Groundwork

Health care · County · North Carolina

Optometrists and eye clinics in Mecklenburg County, NC

The optometrists and eye clinics in Mecklenburg County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 56 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #537 of 1,302 scored counties
#28 of 56 scored counties in North Carolina

Listings
219
58 chain locations (26%)
Official establishments
81
+9.5% since 2019
Household spending a year
$577.7M
On medical and dental services · $1,238 a household
Spending per listing
$2.6M
16% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
4.7
15% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
1,233,383
+10.5% since 2020

See the optometrists and eye clinics around any address in Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Map listings as of September 2026 show 219 optometrists and eye clinics in Mecklenburg County. Of those, 58 are chain locations, or 26%, against 20% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 4.7, 15% above the U.S. rate of 4.1.

At $1,238 per household (4% below the U.S. average), households in Mecklenburg County spend about $577.7M a year on medical and dental services. That works out to $2.6M per practice, 16% 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.

In 2023, official counts showed 81 businesses with payroll in Mecklenburg County classed as offices of optometrists, up 9.5% from 2019. That is one for every 5,760 households, against one for every 5,742 across the U.S.

Population estimates put the population change in Mecklenburg County from 2020 to 2025 at +10.5%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Mecklenburg County scores 56 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for optometrists and eye clinics, ranking #537 of 1,302 scored counties and #28 of 56 scored counties in North Carolina.

How Mecklenburg 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.

Optometrists and eye care in Mecklenburg County, NC compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureMecklenburg CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households4.73.64.1
Spending per listing$2.6M$3.1M$3.1M
Households per official establishment5,7606,4795,742
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+9.5%−0.3%+0.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+10.5%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on medical and dental services$1,238$1,116$1,288
Median household income$87,005$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score5656

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
74 → 81+9.5% over the period
Employees, 2023
630
Annual payroll, 2023
$36.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
21958 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
184The 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 Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg County

Population, 2025 estimate
1,233,383+10.5% since 2020
Households
466,527
Median age
36.7
Homes lived in by their owners
55%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
524 sq. mi.
People per square mile
2,205
Median household income
$87,005+30.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$128,768
Median home value
$406,800
Jobs located here
829,972
Daytime population
1,424,612Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Optometrists 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 Mecklenburg County marked.

Top counties in North Carolina

Counties in North Carolina ranked for optometrists and eye clinics by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Chatham County, NC8861.8$7.1M+11.0%#8 of 1,302
2Harnett County, NC78132.6$4.1M+12.3%#84 of 1,302
3Union County, NC78283.3$4M+11.7%#86 of 1,302
4Davidson County, NC75162.3$4.5M+6.6%#120 of 1,302
5Randolph County, NC7491.6$6.4M+3.5%#128 of 1,302
6Johnston County, NC74263.0$3.8M+17.9%#140 of 1,302
7Brunswick County, NC73233.3$3.3M+26.5%#154 of 1,302
8Moore County, NC69153.4$3.4M+10.3%#220 of 1,302
9Onslow County, NC68182.4$4.4M+6.0%#230 of 1,302
10Alamance County, NC67213.0$3.5M+8.5%#264 of 1,302
28Mecklenburg County, NC562194.7$2.6M+10.5%#537 of 1,302

Other business types in Mecklenburg County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many optometrists and eye clinics are in Mecklenburg County, NC?

There are 219 optometrists and eye clinics on map listings in Mecklenburg County as of September 2026. 58 of them (26%) are chain locations. The listings count optometrists and eye clinics. Official counts show 81 businesses with payroll classed as offices of optometrists in 2023, up 9.5% from 2019.

How much do households in Mecklenburg County, NC spend on medical and dental services?

About $577.7M a year, or $1,238 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 219 optometrists and eye clinics on map listings, it comes to $2.6M 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 466,527 households in Mecklenburg County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Mecklenburg County, NC compare with the U.S. for optometrists and eye clinics?

Mecklenburg County has 4.7 optometrists and eye clinics per 10,000 households, 15% above the U.S. rate of 4.1. Spending per practice is $2.6M, 16% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of optometrists and eye clinics to household spending, Mecklenburg County would have about 184, against 219 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,760 households, against one for every 5,742 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +0.2% for the U.S.

How fast is Mecklenburg County, NC growing?

Population estimates put Mecklenburg County at 1,233,383 people in 2025, up 10.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 466,527 households. The median household income in Mecklenburg County is $87,005 a year, 8% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.6% 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. Mecklenburg County scores 56 for optometrists and eye clinics (upper middle), #537 of 1,302 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg 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.