Health care · County · North Carolina
Dentists and orthodontists in Watauga County, NC
The dentists and orthodontists in Watauga County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 23 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,785 of 1,886 scored counties
#76 of 76 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 22
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 27
- +22.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $21.3M
- On medical and dental services · $1,004 a household
- Spending per listing
- $967K
- 2% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.4
- 21% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 54,786
- +0.6% since 2020
See the dentists and orthodontists around any address in Watauga 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 Watauga 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
The Groundwork market score for dentists and orthodontists in Watauga County is 23 (low), #1,785 of 1,886 scored counties and #76 of 76 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $1,004 per household (22% below the U.S. average), households in Watauga County spend about $21.3M a year on medical and dental services. Spread across 22 dentists and orthodontists, that is $967K per practice, 2% below the U.S. figure of $984K. The spending figure covers all medical and dental services, not only dentists and orthodontists.
Watauga County has 22 dentists and orthodontists on map listings as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That is 10.4 per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 13.1.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as offices of dentists in Watauga County was 27 in 2023, up 22.7% from 2019. That is one for every 785 households, against one for every 952 across the U.S. Population estimates show Watauga County grew 0.6% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Watauga 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 | Watauga County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.4 | 11.1 | 13.1 |
| Spending per listing | $967K | $1M | $984K |
| Households per official establishment | 785 | 1,206 | 952 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +22.7% | +5.2% | −0.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.6% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on medical and dental services | $1,004 | $1,116 | $1,288 |
| Median household income | $51,693 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 23 | 56 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 22 → 27+22.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 202
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $12.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 220 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 22The 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 Watauga 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 Watauga County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 54,786+0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 21,198
- Median age
- 35.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 312 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 176
- Median household income
- $51,693+8.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $83,665
- Median home value
- $358,900
- Jobs located here
- 24,062
- Daytime population
- 59,737Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Watauga 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 Watauga 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 Watauga 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 |
| 76Watauga County, NC | 23 | 22 | 10.4 | $967K | +0.6% | #1,785 of 1,886 |
Other business types in Watauga 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
- Doctors, dentists and clinics18
- Dentists and orthodontists23
- Primary care and pediatrics36
- Urgent care and walk-in clinics
- Chiropractors17
- Physical therapy23
- Optometrists and eye care38
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many dentists and orthodontists are in Watauga County, NC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 22 dentists and orthodontists in Watauga County. None of them are chain locations. The listings count dental practices, orthodontists included. Official counts show 27 businesses with payroll classed as offices of dentists in 2023, up 22.7% from 2019.
How much do households in Watauga County, NC spend on medical and dental services?
About $21.3M a year, or $1,004 per household. That is 22% below the U.S. average (an index of 78, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 22 dentists and orthodontists on map listings, it comes to $967K 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 21,198 households in Watauga County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Watauga County, NC compare with the U.S. for dentists and orthodontists?
Watauga County has 10.4 dentists and orthodontists per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 13.1. Spending per practice is $967K, 2% below the U.S. figure of $984K. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of dentists and orthodontists to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 785 households, against one for every 952 across the U.S. The official count rose 22.7% from 2019 to 2023, against −0.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Watauga County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Watauga County at 54,786 people in 2025, up 0.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 21,198 households. Median household income in Watauga County is $51,693, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 8.8%, 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. Watauga County scores 23 for dentists and orthodontists (low), #1,785 of 1,886 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Watauga 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 Watauga County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Watauga 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 Watauga 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.