Door County, Wisconsin: commercial real estate data.
Door County, Wisconsin had an estimated 30,512 residents on July 1, 2024, up 1.5 percent since the 2020 census base of 30,064, across 482 square miles. County output reached $2.00 bn in 2024, 1,292 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 53 7(a) approvals worth $23.2 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Door County
How many people live in Door County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202430,445
- Households14,986
- Average household size2.03
- Median household income$74,795
- Median age54.3
- Median gross rent$1,086 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$342,600
- Home value to household income4.6 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income17.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher37.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree13.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over23,857
- Population under 184,802
- Share under 1815.8 percent
- Population 65 and over9,871
- Share 65 and over32.4 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6415,772
- Civilian labor force14,879
- Unemployment rate2.4 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over58.0 percent
- Rank by population among Wisconsin counties44th of 72
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included1470th of 3,222
Door County is the 44th largest of 72 Wisconsin counties by population. A median home costs 4.6 times median household income, which is seriously unaffordable by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 32.4 percent against 15.8 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.
Door County
Is Door County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 202430,512
- Census 2020 base population30,064
- Population change since the 2020 census base1.49 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024-54
- Births, 2024192
- Deaths, 2024432
- Natural change, 2024-240
- Net domestic migration, 2024138
- Net international migration, 202452
- Total net migration, 2024190
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20241,071
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1339th of 3,144
The county has grown 1.49 percent since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024 by more than net migration added, so the population fell even though more people moved in than left.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Door County
Where are people moving to Door County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving897
- People arriving, from those returns1,516
- Tax returns filed by households leaving753
- Net household movement144
- Adjusted gross income arriving$156.6 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$93.6 m
- Average income of an arriving household$174,619
- Average income of a leaving household$83,681
- Largest single originBrown County (119 households)
- Largest single destinationBrown County (139 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown County | 119 | 207 | $13.2 m |
| Cook County | 49 | 92 | $5.6 m |
| Dane County | 48 | 77 | $6.8 m |
| Kewaunee County | 41 | 85 | $1.6 m |
| Milwaukee County | 37 | 63 | $6.0 m |
| Orange County | 27 | 33 | $1.0 m |
| DuPage County | 25 | 44 | $3.7 m |
| Outagamie County | 24 | 46 | $2.0 m |
Households arriving report $90,938 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 Brown 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.
Door County
What is the Door County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$2.00 bn
- County GDP, 2023$1.86 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20247.8 percent
- GDP change over five years43.2 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Wisconsin areas BEA publishes38th of 72
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes1283rd of 3,127
- GDP per resident$65,684
Output grew 7.8 percent in the latest year and 43.2 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.
Door County
Employment by industry in Door County
- Covered employment, annual average14,223
- Establishments reporting1,422
- Average annual pay$45,594
- Average weekly wage$877
- Accommodation and food services, employment2,855
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$28,983
- Manufacturing, employment2,187
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$58,480
- Retail trade, employment2,044
- Retail trade, average annual pay$32,650
- Health care and social assistance, employment1,606
- Health care and social assistance, average annual pay$59,580
- Construction, employment732
- Other services, except public administration, employment685
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and food services | 2,855 | 252 | $28,983 |
| Manufacturing | 2,187 | 60 | $58,480 |
| Retail trade | 2,044 | 220 | $32,650 |
| Health care and social assistance | 1,606 | 156 | $59,580 |
| Construction | 732 | 118 | $72,238 |
| Other services, except public administration | 685 | 97 | $33,305 |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | 421 | 85 | $39,642 |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 388 | 44 | $34,693 |
Accommodation and food services is the largest private sector at 2,855 jobs, 20.1 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Door County
How many businesses are in Door County?
- Establishments, all industries1,292
- Employment at those establishments10,683
- Annual payroll$522.0 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents42.4
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.
Door County
Building permits in Door County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 2024313
- Declared construction value permitted$110.6 m
- Single family units authorized247
- Multifamily units authorized66
- Multifamily share of units21.1 percent
- Average declared value per unit$353,357
- Units authorized per 1,000 households20.9
Single-family homes are 78.9 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Door County
SBA loans in Door County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded53
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$23.2 m
- Average 7(a) approval$438,575
- Median 7(a) approval$234,000
- 10th percentile approval$42,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,176,000
- Largest single approval$3,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)439
- Jobs per approval8.3
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active18
- Distinct industries receiving approvals31
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer26.4 percent
- Loans on real estate terms14
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter36
- Franchise loans9
- Franchise share of approvals17.0 percent
- Most active lenderNicolet National Bank (26)
- 504 approvals recorded33
- 504 gross approval dollars$32.6 m
- Average 504 approval$986,667
- Median 504 approval$665,000
- Distinct CDCs active3
- 504 jobs per approval6.4
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved6.5
- Most active CDCWBD, Inc. (29)
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$55.8 m
The average approval of $438,575 sits well above the median of $234,000, pulled up by a few larger deals, so the median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here gets. Only 26.4 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.
Door County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Door County
Do SBA loans in Door County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded17
- Paid in full15
- Charged off2
- Status: Paid in full15
- Status: Exempt from disclosure28
- Status: Charged off2
- Status: Cancelled6
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed2
Only 17 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.
Door County
SBA lending by place in Door County
- Borrower cities with recorded lending10
- Sturgeon Bay, approvals25
- Baileys Harbor, approvals7
- Sister Bay, approvals6
- Egg Harbor, approvals5
- Ellison Bay, approvals3
- Brookfield, approvals2
| Borrower city | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Sturgeon Bay | 25 | $13,453,300 |
| Baileys Harbor | 7 | $1,559,000 |
| Sister Bay | 6 | $1,785,000 |
| Egg Harbor | 5 | $303,500 |
| Ellison Bay | 3 | $508,000 |
| Brookfield | 2 | $1,601,500 |
| Ephraim | 2 | $96,200 |
| Forestville | 1 | $3,000,000 |
| 2 other borrower cities | 2 | $938,000 |
Sturgeon Bay accounts for 25 approvals against 7 in Baileys Harbor. 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.
Door County
How large is Door County?
- Land area482 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Wisconsin counties59th of 72
- Width, east to west45.4 mi
- Height, north to south52 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary1
- Residents per square mile of land63
- Establishments per square mile2.68
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.
Door County
Flood risk in Door County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Door County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 550109
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book6
- Of those, participating in the NFIP5
- NFIP participation rate83.3 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Door 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 Door County (community 550109), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Door 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. 83.3 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 Door 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 Door County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202430,445
- Households14,986
- Average household size2.03
- Median household income$74,795
- Median age54.3
Common questions
Door County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Door County, Wisconsin?
The Census Bureau estimates 30,512 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 30,445, in 14,986 households, ranking 44th of 72 Wisconsin counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Door County's population growing?
The population has grown 1.49 percent since the 2020 census base of 30,064, to 30,512 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 192 births against 432 deaths, with net migration of 190. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Door County?
$74,795. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $342,600, which is 4.6 times income, and median gross rent is $1,086 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Door County?
1,292 establishments, employing 10,683 people with an annual payroll of $522.0 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 Door County?
Accommodation and food services is the largest private sector at 2,855 jobs, 20.1 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 14,223 jobs at an average annual pay of $45,594, or $877 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Door County?
53 7(a) approvals totaling $23.2 m since FY2020, across 18 lenders, with a median approval of $234,000, plus 33 504 approvals worth $32.6 m since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Door County?
313 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $110.6 m. Multifamily was 21.1 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Door 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 Door County come from?
The largest single origin is Brown County, with 119 households. Arriving households report an average income of $174,619 against $83,681 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Door 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 Door 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.
Door County
Cities and places in Door.
8 Census places lie wholly or partly in Door County. All 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sturgeon Bay | city | 9,806 | 25 | Wholly in this county |
| Sister Bay | village | 1,044 | 6 | Wholly in this county |
| Forestville | village | 558 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Ephraim | village | 412 | 2 | Wholly in this county |
| Baileys Harbor | CDP | 386 | 7 | Wholly in this county |
| Egg Harbor | village | 343 | 5 | Wholly in this county |
| Ellison Bay | CDP | 186 | 3 | Wholly in this county |
| Little Sturgeon | CDP | 111 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
A further 4 of the county's 53 SBA 7(a) approvals are to borrowers in cities that match no Census place in Door County, the largest being Brookfield (2), Fish Creek (1), Washington Island (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