Health care · County · Maryland
Optometrists and eye clinics in Howard County, MD
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for optometrists and eye clinics in Howard County, MD, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 59 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #453 of 1,302 scored counties
#11 of 19 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 67
- 20 chain locations (30%)
- Official establishments
- 21
- −4.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $189.8M
- On medical and dental services · $1,568 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.8M
- 10% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.5
- 34% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 339,183
- +1.9% since 2020
See the optometrists and eye clinics around any address in Howard 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 Howard 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 67 optometrists and eye clinics in Howard County. Chain locations make up 30% of them, against 20% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.5, 34% above the U.S. rate of 4.1.
Households in Howard County spend about $189.8M a year on medical and dental services, or $1,568 per household, 22% above the U.S. average. That is about $2.8M of household spending for each practice on map listings, 10% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. That spending covers all medical and dental services, which optometrists and eye clinics share with other businesses in the trade.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as offices of optometrists in Howard County was 21 in 2023, down 4.5% from 2019. That is one for every 5,765 households, against one for every 5,742 across the U.S.
Population estimates put the population change in Howard County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Howard County scores 59 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for optometrists and eye clinics, ranking #453 of 1,302 scored counties and #11 of 19 scored counties in Maryland.
How Howard County compares
The same measures for Maryland 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 | Howard County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.5 | 4.1 | 4.1 |
| Spending per listing | $2.8M | $3.2M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment | 5,765 | 8,010 | 5,742 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −4.5% | −1.3% | +0.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.9% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on medical and dental services | $1,568 | $1,322 | $1,288 |
| Median household income | $149,763 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 59 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 22 → 21−4.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 174
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $10M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6720 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 61The 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 Howard 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 Howard County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 339,183+1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 121,065
- Median age
- 40.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 251 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,340
- Median household income
- $149,763+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $184,243
- Median home value
- $597,900
- Jobs located here
- 185,575
- Daytime population
- 363,145Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Howard 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 Howard 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 Maryland
Every Maryland market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maryland for optometrists and eye clinics, numbered among those based in Maryland, with Howard County marked.
Top counties in Maryland
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Calvert County, MD | 85 | 8 | 2.4 | $6.2M | +1.7% | #14 of 1,302 |
| 2Charles County, MD | 83 | 19 | 3.1 | $4.5M | +5.9% | #32 of 1,302 |
| 3Cecil County, MD | 78 | 7 | 1.7 | $7.1M | +3.2% | #70 of 1,302 |
| 4St. Mary’s County, MD | 77 | 13 | 3.1 | $4.6M | +2.4% | #95 of 1,302 |
| 5Anne Arundel County, MD | 74 | 89 | 4.0 | $3.6M | +1.7% | #142 of 1,302 |
| 6Prince George’s County, MD | 72 | 105 | 3.0 | $4.3M | +0.5% | #163 of 1,302 |
| 7Harford County, MD | 69 | 34 | 3.3 | $4M | +2.0% | #214 of 1,302 |
| 8Carroll County, MD | 67 | 27 | 4.2 | $3.3M | +2.2% | #267 of 1,302 |
| 9Wicomico County, MD | 64 | 13 | 3.2 | $3.5M | +3.2% | #325 of 1,302 |
| 10Frederick County, MD | 60 | 59 | 5.6 | $2.5M | +11.0% | #434 of 1,302 |
| 11Howard County, MD | 59 | 67 | 5.5 | $2.8M | +1.9% | #453 of 1,302 |
Other business types in Howard 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 clinics37
- Dentists and orthodontists34
- Primary care and pediatrics52
- Urgent care and walk-in clinics51
- Chiropractors76
- Physical therapy39
- Optometrists and eye care59
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many optometrists and eye clinics are in Howard County, MD?
Howard County has 67 optometrists and eye clinics on map listings as of September 2026. 20 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count optometrists and eye clinics. Official counts show 21 businesses with payroll classed as offices of optometrists in 2023, down 4.5% from 2019.
How much do households in Howard County, MD spend on medical and dental services?
About $189.8M a year, or $1,568 per household. That is 22% above the U.S. average (an index of 122, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 67 optometrists and eye clinics on map listings, it comes to $2.8M per practice. The spending figure covers all medical and dental services, not only optometrists and eye clinics. It is estimated from the incomes of the 121,065 households in Howard County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Howard County, MD compare with the U.S. for optometrists and eye clinics?
Howard County has 5.5 optometrists and eye clinics per 10,000 households, 34% above the U.S. rate of 4.1. Spending per practice is $2.8M, 10% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of optometrists and eye clinics to household spending, Howard County would have about 61, against 67 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,765 households, against one for every 5,742 across the U.S. The official count fell 4.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +0.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Howard County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Howard County at 339,183 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 121,065 households. The median household income in Howard County is $149,763 a year, 86% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.6% 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. Howard County scores 59 for optometrists and eye clinics (upper middle), #453 of 1,302 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Howard 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 Howard County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Howard 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 Howard 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.