HomeNorth CarolinaRutherford CountyForest City
Forest City, North Carolina: commercial real estate data.
Forest City is a Census town of 7,363 people across 8.59 square miles of land, in Rutherford County. Median household income is $35,524, 45.4 percent of occupied homes are owned, and the SBA record carries 9 7(a) approvals to borrowers here worth $14.0 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Forest City
What Forest City is
- Census place typetown
- Land area8.59 sq mi
- Water area0.02 sq mi
- Population per square mile of land857
- County holding the largest share of its areaRutherford County, 100.0 percent
US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Forest City
How many people live in Forest City
- Population7,363
- Median age35.1
- Population under 181,955
- Share under 1826.6 percent
- Population 65 and over1,327
- Share 65 and over18.0 percent
- Households2,681
- Family households1,641
- Share of households that are families61.2 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Forest City
Income and work in Forest City
- Median household income$35,524
- Per capita income$21,314 plus or minus $4,614
- Civilian labor force2,901
- Employed2,682
- Unemployed219 plus or minus 106
- Unemployment rate7.5 percent plus or minus 3.6
- Adults 25 and over4,721
- Adults 25 and over with a high school diploma or higher84.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher14.7 percent plus or minus 4.3
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree6.4 percent plus or minus 3.3
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Forest City
Housing in Forest City
- Housing units3,335
- Occupied units2,681
- Vacant units654 plus or minus 188
- Vacancy rate19.6 percent plus or minus 5.4
- Owner occupied1,218
- Renter occupied1,463
- Ownership rate45.4 percent
- Median owner-occupied home value$160,800
- Median gross rent, monthly$813
- Annual rent as a share of median income27.5 percent
- Single family units2,432
- Share single family72.9 percent
- Units in buildings of two or more751 plus or minus 221
- Share in buildings of two or more22.5 percent plus or minus 6.4
- Mobile homes152 plus or minus 102
- Median year structure built1965
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Forest City
How Forest City gets to work
- Workers 16 and over who commute2,418
- Commuting under 15 minutes976 plus or minus 227
- Share commuting under 15 minutes40.4 percent
- Commuting 30 minutes or more934 plus or minus 275
- Share commuting 30 minutes or more38.6 percent plus or minus 10.3
- Drove alone80.5 percent
- Carpooled10.1 percent plus or minus 5.8
- Public transport0.7 percent plus or minus 1.1
- Walked2.7 percent plus or minus 3.5
- Worked from home6.0 percent plus or minus 4.2
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Forest City
SBA loans in Forest City (7(a))
- Approvals9
- Gross approval$13,975,000
- Average approval$1,552,778
- Median approval$1,400,000
- Largest approval$5,000,000
- Jobs supported63
- Jobs per approval7.0
- Loans with a final outcome4
- Paid in full4
- Charged off0
- Median term122 months
- Share on real estate terms of 20 years or more44.4 percent
- Share to franchises22.2 percent
- Distinct lenders8
- Distinct industries by NAICS7
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Forest City, in any county, FY2020 to FY2026. Only 4 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Forest City
SBA loans in Forest City (504)
- Approvals4
- Gross approval$5,279,000
- Average approval$1,319,750
- Median approval$1,097,000
- Largest approval$3,009,000
- Jobs supported32
- Loans with a final outcome2
- Charged off0
- Median term270 months
- Distinct CDCs2
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Forest City, in any county, FY2010 to FY2026. Only 2 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Forest City
Flood risk in Forest City
- NFIP communityTown of Forest City
- NFIP community number370218
- Participating in the NFIPYes
- Community Rating System classNone
- Currently effective map date01/06/10
The Town of Forest City participates in the National Flood Insurance Program as community 370218 and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies to it.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Rutherford County, not Forest City
Rutherford County context, not Forest City figures
- Establishments in Rutherford County1,289
- Covered employment, Rutherford County17,994
- Average annual pay, Rutherford County$48,125
- Housing units permitted, Rutherford County193
Every figure in this section is published for Rutherford County as a whole and is not a measurement of Forest City.
All Rutherford County figures →
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages. US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Parcel detail, 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 →
Common questions
Forest City questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Forest City, North Carolina?
7,363, in 2,681 households. Forest City town covers 8.59 square miles of land, which is 857 people per square mile. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
What county is Forest City in?
Rutherford County, which holds 100.0 percent of the place by area. Source: US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage.
What is the median household income in Forest City?
$35,524. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $160,800. Median gross rent is $813 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
How much SBA lending goes to Forest City businesses?
9 7(a) approvals totaling $14.0 m since FY2020, across 8 lenders, median approval $1,400,000, plus 4 504 approvals worth $5.3 m since FY2010. These count approvals to borrowers whose address is in Forest City, not projects sited inside the place boundary, and they are approvals recorded in the release rather than loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans to Forest City borrowers get paid back?
No rate is published for Forest City. Only 4 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published. The counts are shown instead.
Is Forest City in the National Flood Insurance Program?
Yes. Forest City appears in the FEMA Community Status Book as Forest City, town of, community 370218, with no Community Rating System class, so no CRS discount applies. Whether a specific parcel sits in a mapped special flood hazard area is an address level question the platform answers.
Are the county figures on this page Forest City figures?
No, and they are labeled so. County Business Patterns, QCEW, the Building Permits Survey, BEA product and IRS migration are published for Rutherford County as a whole and there is no place level equivalent. They appear in one clearly marked section as context and are never presented as measurements of Forest City.
Is zoning published for Forest City?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning.
Nearby