Health care · County · North Carolina
Optometrists and eye clinics in Union County, NC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for optometrists and eye clinics in Union County, NC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 78 out of 100: High
Ranked #86 of 1,302 scored counties
#3 of 56 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 28
- 7 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- 12
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $111.2M
- On medical and dental services · $1,320 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4M
- 27% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.3
- 20% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 267,674
- +11.7% since 2020
See the optometrists and eye clinics around any address in Union 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 Union 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
For optometrists and eye clinics, Union County has a Groundwork market score of 78 (high): #86 of 1,302 scored counties and #3 of 56 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for optometrists and eye clinics.
As of September 2026, map listings count 28 optometrists and eye clinics in Union County. Chain locations make up 25% of them, against 20% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 3.3, 20% below the U.S. rate of 4.1.
At $1,320 per household (3% above the U.S. average), households in Union County spend about $111.2M a year on medical and dental services. Spread across 28 optometrists and eye clinics, that is $4M per practice, 27% above 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 12 businesses with payroll in Union County classed as offices of optometrists. That is one for every 7,020 households, against one for every 5,742 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $2.5M has gone to businesses classed as offices of optometrists in Union County. Population estimates put the population change in Union County from 2020 to 2025 at +11.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Union 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 | Union County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.3 | 3.6 | 4.1 |
| Spending per listing | $4M | $3.1M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment | 7,020 | 6,479 | 5,742 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −0.3% | +0.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +11.7% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on medical and dental services | $1,320 | $1,116 | $1,288 |
| Median household income | $102,900 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 78 | 56 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 10 → 12
- Employees, 2023
- 86
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 287 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 36The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $2.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as offices of optometrists in Union 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 Union County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 267,674+11.7% since 2020
- Households
- 84,237
- Median age
- 39.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 82%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 633 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 397
- Median household income
- $102,900+28.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $137,492
- Median home value
- $417,300
- Jobs located here
- 76,151
- Daytime population
- 210,985Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Union 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 Union 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 Union 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 |
Other business types in Union 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 clinics60
- Dentists and orthodontists58
- Primary care and pediatrics72
- Urgent care and walk-in clinics
- Chiropractors72
- Physical therapy79
- Optometrists and eye care78
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many optometrists and eye clinics are in Union County, NC?
Union County has 28 optometrists and eye clinics on map listings as of September 2026. 7 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count optometrists and eye clinics. Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as offices of optometrists in 2023.
How much do households in Union County, NC spend on medical and dental services?
About $111.2M a year, or $1,320 per household. That is 3% above the U.S. average (an index of 103, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 28 optometrists and eye clinics on map listings, it comes to $4M 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 84,237 households in Union County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Union County, NC compare with the U.S. for optometrists and eye clinics?
Union County has 3.3 optometrists and eye clinics per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 4.1. Spending per practice is $4M, 27% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of optometrists and eye clinics to household spending, Union County would have about 36, against 28 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 7,020 households, against one for every 5,742 across the U.S.
How fast is Union County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Union County at 267,674 people in 2025, up 11.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 84,237 households. The median household income in Union County is $102,900 a year, 27% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.6% 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. Union County scores 78 for optometrists and eye clinics (high), #86 of 1,302 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Union 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 Union County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Union 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 Union 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.