Health care · County · Kentucky
Optometrists and eye clinics in Carter County, KY
The optometrists and eye clinics in Carter County, KY, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 10 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,269 of 1,302 scored counties
#33 of 38 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 5
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 4
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $10.2M
- On medical and dental services · $943 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2M
- 35% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.6
- 12% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 26,149
- −1.7% since 2020
See the optometrists and eye clinics around any address in Carter County
The site report maps the optometrists and eye clinics 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 Carter 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
Carter County scores 10 (low) on the Groundwork market score for optometrists and eye clinics, ranking #1,269 of 1,302 scored counties and #33 of 38 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Carter County spend about $10.2M a year on medical and dental services, or $943 per household, 27% below the U.S. average. That works out to $2M per practice, 35% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all medical and dental services, not only optometrists and eye clinics.
There are 5 optometrists and eye clinics on map listings in Carter County as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 20% across the U.S. That is 4.6 per 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 4.1.
Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as offices of optometrists in Carter County in 2023. That is one for every 2,699 households, against one for every 5,742 across the U.S. Population estimates show Carter County declined 1.7% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Carter County compares
The same measures for Kentucky and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all medical and dental services by the optometrists and eye clinics 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 | Carter County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.6 | 4.1 | 4.1 |
| Spending per listing | $2M | $2.6M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,699 | 6,622 | 5,742 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −5.8% | +0.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.7% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on medical and dental services | $943 | $1,042 | $1,288 |
| Median household income | $51,235 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 10 | 30 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3 → 4
- Employees, 2023
- 20
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $910K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 50 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 3The 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 optometrists in Carter 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 Carter County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 26,149−1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 10,794
- Median age
- 41.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 80%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 410 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 64
- Median household income
- $51,235+47.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $69,045
- Median home value
- $132,800
- Jobs located here
- 6,014
- Daytime population
- 23,638Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Carter 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 optometrists and eye clinics on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Carter County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardOptometrists and eye care across Kentucky
Every Kentucky market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Kentucky for optometrists and eye clinics, numbered among those based in Kentucky, with Carter County marked.
Top counties in Kentucky
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Oldham County, KY | 74 | 8 | 3.5 | $4.1M | +4.9% | #138 of 1,302 |
| 2Warren County, KY | 71 | 17 | 3.1 | $3.4M | +10.6% | #191 of 1,302 |
| 3Bullitt County, KY | 65 | 8 | 2.5 | $4.5M | +5.0% | #294 of 1,302 |
| 4Madison County, KY | 62 | 12 | 3.2 | $3.2M | +9.4% | #374 of 1,302 |
| 5Shelby County, KY | 58 | 7 | 3.8 | $3M | +6.2% | #476 of 1,302 |
| 6Jessamine County, KY | 55 | 7 | 3.5 | $3.2M | +7.8% | #557 of 1,302 |
| 7Kenton County, KY | 55 | 31 | 4.6 | $2.5M | +3.9% | #568 of 1,302 |
| 8Jefferson County, KY | 46 | 162 | 4.9 | $2.2M | +1.6% | #783 of 1,302 |
| 9Fayette County, KY | 44 | 67 | 4.8 | $2.3M | +2.2% | #827 of 1,302 |
| 10Boone County, KY | 44 | 29 | 5.7 | $2.2M | +6.5% | #828 of 1,302 |
| 33Carter County, KY | 10 | 5 | 4.6 | $2M | −1.7% | #1,269 of 1,302 |
Other business types in Carter 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 optometrists and eye clinics are in Carter County, KY?
As of September 2026, map listings count 5 optometrists and eye clinics in Carter County. None of them are chain locations. The listings count optometrists and eye clinics. Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as offices of optometrists in 2023.
How much do households in Carter County, KY spend on medical and dental services?
About $10.2M a year, or $943 per household. That is 27% below the U.S. average (an index of 73, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 5 optometrists and eye clinics on map listings, it comes to $2M per practice. That spending covers all medical and dental services, which optometrists and eye clinics share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 10,794 households in Carter County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Carter County, KY compare with the U.S. for optometrists and eye clinics?
Carter County has 4.6 optometrists and eye clinics per 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 4.1. Spending per practice is $2M, 35% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of optometrists and eye clinics to household spending, Carter County would have about 3, against 5 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,699 households, against one for every 5,742 across the U.S.
How fast is Carter County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Carter County at 26,149 people in 2025, down 1.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 10,794 households. Median household income in Carter County is $51,235, 37% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 47.5%, 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. Carter County scores 10 for optometrists and eye clinics (low), #1,269 of 1,302 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Carter County. It maps the optometrists and eye clinics 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 optometrists and eye clinics · All 56 business types in Carter County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Carter 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 Carter 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.