HomeMississippiWayne County
Wayne County, Mississippi: commercial real estate data.
Wayne County, Mississippi has a population of 19,718 across 811 square miles, down 0.1 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $906.0 m in 2024, 350 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 18 7(a) approvals worth $7.9 m.
108 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections · underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency
Wayne County
How many people live in Wayne County
- Population19,718
- Households7,681
- Average household size2.57
- Median household income$37,619
- Median age39.4
- Median gross rent$784 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$91,100
- Home value to household income2.4 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income25.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher16.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree9.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over12,979
- Population under 184,916
- Share under 1824.9 percent
- Population 65 and over3,551
- Share 65 and over18.0 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6411,251
- Civilian labor force8,433
- Unemployment rate7.0 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over57.0 percent
- Rank by population among Mississippi counties46th of 82
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1903rd
Wayne County is the 46th largest of 82 Mississippi counties by population. A median home costs 2.4 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 24.9 percent against 18.0 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Wayne County
Is Wayne County's population growing?
- Population change since the 2020 census base-0.14 percent
- Census 2020 base population19,776
- Births, 2024253
- Deaths, 2024272
- Natural change, 2024-19
- Net domestic migration, 2024-31
- Net international migration, 202456
- Total net migration, 202425
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-104
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1890th
The county has lost 0.14 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration alone 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.
Wayne County
Where are people moving to Wayne County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving308
- People arriving, from those returns654
- Adjusted gross income arriving$11.4 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$37,169
- Largest single originWayne County Non-migrants (6,764 households)
- Largest single destination (6,764 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County Non-migrants | 6,764 | 14,460 | $364.7 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 98 | 203 | $3.7 m |
| Other flows - South | 98 | 203 | $3.7 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 76 | 171 | $3.3 m |
| Jones County | 61 | 132 | $1.9 m |
| Clarke County | 27 | 50 | $831,000 |
| Greene County | 26 | 62 | $696,000 |
| Forrest County | 20 | 36 | $1.1 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Wayne County Non-migrants, 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.
Wayne County
What is the Wayne County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$906.0 m
- County GDP, 2023$779.9 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 202416.2 percent
- GDP change over five years64.1 percent
- Rank by GDP among Mississippi counties38th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1919th
- GDP per resident$45,947
Output grew 16.2 percent in the latest year and 64.1 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.
Wayne County
Largest employers in Wayne County
- Covered employment, annual average4,723
- Establishments reporting393
- Average annual pay$43,388
- Average weekly wage$834
- Sector 44-45, employment816
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$28,633
- Sector 31-33, employment454
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$61,670
- Sector 42, employment214
- Sector 42, average annual pay$94,389
- Sector 11, employment189
- Sector 11, average annual pay$48,697
- Sector 48-49, employment160
- Sector 55, employment142
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 44-45 | 816 | 83 | $28,633 |
| Sector 31-33 | 454 | 8 | $61,670 |
| Sector 42 | 214 | 21 | $94,389 |
| Sector 11 | 189 | 19 | $48,697 |
| Sector 48-49 | 160 | 12 | $58,888 |
| Sector 55 | 142 | 5 | $66,240 |
| Sector 56 | 102 | 10 | $38,962 |
| Sector 23 | 99 | 19 | $60,508 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 816 jobs, 17.3 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job exceeds median household income, which usually means single earner households and a wage base that can carry rent.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Wayne County
How many businesses are in Wayne County?
- Establishments, all industries350
- Employment at those establishments4,711
- Annual payroll$190.8 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents17.8
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Wayne County
Building permits in Wayne County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 20247
- Declared construction value permitted$225,000
- Single family units authorised1
- Multifamily units authorised6
- Multifamily share of units85.7 percent
- Average declared value per unit$32,143
- Units authorised per 1,000 households0.9
Multifamily is 85.7 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is being built for renters rather than buyers.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Wayne County
SBA loans in Wayne County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded18
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$7.9 m
- Average 7(a) approval$441,411
- Median 7(a) approval$236,900
- 10th percentile approval$50,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,000,000
- Largest single approval$2,045,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)143
- Jobs per approval7.9
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active6
- Distinct industries receiving approvals14
- Median 7(a) term126 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer11.1 percent
- Loans on real estate terms2
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter8
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countBroilers and Other Meat Type Chicken Production (4)
- Most active lenderFirst State Bank (9)
The average approval of $441,411 sits well above the median of $236,900, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 11.1 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.
Wayne County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Wayne County
Do SBA loans in Wayne County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded6
- Paid in full5
- Charged off1
- Status: Paid in full5
- Status: Exempt from disclosure11
- Status: Cancelled1
- Status: Charged off1
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 6 resolved loans, too few to publish a rate. A rate computed on a handful of loans is noise, so none is shown.
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.
Wayne County
SBA lending by place in Wayne County
- Places in the county with recorded lending3
- Waynesboro, approvals9
- Laurel, approvals8
- Buckatunna, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Waynesboro | 9 | $4,054,900 |
| Laurel | 8 | $3,741,900 |
| Buckatunna | 1 | $148,600 |
Waynesboro accounts for 9 approvals against 8 in Laurel. 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.
Wayne County
How large is Wayne County?
- Land area811 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Mississippi counties5th of 82
- Width, east to west29.1 mi
- Height, north to south31.8 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land24
- 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.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No 504 approvals recorded in this county in the FOIA release covering FY2010 onward.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Wayne 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 Wayne County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population19,718
- Households7,681
- Average household size2.57
- Median household income$37,619
- Median age39.4
Common questions
Wayne County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Wayne County, Mississippi?
19,718, in 7,681 households, ranking 46th of 82 Mississippi counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Wayne County's population growing?
The population has fallen 0.14 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 253 births against 272 deaths, with net migration of 25. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Wayne County?
$37,619. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $91,100, which is 2.4 times income, and median gross rent is $784 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Wayne County?
350 establishments, employing 4,711 people with an annual payroll of $190.8 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Wayne County?
Average annual pay is $43,388, or $834 a week, across 4,723 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Wayne County?
18 7(a) approvals totalling $7.9 m since FY2020, across 6 lenders, with a median approval of $236,900. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Wayne County?
7 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $225,000. Multifamily was 85.7 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Wayne 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 Wayne County come from?
The largest single origin is Wayne County Non-migrants, with 6,764 households. Arriving households report an average income of $37,169 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Wayne 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 Wayne County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.
Wayne County
Cities and places in Wayne.
4 Census places lie wholly or partly in Wayne County. 4 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked. The rest are named here and not linked, because the American Community Survey and the SBA record between them do not carry enough about them to write an honest page. A place existing is itself worth knowing, so nothing in the county is left out.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA approvals | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waynesboro | city | 4,518 | 9 | Wholly in this county |
| State Line | town | 1,016 | 1 | 50.4 percent here, 49.6 percent Greene County |
| Clara | CDP | 540 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Buckatunna | CDP | 140 | 1 | Wholly in this county |