Groundwork

Health care · County · North Carolina

Dentists and orthodontists in Buncombe County, NC

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for dentists and orthodontists in Buncombe County, NC, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 26 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,746 of 1,886 scored counties
#75 of 76 scored counties in North Carolina

Listings
145
18 chain locations (12%)
Official establishments
131
+7.4% since 2019
Household spending a year
$115M
On medical and dental services · $1,129 a household
Spending per listing
$793K
19% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
14.2
8% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
277,417
+2.9% since 2020

See the dentists and orthodontists around any address in Buncombe County

The site report maps the dentists and orthodontists on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Buncombe County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

The Groundwork market score for dentists and orthodontists in Buncombe County is 26 (lower middle), #1,746 of 1,886 scored counties and #75 of 76 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Map listings as of September 2026 show 145 dentists and orthodontists in Buncombe County. 18 of them (12%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 14.2 for every 10,000 households, 8% above the U.S. rate of 13.1.

Households in Buncombe County spend about $115M a year on medical and dental services, or $1,129 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. Spread across 145 dentists and orthodontists, that is $793K per practice, 19% below the U.S. figure of $984K. That spending covers all medical and dental services, which dentists and orthodontists share with other businesses in the trade.

Official counts show 131 businesses with payroll classed as offices of dentists in Buncombe County in 2023, up 7.4% from 2019. That is one for every 778 households, against one for every 952 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $3.5M have gone to businesses classed as offices of dentists in Buncombe County. Population estimates put the population change in Buncombe County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.9%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Buncombe County compares

The same measures for North Carolina and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all medical and dental services by the dentists and orthodontists counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.

Dentists and orthodontists in Buncombe County, NC compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureBuncombe CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households14.211.113.1
Spending per listing$793K$1M$984K
Households per official establishment7781,206952
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+7.4%+5.2%−0.5%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.9%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on medical and dental services$1,129$1,116$1,288
Median household income$74,436$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score2656

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
122 → 131+7.4% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,174
Annual payroll, 2023
$79.2M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
14518 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
117The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
2
Amount
$3.5M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as offices of dentists in Buncombe County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.

Population and households in Buncombe County

Population, 2025 estimate
277,417+2.9% since 2020
Households
101,855
Median age
43.4
Homes lived in by their owners
66%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
657 sq. mi.
People per square mile
418
Median household income
$74,436+42.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$105,560
Median home value
$391,800
Jobs located here
142,929
Daytime population
299,325Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Buncombe County?

These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the dentists and orthodontists on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of Buncombe County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Dentists and orthodontists across North Carolina

Every North Carolina market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for dentists and orthodontists, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Buncombe County marked.

Top counties in North Carolina

Counties in North Carolina ranked for dentists and orthodontists by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Hoke County, NC8184.2$2.5M+9.0%#56 of 1,886
2Franklin County, NC80176.0$1.8M+18.8%#76 of 1,886
3Davidson County, NC78334.7$2.2M+6.6%#97 of 1,886
4Yadkin County, NC7664.0$2.6M+2.9%#121 of 1,886
5Harnett County, NC76306.0$1.8M+12.3%#133 of 1,886
6Duplin County, NC7394.3$2.2M+6.0%#194 of 1,886
7Ashe County, NC7154.1$2.4M+3.5%#230 of 1,886
8Stokes County, NC71105.1$1.9M+3.5%#236 of 1,886
9Chatham County, NC71288.5$1.5M+11.0%#248 of 1,886
10Johnston County, NC71748.6$1.3M+17.9%#253 of 1,886
75Buncombe County, NC2614514.2$793K+2.9%#1,746 of 1,886

Other business types in Buncombe County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many dentists and orthodontists are in Buncombe County, NC?

There are 145 dentists and orthodontists on map listings in Buncombe County as of September 2026. 18 of them (12%) are chain locations. The listings count dental practices, orthodontists included. Official counts show 131 businesses with payroll classed as offices of dentists in 2023, up 7.4% from 2019.

How much do households in Buncombe County, NC spend on medical and dental services?

About $115M a year, or $1,129 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 145 dentists and orthodontists on map listings, it comes to $793K per practice. The spending figure covers all medical and dental services, not only dentists and orthodontists. It is estimated from the incomes of the 101,855 households in Buncombe County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Buncombe County, NC compare with the U.S. for dentists and orthodontists?

Buncombe County has 14.2 dentists and orthodontists per 10,000 households, 8% above the U.S. rate of 13.1. Spending per practice is $793K, 19% below the U.S. figure of $984K. At the national ratio of dentists and orthodontists to household spending, Buncombe County would have about 117, against 145 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 778 households, against one for every 952 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.4% from 2019 to 2023, against −0.5% for the U.S.

How fast is Buncombe County, NC growing?

Population estimates put Buncombe County at 277,417 people in 2025, up 2.9% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 101,855 households. The median household income in Buncombe County is $74,436 a year, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 42.6% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.

What is the Groundwork market score?

The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Buncombe County scores 26 for dentists and orthodontists (lower middle), #1,746 of 1,886 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Buncombe County. It maps the dentists and orthodontists on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.

How the score works · Top markets for dentists and orthodontists · All 56 business types in Buncombe County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Buncombe County?

A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.

The button opens the report at the center of Buncombe County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.