The Census Bureau estimates 7,313 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 7,339, in 2,595 households, ranking 111th of 120 Kentucky counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Lee County's population growing?
The population has fallen 0.99 percent since the 2020 census base of 7,386, to 7,313 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 69 births against 112 deaths, with net migration of 53. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Lee County?
$37,568. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $83,900, which is 2.2 times income, and median gross rent is $603 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Lee County?
90 establishments, employing 1,387 people with an annual payroll of $54.3 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 Lee County?
Health care and social assistance is the largest private sector at 348 jobs, 20.4 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 1,706 jobs at an average annual pay of $43,886, or $844 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Lee County?
1 7(a) approvals totaling $75,000 since FY2020, across 1 lenders, with a median approval of $75,000. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is the radon zone for Lee 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 Lee 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 Lee 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.
Lee County
Cities and places in Lee.
1 Census place lies wholly or partly in Lee County. It carries enough published place level data for a page of its own and is linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beattyville | city | 2,095 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
Nearby