Health care · County · North Carolina
Optometrists and eye clinics in Buncombe County, NC
How Buncombe County, NC compares with other counties and the U.S. for optometrists and eye clinics: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 32 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,061 of 1,302 scored counties
#50 of 56 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 57
- 16 chain locations (28%)
- Official establishments
- 23
- +4.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $115M
- On medical and dental services · $1,129 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2M
- 36% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.6
- 37% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 277,417
- +2.9% since 2020
See the optometrists and eye clinics around any address in Buncombe 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 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
The Groundwork market score for optometrists and eye clinics in Buncombe County is 32 (lower middle), #1,061 of 1,302 scored counties and #50 of 56 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 57 optometrists and eye clinics in Buncombe County. Chain locations make up 28% of them, against 20% across the U.S. That is 5.6 per 10,000 households, 37% above the U.S. rate of 4.1.
Households in Buncombe County spend about $115M a year on medical and dental services, or $1,129 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. That works out to $2M per practice, 36% 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.
Official counts show 23 businesses with payroll classed as offices of optometrists in Buncombe County in 2023, up 4.6% from 2019. That is one for every 4,428 households, against one for every 5,742 across the U.S. Population estimates show Buncombe County grew 2.9% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
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 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 | Buncombe County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.6 | 3.6 | 4.1 |
| Spending per listing | $2M | $3.1M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment | 4,428 | 6,479 | 5,742 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.6% | −0.3% | +0.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.9% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on medical and dental services | $1,129 | $1,116 | $1,288 |
| Median household income | $74,436 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 32 | 56 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 22 → 23+4.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 185
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5716 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 37The 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 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 optometrists and eye clinics 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 cardOptometrists and eye care across North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for optometrists and eye clinics, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Chatham County, NC | 88 | 6 | 1.8 | $7.1M | +11.0% | #8 of 1,302 |
| 2Harnett County, NC | 78 | 13 | 2.6 | $4.1M | +12.3% | #84 of 1,302 |
| 3Union County, NC | 78 | 28 | 3.3 | $4M | +11.7% | #86 of 1,302 |
| 4Davidson County, NC | 75 | 16 | 2.3 | $4.5M | +6.6% | #120 of 1,302 |
| 5Randolph County, NC | 74 | 9 | 1.6 | $6.4M | +3.5% | #128 of 1,302 |
| 6Johnston County, NC | 74 | 26 | 3.0 | $3.8M | +17.9% | #140 of 1,302 |
| 7Brunswick County, NC | 73 | 23 | 3.3 | $3.3M | +26.5% | #154 of 1,302 |
| 8Moore County, NC | 69 | 15 | 3.4 | $3.4M | +10.3% | #220 of 1,302 |
| 9Onslow County, NC | 68 | 18 | 2.4 | $4.4M | +6.0% | #230 of 1,302 |
| 10Alamance County, NC | 67 | 21 | 3.0 | $3.5M | +8.5% | #264 of 1,302 |
| 50Buncombe County, NC | 32 | 57 | 5.6 | $2M | +2.9% | #1,061 of 1,302 |
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
- Doctors, dentists and clinics22
- Dentists and orthodontists26
- Primary care and pediatrics26
- Urgent care and walk-in clinics42
- Chiropractors26
- Physical therapy21
- Optometrists and eye care32
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many optometrists and eye clinics are in Buncombe County, NC?
There are 57 optometrists and eye clinics on map listings in Buncombe County as of September 2026. 16 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count optometrists and eye clinics. Official counts show 23 businesses with payroll classed as offices of optometrists in 2023, up 4.6% from 2019.
How much do households in Buncombe County, NC spend on medical and dental services?
About $115M a year, or $1,129 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 57 optometrists and eye clinics on map listings, it comes to $2M 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 101,855 households in Buncombe County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Buncombe County, NC compare with the U.S. for optometrists and eye clinics?
Buncombe County has 5.6 optometrists and eye clinics per 10,000 households, 37% above the U.S. rate of 4.1. Spending per practice is $2M, 36% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of optometrists and eye clinics to household spending, Buncombe County would have about 37, against 57 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,428 households, against one for every 5,742 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +0.2% for 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 32 for optometrists and eye clinics (lower middle), #1,061 of 1,302 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 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 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.