HomeNorth CarolinaStokes County
Stokes County, North Carolina: commercial real estate data.
Stokes County, North Carolina had an estimated 45,857 residents on July 1, 2024, up 3.0 percent since the 2020 census base of 44,528, across 449 square miles. County output reached $1.76 bn in 2024, 674 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 22 7(a) approvals worth $13.0 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Stokes County
How many people live in Stokes County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202445,139
- Households19,546
- Average household size2.31
- Median household income$62,969
- Median age47.7
- Median gross rent$775 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$196,700
- Home value to household income3.1 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income14.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher18.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree6.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over33,541
- Population under 188,398
- Share under 1818.6 percent
- Population 65 and over10,441
- Share 65 and over23.1 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6426,300
- Civilian labor force20,776
- Unemployment rate3.1 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over56.5 percent
- Rank by population among North Carolina counties55th of 100
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included1099th of 3,222
Stokes County is the 55th largest of 100 North Carolina counties by population. A median home costs 3.1 times median household income, which is moderately unaffordable by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 23.1 percent against 18.6 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.
Stokes County
Is Stokes County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 202445,857
- Census 2020 base population44,528
- Population change since the 2020 census base2.98 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024371
- Births, 2024424
- Deaths, 2024658
- Natural change, 2024-234
- Net domestic migration, 2024612
- Net international migration, 2024-3
- Total net migration, 2024609
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20242,398
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents874th of 3,144
The county has grown 2.98 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.
Stokes County
Where are people moving to Stokes County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving1,299
- People arriving, from those returns2,457
- Tax returns filed by households leaving951
- Net household movement348
- Adjusted gross income arriving$69.9 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$20.6 m
- Average income of an arriving household$53,801
- Average income of a leaving household$51,876
- Largest single originForsyth County (482 households)
- Largest single destinationForsyth County (329 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forsyth County | 482 | 932 | $25.6 m |
| Surry County | 131 | 273 | $6.5 m |
| Rockingham County | 70 | 137 | $3.3 m |
| Guilford County | 55 | 89 | $2.7 m |
| Davidson County | 44 | 93 | $2.5 m |
| Yadkin County | 24 | 43 | $1.3 m |
Households arriving report $1,925 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 Forsyth 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.
Stokes County
What is the Stokes County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$1.76 bn
- County GDP, 2023$1.65 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20246.7 percent
- GDP change over five years67.4 percent
- Rank by GDP among the North Carolina areas BEA publishes65th of 100
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes1390th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$38,906
Output grew 6.7 percent in the latest year and 67.4 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.
Stokes County
Employment by industry in Stokes County
- Covered employment, annual average7,708
- Establishments reporting844
- Average annual pay$41,766
- Average weekly wage$803
- Retail trade, employment1,308
- Retail trade, average annual pay$30,078
- Accommodation and food services, employment1,162
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$18,897
- Health care and social assistance, employment1,010
- Health care and social assistance, average annual pay$45,008
- Manufacturing, employment680
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$60,777
- Construction, employment621
- Administrative and support and waste management services, employment246
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 1,308 | 120 | $30,078 |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,162 | 68 | $18,897 |
| Health care and social assistance | 1,010 | 87 | $45,008 |
| Manufacturing | 680 | 33 | $60,777 |
| Construction | 621 | 126 | $57,940 |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | 246 | 68 | $42,642 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 238 | 58 | $40,819 |
| Other services, except public administration | 229 | 84 | $43,552 |
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 1,308 jobs, 17.0 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Stokes County
How many businesses are in Stokes County?
- Establishments, all industries674
- Employment at those establishments5,767
- Annual payroll$209.6 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents14.9
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.
Stokes County
Building permits in Stokes County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 2024238
- Declared construction value permitted$78.1 m
- Single family units authorized233
- Multifamily units authorized5
- Multifamily share of units2.1 percent
- Average declared value per unit$328,044
- Units authorized per 1,000 households12.2
Single-family homes are 97.9 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Stokes County
SBA loans in Stokes County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded22
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$13.0 m
- Average 7(a) approval$590,236
- Median 7(a) approval$208,850
- 10th percentile approval$25,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,113,400
- Largest single approval$4,500,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)209
- Jobs per approval9.5
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active12
- Distinct industries receiving approvals18
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer9.1 percent
- Loans on real estate terms2
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter15
- Franchise loans1
- Franchise share of approvals4.5 percent
- Leading industry by approval countLimited-Service Restaurants (3)
- Most active lenderFirst Community Bank (8)
The average approval of $590,236 sits well above the median of $208,850, pulled up by a few larger deals, so the median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here gets. Only 9.1 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.
Stokes County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Stokes County
Do SBA loans in Stokes County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded3
- Paid in full3
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full3
- Status: Exempt from disclosure14
- Status: Cancelled1
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed4
Only 3 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.
Stokes County
SBA lending by place in Stokes County
- Borrower cities with recorded lending5
- King, approvals15
- Germanton, approvals4
- Danbury, approvals1
- Pinnacle, approvals1
- Westfield, approvals1
| Borrower city | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| King | 15 | $6,569,000 |
| Germanton | 4 | $497,200 |
| Danbury | 1 | $4,500,000 |
| Pinnacle | 1 | $1,394,000 |
| Westfield | 1 | $25,000 |
King accounts for 15 approvals against 4 in Germanton. 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.
Stokes County
How large is Stokes County?
- Land area449 sq mi
- Rank by land area among North Carolina counties54th of 100
- Width, east to west23.6 mi
- Height, north to south20.3 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land101
- Establishments per square mile1.50
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.
Stokes County
Flood risk in Stokes County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Stokes County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 370362
- 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 Stokes County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/LZone 2
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Stokes County (community 370362), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Stokes 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. 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 Stokes 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 Stokes County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202445,139
- Households19,546
- Average household size2.31
- Median household income$62,969
- Median age47.7
Common questions
Stokes County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Stokes County, North Carolina?
The Census Bureau estimates 45,857 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 45,139, in 19,546 households, ranking 55th of 100 North Carolina counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Stokes County's population growing?
The population has grown 2.98 percent since the 2020 census base of 44,528, to 45,857 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 424 births against 658 deaths, with net migration of 609. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Stokes County?
$62,969. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $196,700, which is 3.1 times income, and median gross rent is $775 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Stokes County?
674 establishments, employing 5,767 people with an annual payroll of $209.6 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 Stokes County?
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 1,308 jobs, 17.0 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 7,708 jobs at an average annual pay of $41,766, or $803 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Stokes County?
22 7(a) approvals totaling $13.0 m since FY2020, across 12 lenders, with a median approval of $208,850. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Stokes County?
238 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $78.1 m. Multifamily was 2.1 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Stokes 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 Stokes County come from?
The largest single origin is Forsyth County, with 482 households. Arriving households report an average income of $53,801 against $51,876 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Stokes 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 Stokes 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.
Stokes County
Cities and places in Stokes.
5 Census places lie wholly or partly in Stokes County. All 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| King | city | 7,408 | 15 | 85.8 percent here, 14.2 percent Forsyth County |
| Walnut Cove | town | 2,115 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Germanton | CDP | 1,087 | 4 | 54.6 percent here, 45.4 percent Forsyth County |
| Pinnacle | CDP | 540 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Danbury | town | 197 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
A further 1 of the county's 22 SBA 7(a) approvals are to borrowers in cities that match no Census place in Stokes County, the largest being Westfield (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.