Iron County, Utah: commercial real estate data.
Iron County, Utah had an estimated 65,936 residents on July 1, 2024, up 15.1 percent since the 2020 census base of 57,281, across 3,297 square miles. County output reached $3.19 bn in 2024, 1,935 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 156 7(a) approvals worth $56.6 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Iron County
How many people live in Iron County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202462,252
- Households20,157
- Average household size3.09
- Median household income$66,247
- Median age30.2
- Median gross rent$1,065 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$379,000
- Home value to household income5.7 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income19.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher31.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree10.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over35,634
- Population under 1816,889
- Share under 1827.1 percent
- Population 65 and over8,595
- Share 65 and over13.8 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6436,768
- Civilian labor force30,239
- Unemployment rate3.9 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over66.7 percent
- Rank by population among Utah counties8th of 29
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included872nd of 3,222
Iron County is the 8th largest of 29 Utah counties by population. A median home costs 5.7 times median household income, which is severely unaffordable by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 27.1 percent against 13.8 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Iron County
Is Iron County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 202465,936
- Census 2020 base population57,281
- Population change since the 2020 census base15.11 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 20241,451
- Births, 2024869
- Deaths, 2024392
- Natural change, 2024477
- Net domestic migration, 2024616
- Net international migration, 2024348
- Total net migration, 2024964
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20245,752
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents58th of 3,144
The county has grown 15.11 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.
Iron County
Where are people moving to Iron County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving2,189
- People arriving, from those returns4,379
- Tax returns filed by households leaving1,893
- Net household movement296
- Adjusted gross income arriving$146.9 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$49.9 m
- Average income of an arriving household$67,125
- Average income of a leaving household$51,258
- Largest single originWashington County (335 households)
- Largest single destinationWashington County (339 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County | 335 | 695 | $15.6 m |
| Clark County | 214 | 423 | $23.8 m |
| Salt Lake County | 137 | 255 | $6.2 m |
| Utah County | 132 | 301 | $6.2 m |
| Los Angeles County | 57 | 117 | $6.7 m |
| Riverside County | 53 | 108 | $4.3 m |
| San Bernardino County | 52 | 119 | $4.8 m |
| Orange County | 51 | 103 | $6.6 m |
Households arriving report $15,867 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 Washington 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.
Iron County
What is the Iron County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$3.19 bn
- County GDP, 2023$3.09 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20243.4 percent
- GDP change over five years53.5 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Utah areas BEA publishes10th of 29
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes934th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$51,297
Output grew 3.4 percent in the latest year and 53.5 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.
Iron County
Employment by industry in Iron County
- Covered employment, annual average24,829
- Establishments reporting2,224
- Average annual pay$48,239
- Average weekly wage$928
- Retail trade, employment2,915
- Retail trade, average annual pay$33,676
- Accommodation and food services, employment2,868
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$19,048
- Health care and social assistance, employment2,792
- Health care and social assistance, average annual pay$44,392
- Manufacturing, employment2,523
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$61,633
- Construction, employment2,522
- Administrative and support and waste management services, employment1,048
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 2,915 | 201 | $33,676 |
| Accommodation and food services | 2,868 | 164 | $19,048 |
| Health care and social assistance | 2,792 | 236 | $44,392 |
| Manufacturing | 2,523 | 109 | $61,633 |
| Construction | 2,522 | 397 | $54,939 |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | 1,048 | 132 | $35,678 |
| Finance and insurance | 793 | 89 | $80,025 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 791 | 240 | $57,284 |
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 2,915 jobs, 11.7 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Iron County
How many businesses are in Iron County?
- Establishments, all industries1,935
- Employment at those establishments18,547
- Annual payroll$792.5 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents31.1
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.
Iron County
Building permits in Iron County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 2024655
- Declared construction value permitted$202.5 m
- Single family units authorized655
- Multifamily units authorized0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$309,220
- Units authorized per 1,000 households32.5
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.
Iron County
SBA loans in Iron County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded156
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$56.6 m
- Average 7(a) approval$362,699
- Median 7(a) approval$150,000
- 10th percentile approval$22,800
- 90th percentile approval$822,050
- Largest single approval$4,500,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)1,611
- Jobs per approval10.3
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active26
- Distinct industries receiving approvals94
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer14.7 percent
- Loans on real estate terms23
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter121
- Franchise loans10
- Franchise share of approvals6.4 percent
- Leading industry by approval countLandscaping Services (8)
- Most active lenderState Bank of Southern Utah (67)
- 504 approvals recorded71
- 504 gross approval dollars$57.8 m
- Average 504 approval$814,775
- Median 504 approval$423,000
- Distinct CDCs active3
- 504 jobs per approval8.8
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved10.8
- Most active CDCMountain West Small Business Finance (49)
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$114.4 m
The average approval of $362,699 sits well above the median of $150,000, pulled up by a few larger deals, so the median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here gets. Only 14.7 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.
Iron County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Iron County
Do SBA loans in Iron County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded45
- Paid in full43
- Charged off2
- Charge-off rate on resolved loans4.4 percent
- Status: Paid in full43
- Status: Exempt from disclosure100
- Status: Cancelled11
- Status: Charged off2
Of the 45 loans that have reached a final outcome, 4.4 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.
Iron County
SBA lending by place in Iron County
- Borrower cities with recorded lending8
- Cedar City, approvals134
- Enoch, approvals8
- Parowan, approvals7
- Beryl, approvals3
- Draper, approvals1
- Kanarraville, approvals1
| Borrower city | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Cedar City | 134 | $47,708,400 |
| Enoch | 8 | $3,949,100 |
| Parowan | 7 | $2,445,900 |
| Beryl | 3 | $2,110,500 |
| Draper | 1 | $144,000 |
| Kanarraville | 1 | $110,000 |
| Newcastle | 1 | $63,100 |
| Paragonah | 1 | $50,000 |
Cedar City accounts for 134 approvals against 8 in Enoch. 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.
Iron County
How large is Iron County?
- Land area3,297 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Utah counties11th of 29
- Width, east to west86.7 mi
- Height, north to south46.6 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land19
- Establishments per square mile0.59
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.
Iron County
Flood risk in Iron County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Iron County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 490073
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book6
- Of those, participating in the NFIP6
- 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 10
- Communities carrying a CRS class1
- Radon levels in Iron 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 Iron County (community 490073), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Iron 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. The best Community Rating System class among the county's communities is 10, 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 Iron 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 Iron County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202462,252
- Households20,157
- Average household size3.09
- Median household income$66,247
- Median age30.2
Common questions
Iron County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Iron County, Utah?
The Census Bureau estimates 65,936 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 62,252, in 20,157 households, ranking 8th of 29 Utah counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Iron County's population growing?
The population has grown 15.11 percent since the 2020 census base of 57,281, to 65,936 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 869 births against 392 deaths, with net migration of 964. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Iron County?
$66,247. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $379,000, which is 5.7 times income, and median gross rent is $1,065 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Iron County?
1,935 establishments, employing 18,547 people with an annual payroll of $792.5 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 Iron County?
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 2,915 jobs, 11.7 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 24,829 jobs at an average annual pay of $48,239, or $928 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Iron County?
156 7(a) approvals totaling $56.6 m since FY2020, across 26 lenders, with a median approval of $150,000, plus 71 504 approvals worth $57.8 m since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Iron County get paid back?
Of the 45 loans that have reached a final outcome, 43 were paid in full and 2 charged off, a charge-off rate of 4.4 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
How many building permits were issued in Iron County?
655 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $202.5 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Iron 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 Iron County come from?
The largest single origin is Washington County, with 335 households. Arriving households report an average income of $67,125 against $51,258 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Iron 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 Iron 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.
Iron County
Cities and places in Iron.
11 Census places lie wholly or partly in Iron County. 10 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 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar City | city | 38,524 | 134 | Wholly in this county |
| Enoch | city | 8,144 | 8 | Wholly in this county |
| Parowan | city | 3,165 | 7 | Wholly in this county |
| Paragonah | town | 647 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Newcastle | CDP | 367 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Kanarraville | town | 257 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Summit | CDP | 104 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Brian Head | town | 74 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Beryl Junction | CDP | 0 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Cedar Highlands | CDP | 0 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Modena | CDP | 0 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
A further 4 of the county's 156 SBA 7(a) approvals are to borrowers in cities that match no Census place in Iron County, the largest being Beryl (3), Draper (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.
Nearby