Health care · County · North Carolina
Dentists and orthodontists in McDowell County, NC
The dentists and orthodontists in McDowell County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #332 of 1,886 scored counties
#15 of 76 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 9
- 1 chain location (11%)
- Official establishments
- 7
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $18.1M
- On medical and dental services · $974 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2M
- 2.1 times the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.8
- 63% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 45,198
- +1.5% since 2020
See the dentists and orthodontists around any address in McDowell 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 McDowell County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
Map listings as of September 2026 show 9 dentists and orthodontists in McDowell County. One of them (11%) is a chain location, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 4.8 for every 10,000 households, 63% below the U.S. rate of 13.1.
At $974 per household (24% below the U.S. average), households in McDowell County spend about $18.1M a year on medical and dental services. That is about $2M of household spending for each practice on map listings, 2.1 times 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as offices of dentists in McDowell County was 7 in 2023. That is one for every 2,663 households, against one for every 952 across the U.S.
Population estimates put the population change in McDowell County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for dentists and orthodontists in McDowell County is 67 (upper middle), #332 of 1,886 scored counties and #15 of 76 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How McDowell 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.
| Measure | McDowell County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.8 | 11.1 | 13.1 |
| Spending per listing | $2M | $1M | $984K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,663 | 1,206 | 952 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +5.2% | −0.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.5% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on medical and dental services | $974 | $1,116 | $1,288 |
| Median household income | $57,168 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 56 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5 → 7
- Employees, 2023
- 65
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 91 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 19The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as offices of dentists in McDowell 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 McDowell County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 45,198+1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 18,638
- Median age
- 44.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 440 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 102
- Median household income
- $57,168+31.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $72,753
- Median home value
- $171,100
- Jobs located here
- 15,917
- Daytime population
- 39,859Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in McDowell 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 McDowell County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardDentists 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 McDowell County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hoke County, NC | 81 | 8 | 4.2 | $2.5M | +9.0% | #56 of 1,886 |
| 2Franklin County, NC | 80 | 17 | 6.0 | $1.8M | +18.8% | #76 of 1,886 |
| 3Davidson County, NC | 78 | 33 | 4.7 | $2.2M | +6.6% | #97 of 1,886 |
| 4Yadkin County, NC | 76 | 6 | 4.0 | $2.6M | +2.9% | #121 of 1,886 |
| 5Harnett County, NC | 76 | 30 | 6.0 | $1.8M | +12.3% | #133 of 1,886 |
| 6Duplin County, NC | 73 | 9 | 4.3 | $2.2M | +6.0% | #194 of 1,886 |
| 7Ashe County, NC | 71 | 5 | 4.1 | $2.4M | +3.5% | #230 of 1,886 |
| 8Stokes County, NC | 71 | 10 | 5.1 | $1.9M | +3.5% | #236 of 1,886 |
| 9Chatham County, NC | 71 | 28 | 8.5 | $1.5M | +11.0% | #248 of 1,886 |
| 10Johnston County, NC | 71 | 74 | 8.6 | $1.3M | +17.9% | #253 of 1,886 |
| 15McDowell County, NC | 67 | 9 | 4.8 | $2M | +1.5% | #332 of 1,886 |
Other business types in McDowell County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many dentists and orthodontists are in McDowell County, NC?
There are 9 dentists and orthodontists on map listings in McDowell County as of September 2026. One of them (11%) is a chain location. The listings count dental practices, orthodontists included. Official counts show 7 businesses with payroll classed as offices of dentists in 2023.
How much do households in McDowell County, NC spend on medical and dental services?
About $18.1M a year, or $974 per household. That is 24% below the U.S. average (an index of 76, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 9 dentists and orthodontists on map listings, it comes to $2M per practice. The spending figure covers all medical and dental services, not only dentists and orthodontists. It is estimated from the incomes of the 18,638 households in McDowell County and national spending patterns by income.
How does McDowell County, NC compare with the U.S. for dentists and orthodontists?
McDowell County has 4.8 dentists and orthodontists per 10,000 households, 63% below the U.S. rate of 13.1. Spending per practice is $2M, 2.1 times the U.S. figure of $984K. At the national ratio of dentists and orthodontists to household spending, McDowell County would have about 19, against 9 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,663 households, against one for every 952 across the U.S.
How fast is McDowell County, NC growing?
Population estimates put McDowell County at 45,198 people in 2025, up 1.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 18,638 households. The median household income in McDowell County is $57,168 a year, 29% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.0% 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. McDowell County scores 67 for dentists and orthodontists (upper middle), #332 of 1,886 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in McDowell 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 McDowell County
Screening a site or an acquisition in McDowell 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 McDowell 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.