HomeMassachusettsBarnstable County
Barnstable County, Massachusetts: commercial real estate data.
Barnstable County, Massachusetts had an estimated 232,570 residents on July 1, 2024, up 1.5 percent since the 2020 census base of 229,067, across 394 square miles. County output reached $19.30 bn in 2024, 8,957 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 550 7(a) approvals worth $134.8 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Barnstable County
How many people live in Barnstable County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-2024231,668
- Households105,777
- Average household size2.19
- Median household income$95,241
- Median age55.4
- Median gross rent$1,678 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$629,000
- Home value to household income6.6 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income21.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher48.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree22.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over183,732
- Population under 1832,704
- Share under 1814.1 percent
- Population 65 and over76,755
- Share 65 and over33.1 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64122,209
- Civilian labor force117,962
- Unemployment rate5.0 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over59.3 percent
- Rank by population among Massachusetts counties9th of 14
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included306th of 3,222
Barnstable County is the 9th largest of 14 Massachusetts counties by population. A median home costs 6.6 times median household income, which is severely unaffordable by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 33.1 percent against 14.1 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.
Barnstable County
Is Barnstable County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 2024232,570
- Census 2020 base population229,067
- Population change since the 2020 census base1.53 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024-189
- Births, 20241,518
- Deaths, 20243,246
- Natural change, 2024-1,728
- Net domestic migration, 202446
- Net international migration, 20241,513
- Total net migration, 20241,559
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20247,664
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1319th of 3,144
The county has grown 1.53 percent 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.
Barnstable County
Where are people moving to Barnstable County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving6,690
- People arriving, from those returns10,625
- Tax returns filed by households leaving6,596
- Net household movement94
- Adjusted gross income arriving$1.26 bn
- Net adjusted gross income movement$367.3 m
- Average income of an arriving household$189,081
- Average income of a leaving household$136,086
- Largest single originMiddlesex County (842 households)
- Largest single destinationPlymouth County (786 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesex County | 842 | 1,343 | $190.3 m |
| Plymouth County | 648 | 1,029 | $72.1 m |
| Norfolk County | 609 | 1,010 | $129.5 m |
| Suffolk County | 459 | 648 | $132.3 m |
| Worcester County | 367 | 633 | $86.1 m |
| Bristol County | 275 | 456 | $32.9 m |
| Essex County | 157 | 253 | $37.1 m |
| Capitol Planning Region | 93 | 150 | $15.2 m |
Households arriving report $52,995 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 Middlesex 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.
Barnstable County
What is the Barnstable County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$19.30 bn
- County GDP, 2023$17.87 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20248.0 percent
- GDP change over five years40.8 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Massachusetts areas BEA publishes9th of 14
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes267th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$83,302
Output grew 8.0 percent in the latest year and 40.8 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.
Barnstable County
Employment by industry in Barnstable County
- Covered employment, annual average96,280
- Establishments reporting9,789
- Average annual pay$64,707
- Average weekly wage$1,244
- Accommodation and food services, employment15,677
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$40,105
- Health care and social assistance, employment15,098
- Health care and social assistance, average annual pay$73,389
- Retail trade, employment14,563
- Retail trade, average annual pay$44,996
- Construction, employment7,204
- Construction, average annual pay$81,495
- Professional, scientific and technical services, employment4,768
- Administrative and support and waste management services, employment4,390
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and food services | 15,677 | 1,055 | $40,105 |
| Health care and social assistance | 15,098 | 1,202 | $73,389 |
| Retail trade | 14,563 | 1,307 | $44,996 |
| Construction | 7,204 | 1,456 | $81,495 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 4,768 | 923 | $93,138 |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | 4,390 | 757 | $62,109 |
| Other services, except public administration | 3,592 | 744 | $52,110 |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 3,103 | 266 | $46,761 |
Accommodation and food services is the largest private sector at 15,677 jobs, 16.3 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Barnstable County
How many businesses are in Barnstable County?
- Establishments, all industries8,957
- Employment at those establishments76,963
- Annual payroll$4.76 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents38.7
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.
Barnstable County
Building permits in Barnstable County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 2024640
- Declared construction value permitted$387.6 m
- Single family units authorized430
- Multifamily units authorized210
- Multifamily share of units32.8 percent
- Average declared value per unit$605,665
- Units authorized per 1,000 households6.1
Single-family homes are 67.2 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Barnstable County
SBA loans in Barnstable County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded550
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$134.8 m
- Average 7(a) approval$245,144
- Median 7(a) approval$75,000
- 10th percentile approval$21,950
- 90th percentile approval$500,000
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)4,515
- Jobs per approval8.2
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active50
- Distinct industries receiving approvals173
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer5.8 percent
- Loans on real estate terms32
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter512
- Franchise loans17
- Franchise share of approvals3.1 percent
- Leading industry by approval countLandscaping Services (43)
- Most active lenderEastern Bank (169)
- 504 approvals recorded419
- 504 gross approval dollars$237.2 m
- Average 504 approval$566,215
- Median 504 approval$362,000
- Distinct CDCs active7
- 504 jobs per approval6.7
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved11.9
- Most active CDCCape & Islands Community Development, Inc. (164)
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$372.1 m
The average approval of $245,144 sits well above the median of $75,000, pulled up by a few larger deals, so the median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here gets. Only 5.8 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
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.
Barnstable County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Barnstable County
Do SBA loans in Barnstable County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded116
- Paid in full109
- Charged off7
- Charge-off rate on resolved loans6.0 percent
- Status: Paid in full109
- Status: Exempt from disclosure333
- Status: Cancelled65
- Status: Charged off7
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed36
Of the 116 loans that have reached a final outcome, 6.0 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
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.
Barnstable County
SBA lending by place in Barnstable County
- Borrower cities with recorded lending53
- Hyannis, approvals68
- Sandwich, approvals43
- Mashpee, approvals38
- Falmouth, approvals30
- Brewster, approvals26
- South Yarmouth, approvals25
| Borrower city | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Hyannis | 68 | $15,957,800 |
| Sandwich | 43 | $7,390,600 |
| Mashpee | 38 | $6,072,600 |
| Falmouth | 30 | $18,418,300 |
| Brewster | 26 | $2,735,600 |
| South Yarmouth | 25 | $4,533,400 |
| Centerville | 24 | $5,422,000 |
| Harwich | 21 | $6,616,800 |
| 45 other borrower cities | 275 | $67,682,100 |
Hyannis accounts for 68 approvals against 43 in Sandwich. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Barnstable County
How large is Barnstable County?
- Land area394 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Massachusetts counties11th of 14
- Width, east to west39.6 mi
- Height, north to south39.3 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary2
- Residents per square mile of land588
- Establishments per square mile22.73
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.
Barnstable County
Flood risk in Barnstable County
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book15
- Of those, participating in the NFIP15
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Best Community Rating System class in the county A lower CRS class is a larger flood insurance premium discount.Class 6
- Communities carrying a CRS class9
- Radon levels in Barnstable County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/LZone 2
The EPA places Barnstable 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. The best Community Rating System class among the county's communities is 6, which carries a flood insurance premium discount for policies written in that community. 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 Barnstable 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 Barnstable County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-2024231,668
- Households105,777
- Average household size2.19
- Median household income$95,241
- Median age55.4
Common questions
Barnstable County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Barnstable County, Massachusetts?
The Census Bureau estimates 232,570 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 231,668, in 105,777 households, ranking 9th of 14 Massachusetts counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Barnstable County's population growing?
The population has grown 1.53 percent since the 2020 census base of 229,067, to 232,570 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 1,518 births against 3,246 deaths, with net migration of 1,559. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Barnstable County?
$95,241. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $629,000, which is 6.6 times income, and median gross rent is $1,678 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Barnstable County?
8,957 establishments, employing 76,963 people with an annual payroll of $4.76 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Barnstable County?
Accommodation and food services is the largest private sector at 15,677 jobs, 16.3 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 96,280 jobs at an average annual pay of $64,707, or $1,244 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Barnstable County?
550 7(a) approvals totaling $134.8 m since FY2020, across 50 lenders, with a median approval of $75,000, plus 419 504 approvals worth $237.2 m since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Barnstable County get paid back?
Of the 116 loans that have reached a final outcome, 109 were paid in full and 7 charged off, a charge-off rate of 6.0 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
How many building permits were issued in Barnstable County?
640 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $387.6 m. Multifamily was 32.8 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Barnstable 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 Barnstable County come from?
The largest single origin is Middlesex County, with 842 households. Arriving households report an average income of $189,081 against $136,086 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Barnstable 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 Barnstable 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.
Barnstable County
Cities and places in Barnstable.
40 Census places lie wholly or partly in Barnstable County. All 40 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnstable Town | city | 49,568 | 7 | Wholly in this county |
| South Yarmouth | CDP | 11,552 | 25 | Wholly in this county |
| East Falmouth | CDP | 6,245 | 20 | Wholly in this county |
| West Yarmouth | CDP | 6,194 | 9 | Wholly in this county |
| Yarmouth Port | CDP | 5,961 | 12 | Wholly in this county |
| East Harwich | CDP | 5,654 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Sagamore | CDP | 4,072 | 4 | Wholly in this county |
| Falmouth | CDP | 3,954 | 30 | Wholly in this county |
| Northwest Harwich | CDP | 3,932 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| East Sandwich | CDP | 3,864 | 14 | Wholly in this county |
| Forestdale | CDP | 3,801 | 6 | Wholly in this county |
| Dennis Port | CDP | 3,691 | 11 | Wholly in this county |
| Provincetown | CDP | 3,452 | 17 | Wholly in this county |
| Monument Beach | CDP | 3,277 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| South Dennis | CDP | 3,135 | 15 | Wholly in this county |
| East Dennis | CDP | 3,062 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Buzzards Bay | CDP | 2,909 | 19 | Wholly in this county |
| Sandwich | CDP | 2,890 | 43 | Wholly in this county |
| North Falmouth | CDP | 2,838 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| West Dennis | CDP | 2,556 | 3 | Wholly in this county |
| Dennis | CDP | 2,424 | 3 | Wholly in this county |
| Pocasset | CDP | 2,247 | 12 | Wholly in this county |
| Harwich Port | CDP | 2,238 | 7 | Wholly in this county |
| North Eastham | CDP | 2,085 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Brewster | CDP | 1,994 | 26 | Wholly in this county |
| Bourne | CDP | 1,806 | 4 | Wholly in this county |
| Harwich Center | CDP | 1,774 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Teaticket | CDP | 1,759 | 2 | Wholly in this county |
| Chatham | CDP | 1,600 | 10 | Wholly in this county |
| Orleans | CDP | 1,480 | 15 | Wholly in this county |
| West Falmouth | CDP | 1,325 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| West Chatham | CDP | 1,258 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Woods Hole | CDP | 988 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Mashpee Neck | CDP | 908 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| New Seabury | CDP | 726 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Popponesset | CDP | 563 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Seabrook | CDP | 530 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Seconsett Island | CDP | 168 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Monomoscoy Island | CDP | 141 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Popponesset Island | CDP | 33 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
A further 232 of the county's 550 SBA 7(a) approvals are to borrowers in cities that match no Census place in Barnstable County, the largest being Hyannis (68), Mashpee (38), Centerville (24). 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.