HomeNorth CarolinaMitchell County
Mitchell County, North Carolina: commercial real estate data.
Mitchell County, North Carolina had an estimated 15,030 residents on July 1, 2024, up 0.9 percent since the 2020 census base of 14,896, across 221 square miles. County output reached $681.3 m in 2024, 371 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 3 7(a) approvals worth $2.4 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Mitchell County
How many people live in Mitchell County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202414,992
- Households6,587
- Average household size2.28
- Median household income$57,602
- Median age48.0
- Median gross rent$813 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$220,100
- Home value to household income3.8 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income16.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher24.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree9.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over11,218
- Population under 182,637
- Share under 1817.6 percent
- Population 65 and over3,891
- Share 65 and over26.0 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 648,464
- Civilian labor force7,152
- Unemployment rate6.5 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over57.9 percent
- Rank by population among North Carolina counties87th of 100
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included2163rd of 3,222
Mitchell County is the 87th largest of 100 North Carolina counties by population. A median home costs 3.8 times median household income, which is moderately unaffordable by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 26.0 percent against 17.6 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.
Mitchell County
Is Mitchell County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 202415,030
- Census 2020 base population14,896
- Population change since the 2020 census base0.90 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 202427
- Births, 202494
- Deaths, 2024249
- Natural change, 2024-155
- Net domestic migration, 2024158
- Net international migration, 202422
- Total net migration, 2024180
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024682
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1515th of 3,144
The county has grown 0.90 percent 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.
Mitchell County
Where are people moving to Mitchell County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving386
- People arriving, from those returns693
- Tax returns filed by households leaving295
- Net household movement91
- Adjusted gross income arriving$21.6 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$8.1 m
- Average income of an arriving household$55,992
- Average income of a leaving household$45,807
- Largest single originYancey County (69 households)
- Largest single destinationYancey County (52 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yancey County | 69 | 143 | $3.2 m |
| Avery County | 38 | 76 | $1.7 m |
| Buncombe County | 35 | 56 | $1.5 m |
Households arriving report $10,185 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 Yancey 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.
Mitchell County
What is the Mitchell County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$681.3 m
- County GDP, 2023$828.3 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 2024-17.7 percent
- GDP change over five years19.5 percent
- Rank by GDP among the North Carolina areas BEA publishes84th of 100
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes2171st of 3,127
- GDP per resident$45,444
Output grew -17.7 percent in the latest year and 19.5 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.
Mitchell County
Employment by industry in Mitchell County
- Covered employment, annual average5,085
- Establishments reporting447
- Average annual pay$48,859
- Average weekly wage$940
- Health care and social assistance, employment862
- Health care and social assistance, average annual pay$50,868
- Retail trade, employment756
- Retail trade, average annual pay$30,283
- Other services, except public administration, employment305
- Other services, except public administration, average annual pay$35,592
- Construction, employment223
- Construction, average annual pay$48,514
- Transportation and warehousing, employment203
- Wholesale trade, employment187
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 862 | 49 | $50,868 |
| Retail trade | 756 | 59 | $30,283 |
| Other services, except public administration | 305 | 36 | $35,592 |
| Construction | 223 | 45 | $48,514 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 203 | 17 | $54,648 |
| Wholesale trade | 187 | 21 | $56,464 |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | 175 | 26 | $39,099 |
| Educational services | 148 | 6 | $32,838 |
Health care and social assistance is the largest private sector at 862 jobs, 17.0 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Mitchell County
How many businesses are in Mitchell County?
- Establishments, all industries371
- Employment at those establishments4,297
- Annual payroll$200.6 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents24.7
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.
Mitchell County
Building permits in Mitchell County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 202444
- Declared construction value permitted$13.9 m
- Single family units authorized44
- Multifamily units authorized0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$316,989
- Units authorized per 1,000 households6.7
Single-family homes are 100.0 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Mitchell County
SBA loans in Mitchell County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded3
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$2.4 m
- Average 7(a) approval$797,433
- Median 7(a) approval$867,300
- Largest single approval$1,275,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)18
- Jobs per approval6.0
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active3
- Distinct industries receiving approvals3
- Median 7(a) term257 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer66.7 percent
- Loans on real estate terms2
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter1
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- 504 approvals recorded2
- 504 gross approval dollars$659,000
- Average 504 approval$329,500
- Median 504 approval$329,500
- Distinct CDCs active1
- 504 jobs per approval3.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved9.1
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$3.1 m
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.
Mitchell County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Mitchell County
Do SBA loans in Mitchell County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded0
- Paid in full0
- Charged off0
- Status: Exempt from disclosure3
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.
Mitchell County
How large is Mitchell County?
- Land area221 sq mi
- Rank by land area among North Carolina counties97th of 100
- Width, east to west24.3 mi
- Height, north to south23.1 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land68
- Establishments per square mile1.68
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.
Mitchell County
Flood risk in Mitchell County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Mitchell County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 370161
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book3
- Of those, participating in the NFIP3
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Mitchell County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/LZone 1
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Mitchell County (community 370161), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Mitchell County in radon zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 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 Mitchell 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 Mitchell County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202414,992
- Households6,587
- Average household size2.28
- Median household income$57,602
- Median age48.0
Common questions
Mitchell County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Mitchell County, North Carolina?
The Census Bureau estimates 15,030 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 14,992, in 6,587 households, ranking 87th of 100 North Carolina counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Mitchell County's population growing?
The population has grown 0.90 percent since the 2020 census base of 14,896, to 15,030 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 94 births against 249 deaths, with net migration of 180. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Mitchell County?
$57,602. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $220,100, which is 3.8 times income, and median gross rent is $813 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Mitchell County?
371 establishments, employing 4,297 people with an annual payroll of $200.6 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 Mitchell County?
Health care and social assistance is the largest private sector at 862 jobs, 17.0 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 5,085 jobs at an average annual pay of $48,859, or $940 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Mitchell County?
3 7(a) approvals totaling $2.4 m since FY2020, across 3 lenders, with a median approval of $867,300, plus 2 504 approvals worth $659,000 since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Mitchell County?
44 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $13.9 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Mitchell County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 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 Mitchell County come from?
The largest single origin is Yancey County, with 69 households. Arriving households report an average income of $55,992 against $45,807 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Mitchell 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 Mitchell 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.
Mitchell County
Cities and places in Mitchell.
2 Census places lie wholly or partly in Mitchell 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spruce Pine | town | 2,398 | 3 | Wholly in this county |
| Bakersville | town | 747 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |