Clothing and laundry · County · North Carolina
Dry cleaners in Buncombe County, NC
The dry cleaners in Buncombe County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 69 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #74 of 507 scored counties
#2 of 24 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 7
- 1 chain location (14%)
- Official establishments
- 8
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $195M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,915 a household
- Spending per listing
- $27.9M
- 78% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 0.7
- 46% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 277,417
- +2.9% since 2020
See the dry cleaners around any address in Buncombe County
The site report maps the dry cleaners 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.
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
As of September 2026, map listings count 7 dry cleaners in Buncombe County. One of them (14%) is a chain location, against 23% across the U.S. That is 0.7 per 10,000 households, 46% below the U.S. rate of 1.3.
At $1,915 per household (7% below the U.S. average), households in Buncombe County spend about $195M a year on clothing, shoes and related services. That is about $27.9M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 78% above the U.S. figure of $15.7M. That spending covers all clothing, shoes and related services, which dry cleaners share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 8 businesses with payroll in Buncombe County classed as dry cleaning and laundry services. That is one for every 12,732 households, against one for every 8,177 across the U.S.
Population estimates put the population change in Buncombe County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.9%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For dry cleaners, Buncombe County has a Groundwork market score of 69 (upper middle): #74 of 507 scored counties and #2 of 24 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
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 clothing, shoes and related services by the dry cleaners 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 | Buncombe County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 0.7 | 1.2 | 1.3 |
| Spending per listing | $27.9M | $16.2M | $15.7M |
| Households per official establishment | 12,732 | 9,371 | 8,177 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −20.2% | −18.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.9% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $1,915 | $1,894 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $74,436 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 69 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 13 → 8
- Employees, 2023
- 67
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 71 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 12The 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 dry cleaning and laundry services 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 dry cleaners 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.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardDry cleaners across North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for dry cleaners, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Buncombe County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Brunswick County, NC | 80 | 5 | 0.7 | $25.9M | +26.5% | #16 of 507 |
| 2Buncombe County, NC | 69 | 7 | 0.7 | $27.9M | +2.9% | #74 of 507 |
| 3Iredell County, NC | 69 | 7 | 0.9 | $21.7M | +12.9% | #76 of 507 |
| 4Cabarrus County, NC | 64 | 10 | 1.2 | $17.6M | +9.9% | #123 of 507 |
| 5Pitt County, NC | 62 | 5 | 0.7 | $25.3M | +5.4% | #135 of 507 |
| 6New Hanover County, NC | 60 | 8 | 0.8 | $25.5M | +8.6% | #158 of 507 |
| 7Union County, NC | 60 | 11 | 1.3 | $17.3M | +11.7% | #169 of 507 |
| 8Gaston County, NC | 58 | 12 | 1.3 | $14M | +7.8% | #184 of 507 |
| 9Durham County, NC | 57 | 17 | 1.2 | $17.1M | +7.7% | #194 of 507 |
| 10Wake County, NC | 55 | 80 | 1.7 | $13.3M | +11.2% | #220 of 507 |
Other business types in Buncombe 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
- Clothing, shoes and laundry30
- Clothing and shoe stores31
- Laundromats64
- Dry cleaners69
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many dry cleaners are in Buncombe County, NC?
Buncombe County has 7 dry cleaners on map listings as of September 2026. One of them (14%) is a chain location. The listings count dry cleaners. Official counts show 8 businesses with payroll classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in 2023.
How much do households in Buncombe County, NC spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $195M a year, or $1,915 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 7 dry cleaners on map listings, it comes to $27.9M per shop. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only dry cleaners. 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 dry cleaners?
Buncombe County has 0.7 dry cleaners per 10,000 households, 46% below the U.S. rate of 1.3. Spending per shop is $27.9M, 78% above the U.S. figure of $15.7M. At the national ratio of dry cleaners to household spending, Buncombe County would have about 12, against 7 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 12,732 households, against one for every 8,177 across 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 69 for dry cleaners (upper middle), #74 of 507 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 dry cleaners 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 dry cleaners · 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.