Funeral services · County · North Carolina
Funeral homes in Buncombe County, NC
How Buncombe County, NC compares with other counties and the U.S. for funeral homes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 75 out of 100: High
Ranked #151 of 1,472 scored counties
#8 of 67 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 23
- 4 chain locations (17%)
- Official establishments
- 14
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $18M
- On funerals · $177 a household
- Spending per listing
- $784K
- 16% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 2.3
- 10% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 277,417
- +2.9% since 2020
See the funeral homes around any address in Buncombe County
The site report maps the funeral homes 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
At $177 per household (24% above the U.S. average), households in Buncombe County spend about $18M a year on funerals. That works out to $784K per home, 16% above the U.S. figure of $679K.
Buncombe County has 23 funeral homes on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 17% of them, against 10% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 2.3, 10% above the U.S. rate of 2.1.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as funeral homes and funeral services in Buncombe County was 14 in 2023. That is one for every 7,275 households, against one for every 8,510 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $3.9M has gone to businesses classed as funeral homes and funeral services in Buncombe County.
Population estimates put the population change in Buncombe County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.9%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For funeral homes, Buncombe County has a Groundwork market score of 75 (high): #151 of 1,472 scored counties and #8 of 67 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
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 funerals by the funeral homes 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 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.1 |
| Spending per listing | $784K | $582K | $679K |
| Households per official establishment | 7,275 | 8,267 | 8,510 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +0.4% | −1.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.9% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on funerals | $177 | $135 | $143 |
| Median household income | $74,436 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 75 | 53 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 14 → 14
- Employees, 2023
- 128
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 234 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 27The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $3.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as funeral homes and funeral services 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 funeral homes 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 cardFuneral homes across North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for funeral homes, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Brunswick County, NC | 94 | 11 | 1.6 | $1.1M | +26.5% | #14 of 1,472 |
| 2Henderson County, NC | 90 | 7 | 1.4 | $1.3M | +5.0% | #23 of 1,472 |
| 3Chatham County, NC | 89 | 7 | 2.1 | $861K | +11.0% | #27 of 1,472 |
| 4Lincoln County, NC | 82 | 6 | 1.6 | $927K | +13.2% | #50 of 1,472 |
| 5Carteret County, NC | 78 | 7 | 2.2 | $763K | +4.1% | #93 of 1,472 |
| 6Burke County, NC | 75 | 6 | 1.7 | $1M | +1.6% | #145 of 1,472 |
| 7Iredell County, NC | 75 | 13 | 1.7 | $803K | +12.9% | #150 of 1,472 |
| 8Buncombe County, NC | 75 | 23 | 2.3 | $784K | +2.9% | #151 of 1,472 |
| 9Wake County, NC | 73 | 49 | 1.1 | $1M | +11.2% | #180 of 1,472 |
| 10Davidson County, NC | 72 | 11 | 1.6 | $930K | +6.6% | #196 of 1,472 |
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
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
- Funeral homes75
Questions
How many funeral homes are in Buncombe County, NC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 23 funeral homes in Buncombe County. 4 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count funeral homes, mortuaries and cremation services. Official counts show 14 businesses with payroll classed as funeral homes and funeral services in 2023.
How much do households in Buncombe County, NC spend on funerals?
About $18M a year, or $177 per household. That is 24% above the U.S. average (an index of 124, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 23 funeral homes on map listings, it comes to $784K per home. 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 funeral homes?
Buncombe County has 2.3 funeral homes per 10,000 households, 10% above the U.S. rate of 2.1. Spending per home is $784K, 16% above the U.S. figure of $679K. At the U.S. ratio of funeral homes to household spending, Buncombe County would have about 27, against 23 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 7,275 households, against one for every 8,510 across 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 75 for funeral homes (high), #151 of 1,472 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 funeral homes 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 funeral homes · 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.