Groundwork

Health care · Small-town market · North Carolina

Optometrists and eye clinics in the Washington, NC area

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for optometrists and eye clinics in the Washington, NC area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 37 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #308 of 400 scored small-town markets
#16 of 18 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina

Listings
10
5 chain locations (50%)
Official establishments
3
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$19.3M
On medical and dental services · $993 a household
Spending per listing
$1.9M
39% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
5.2
27% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
44,670
0.0% since 2020

See the optometrists and eye clinics around any address in the Washington area

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 the Washington area. 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

The Washington area scores 37 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for optometrists and eye clinics, ranking #308 of 400 scored small-town markets and #16 of 18 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.

Households in the Washington area spend about $19.3M a year on medical and dental services, or $993 per household, 23% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1.9M per practice, 39% 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 10 optometrists and eye clinics on map listings in the Washington area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 50% of them, against 20% across the U.S. That is 5.2 per 10,000 households, 27% above the U.S. rate of 4.1.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as offices of optometrists in the Washington area was 3 in 2023. That is one for every 6,462 households, against one for every 5,742 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in the Washington area from 2020 to 2025 at 0.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How the Washington area 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 Washington, NC area compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureWashington areaNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households5.23.64.1
Spending per listing$1.9M$3.1M$3.1M
Households per official establishment6,4626,4795,742
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a−0.3%+0.2%
Population growth, 2020–20250.0%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on medical and dental services$993$1,116$1,288
Median household income$58,357$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score3756

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
3
Employees, 2023
29
Annual payroll, 2023
$2.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
105 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
6The 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 the Washington area, 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 the Washington area

Population, 2025 estimate
44,6700.0% since 2020
Households
19,385
Median age
46.9
Homes lived in by their owners
70%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
833 sq. mi.
People per square mile
53
Median household income
$58,357+29.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$78,141
Median home value
$192,700
Jobs located here
16,163
Daytime population
41,743Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Washington area?

These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Washington area. 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 small-town markets in North Carolina for optometrists and eye clinics, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with the Washington area marked.

Top small-town markets in North Carolina

Small-town markets in North Carolina ranked for optometrists and eye clinics by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Anderson Creek, NC81132.6$4.1M+12.3%#16 of 400
2Kill Devil Hills, NC6963.6$3.4M+3.3%#64 of 400
3Shelby-Kings Mountain, NC67112.8$3.5M+3.4%#75 of 400
4New Bern, NC65183.4$3M+3.6%#85 of 400
5Waynesville, NC6393.3$3.1M+1.9%#104 of 400
6Wilson, NC6272.1$4.6M+1.7%#107 of 400
7Albemarle, NC5793.6$2.9M+9.8%#146 of 400
8Lumberton, NC55112.6$3.4M+3.4%#161 of 400
9Morehead City, NC54123.8$2.9M+4.1%#170 of 400
10North Wilkesboro, NC5372.6$3.6M+0.6%#179 of 400
16Washington, NC37105.2$1.9M0.0%#308 of 400

Other business types in the Washington area

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

Questions

How many optometrists and eye clinics are in the Washington, NC area?

As of September 2026, map listings count 10 optometrists and eye clinics in the Washington area. 5 of them (50%) are chain locations. The listings count optometrists and eye clinics. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as offices of optometrists in 2023.

How much do households in the Washington, NC area spend on medical and dental services?

About $19.3M a year, or $993 per household. That is 23% below the U.S. average (an index of 77, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 10 optometrists and eye clinics on map listings, it comes to $1.9M 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 19,385 households in the Washington area and national spending patterns by income.

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

The Washington area has 5.2 optometrists and eye clinics per 10,000 households, 27% above the U.S. rate of 4.1. Spending per practice is $1.9M, 39% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of optometrists and eye clinics to household spending, the Washington area would have about 6, against 10 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 6,462 households, against one for every 5,742 across the U.S.

How fast is the Washington, NC area growing?

Population estimates put the Washington area at 44,670 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 19,385 households. Median household income in the Washington area is $58,357, 28% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.1%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Washington area scores 37 for optometrists and eye clinics (lower middle), #308 of 400 scored small-town markets.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Washington area. 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 the Washington area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Washington area?

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 the Washington area. 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.