HomeNorth CarolinaCabarrus County
Cabarrus County, North Carolina: commercial real estate data.
Cabarrus County, North Carolina had an estimated 244,925 residents on July 1, 2024, up 8.5 percent since the 2020 census base of 225,797, across 362 square miles. County output reached $12.96 bn in 2024, 5,279 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 218 7(a) approvals worth $129.6 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Cabarrus County
How many people live in Cabarrus County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-2024236,133
- Households84,246
- Average household size2.80
- Median household income$89,005
- Median age37.7
- Median gross rent$1,414 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$354,800
- Home value to household income4.0 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income19.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher37.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree13.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over157,298
- Population under 1859,433
- Share under 1825.2 percent
- Population 65 and over32,038
- Share 65 and over13.6 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64144,662
- Civilian labor force125,285
- Unemployment rate4.6 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over70.9 percent
- Rank by population among North Carolina counties9th of 100
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included299th of 3,222
Cabarrus County is the 9th largest of 100 North Carolina counties by population. A median home costs 4.0 times median household income, which is moderately unaffordable by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 25.2 percent against 13.6 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Cabarrus County
Is Cabarrus County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 2024244,925
- Census 2020 base population225,797
- Population change since the 2020 census base8.47 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 20244,317
- Births, 20242,743
- Deaths, 20242,011
- Natural change, 2024732
- Net domestic migration, 20242,530
- Net international migration, 20241,070
- Total net migration, 20243,600
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 202412,371
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents212th of 3,144
The county has grown 8.47 percent since the 2020 census base. The population grew in 2024 from both sources: births exceeded deaths and more people moved in than left.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Cabarrus County
Where are people moving to Cabarrus County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving9,144
- People arriving, from those returns17,748
- Tax returns filed by households leaving7,802
- Net household movement1,342
- Adjusted gross income arriving$599.3 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$63.9 m
- Average income of an arriving household$65,542
- Average income of a leaving household$68,620
- Largest single originMecklenburg County (3,236 households)
- Largest single destinationMecklenburg County (2,173 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mecklenburg County | 3,236 | 6,265 | $227.5 m |
| Rowan County | 734 | 1,398 | $32.8 m |
| Stanly County | 212 | 392 | $11.4 m |
| Iredell County | 204 | 399 | $15.1 m |
| Union County | 190 | 378 | $12.3 m |
| Gaston County | 140 | 233 | $7.0 m |
| Guilford County | 127 | 225 | $6.8 m |
| Wake County | 117 | 215 | $8.3 m |
Households arriving report $3,078 less average income than households leaving, which drains spending power even where headcount holds up. The largest single source of arrivals is Mecklenburg 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.
Cabarrus County
What is the Cabarrus County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$12.96 bn
- County GDP, 2023$11.81 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20249.8 percent
- GDP change over five years53.1 percent
- Rank by GDP among the North Carolina areas BEA publishes12th of 100
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes359th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$54,894
Output grew 9.8 percent in the latest year and 53.1 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.
Cabarrus County
Employment by industry in Cabarrus County
- Covered employment, annual average87,725
- Establishments reporting6,614
- Average annual pay$56,529
- Average weekly wage$1,087
- Retail trade, employment12,858
- Retail trade, average annual pay$35,650
- Accommodation and food services, employment11,275
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$23,022
- Wholesale trade, employment6,190
- Wholesale trade, average annual pay$80,806
- Health care and social assistance, employment6,125
- Health care and social assistance, average annual pay$59,167
- Transportation and warehousing, employment6,089
- Manufacturing, employment5,560
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 12,858 | 766 | $35,650 |
| Accommodation and food services | 11,275 | 507 | $23,022 |
| Wholesale trade | 6,190 | 359 | $80,806 |
| Health care and social assistance | 6,125 | 546 | $59,167 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 6,089 | 237 | $41,298 |
| Manufacturing | 5,560 | 196 | $65,228 |
| Construction | 5,348 | 796 | $70,549 |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | 4,160 | 496 | $48,935 |
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 12,858 jobs, 14.7 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Cabarrus County
How many businesses are in Cabarrus County?
- Establishments, all industries5,279
- Employment at those establishments77,218
- Annual payroll$3.72 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents22.4
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.
Cabarrus County
Building permits in Cabarrus County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20242,485
- Declared construction value permitted$411.4 m
- Single family units authorized1,768
- Multifamily units authorized717
- Multifamily share of units28.9 percent
- Average declared value per unit$165,545
- Units authorized per 1,000 households29.5
Single-family homes are 71.1 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Cabarrus County
SBA loans in Cabarrus County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded218
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$129.6 m
- Average 7(a) approval$594,517
- Median 7(a) approval$256,500
- 10th percentile approval$30,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,658,500
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)2,272
- Jobs per approval10.4
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active51
- Distinct industries receiving approvals115
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer17.9 percent
- Loans on real estate terms39
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter164
- Franchise loans47
- Franchise share of approvals21.6 percent
- Leading industry by approval countLimited-Service Restaurants (12)
- Most active lenderPinnacle Bank (18)
- 504 approvals recorded39
- 504 gross approval dollars$29.8 m
- Average 504 approval$765,256
- Median 504 approval$559,000
- Distinct CDCs active7
- 504 jobs per approval11.4
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved14.9
- Most active CDCBusiness Expansion Funding Corporation (29)
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$159.4 m
The average approval of $594,517 sits well above the median of $256,500, pulled up by a few larger deals, so the median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here gets. Only 17.9 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.
Cabarrus County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Cabarrus County
Do SBA loans in Cabarrus County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded39
- Paid in full36
- Charged off3
- Charge-off rate on resolved loans7.7 percent
- Status: Exempt from disclosure141
- Status: Paid in full36
- Status: Cancelled31
- Status: Charged off3
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed7
Of the 39 loans that have reached a final outcome, 7.7 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.
Cabarrus County
SBA lending by place in Cabarrus County
- Borrower cities with recorded lending8
- Concord, approvals147
- Kannapolis, approvals25
- Harrisburg, approvals24
- Midland, approvals12
- Charlotte, approvals5
- Mount Pleasant, approvals3
| Borrower city | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Concord | 147 | $92,383,200 |
| Kannapolis | 25 | $10,884,700 |
| Harrisburg | 24 | $14,730,300 |
| Midland | 12 | $4,200,500 |
| Charlotte | 5 | $6,050,000 |
| Mount Pleasant | 3 | $1,091,000 |
| Davidson | 1 | $250,000 |
| Huntersville | 1 | $15,000 |
Concord accounts for 147 approvals against 25 in Kannapolis. 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.
Cabarrus County
How large is Cabarrus County?
- Land area362 sq mi
- Rank by land area among North Carolina counties72nd of 100
- Width, east to west27.6 mi
- Height, north to south22.3 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land652
- Establishments per square mile14.58
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.
Cabarrus County
Flood risk in Cabarrus County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Cabarrus County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 370036
- Community Rating System class of the county's own communityClass 7
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book7
- Of those, participating in the NFIP7
- 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 7
- Communities carrying a CRS class2
- Radon levels in Cabarrus 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 Cabarrus County (community 370036), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries Community Rating System class 7, a flood insurance premium discount for policies written there. The EPA places Cabarrus 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. The best Community Rating System class among the county's communities is 7, 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 Cabarrus 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 Cabarrus County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-2024236,133
- Households84,246
- Average household size2.80
- Median household income$89,005
- Median age37.7
Common questions
Cabarrus County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Cabarrus County, North Carolina?
The Census Bureau estimates 244,925 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 236,133, in 84,246 households, ranking 9th of 100 North Carolina counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Cabarrus County's population growing?
The population has grown 8.47 percent since the 2020 census base of 225,797, to 244,925 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 2,743 births against 2,011 deaths, with net migration of 3,600. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Cabarrus County?
$89,005. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $354,800, which is 4.0 times income, and median gross rent is $1,414 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Cabarrus County?
5,279 establishments, employing 77,218 people with an annual payroll of $3.72 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 Cabarrus County?
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 12,858 jobs, 14.7 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 87,725 jobs at an average annual pay of $56,529, or $1,087 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Cabarrus County?
218 7(a) approvals totaling $129.6 m since FY2020, across 51 lenders, with a median approval of $256,500, plus 39 504 approvals worth $29.8 m since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Cabarrus County get paid back?
Of the 39 loans that have reached a final outcome, 36 were paid in full and 3 charged off, a charge-off rate of 7.7 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
How many building permits were issued in Cabarrus County?
2,485 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $411.4 m. Multifamily was 28.9 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Cabarrus 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 Cabarrus County come from?
The largest single origin is Mecklenburg County, with 3,236 households. Arriving households report an average income of $65,542 against $68,620 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Cabarrus 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 Cabarrus 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.
Cabarrus County
Cities and places in Cabarrus.
6 Census places lie wholly or partly in Cabarrus County. All 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concord | city | 108,719 | 147 | Wholly in this county |
| Kannapolis | city | 57,890 | 25 | 79.7 percent here, 20.3 percent Rowan County |
| Harrisburg | town | 19,633 | 24 | Wholly in this county |
| Locust | city | 5,840 | None recorded | 24.6 percent here, 75.4 percent Stanly County |
| Midland | town | 4,860 | 12 | Wholly in this county |
| Mount Pleasant | town | 2,230 | 3 | Wholly in this county |
A further 7 of the county's 218 SBA 7(a) approvals are to borrowers in cities that match no Census place in Cabarrus County, the largest being Charlotte (5), Davidson (1), Huntersville (1). 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.