Groundwork

Health care · County · North Carolina

Dentists and orthodontists in Wake County, NC

The dentists and orthodontists in Wake County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 40 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,308 of 1,886 scored counties
#59 of 76 scored counties in North Carolina

Listings
760
136 chain locations (18%)
Official establishments
562
+5.6% since 2019
Household spending a year
$615.2M
On medical and dental services · $1,337 a household
Spending per listing
$810K
18% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
16.5
26% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
1,257,235
+11.2% since 2020

See the dentists and orthodontists around any address in Wake 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 Wake 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

Households in Wake County spend about $615.2M a year on medical and dental services, or $1,337 per household, 4% above the U.S. average. That works out to $810K per practice, 18% below the U.S. figure of $984K. The spending figure covers all medical and dental services, not only dentists and orthodontists.

There are 760 dentists and orthodontists on map listings in Wake County as of September 2026. Of those, 136 are chain locations, or 18%, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 16.5, 26% above the U.S. rate of 13.1.

Official counts show 562 businesses with payroll classed as offices of dentists in Wake County in 2023, up 5.6% from 2019. That is one for every 819 households, against one for every 952 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $3.8M have gone to businesses classed as offices of dentists in Wake County.

Population estimates show Wake County grew 11.2% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Wake County scores 40 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for dentists and orthodontists, ranking #1,308 of 1,886 scored counties and #59 of 76 scored counties in North Carolina.

How Wake 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 Wake County, NC compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureWake CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households16.511.113.1
Spending per listing$810K$1M$984K
Households per official establishment8191,206952
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+5.6%+5.2%−0.5%
Population growth, 2020–2025+11.2%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on medical and dental services$1,337$1,116$1,288
Median household income$105,768$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score4056

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
532 → 562+5.6% over the period
Employees, 2023
5,117
Annual payroll, 2023
$375.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
760136 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
626The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
7
Amount
$3.8M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as offices of dentists in Wake 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 Wake County

Population, 2025 estimate
1,257,235+11.2% since 2020
Households
460,175
Median age
38.2
Homes lived in by their owners
64%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
835 sq. mi.
People per square mile
1,412
Median household income
$105,768+31.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$139,587
Median home value
$461,300
Jobs located here
687,531
Daytime population
1,293,967Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Wake 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 Wake 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 Wake 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
59Wake County, NC4076016.5$810K+11.2%#1,308 of 1,886

Other business types in Wake County

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

Questions

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

As of September 2026, map listings count 760 dentists and orthodontists in Wake County. 136 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count dental practices, orthodontists included. Official counts show 562 businesses with payroll classed as offices of dentists in 2023, up 5.6% from 2019.

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

About $615.2M a year, or $1,337 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 760 dentists and orthodontists on map listings, it comes to $810K per practice. That spending covers all medical and dental services, which dentists and orthodontists share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 460,175 households in Wake County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Wake County has 16.5 dentists and orthodontists per 10,000 households, 26% above the U.S. rate of 13.1. Spending per practice is $810K, 18% below the U.S. figure of $984K. At the U.S. ratio of dentists and orthodontists to household spending, Wake County would have about 626, against 760 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 819 households, against one for every 952 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.6% from 2019 to 2023, against −0.5% for the U.S.

How fast is Wake County, NC growing?

Population estimates put Wake County at 1,257,235 people in 2025, up 11.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 460,175 households. Median household income in Wake County is $105,768, 31% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.2%, 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. Wake County scores 40 for dentists and orthodontists (lower middle), #1,308 of 1,886 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Wake 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 Wake County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Wake 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 Wake 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.