Real estate · County · North Carolina
Home inspectors in Buncombe County, NC
The home inspectors in Buncombe County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 29 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #367 of 415 scored counties
#14 of 14 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 10
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 17
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $1.6B
- On rent and homeowner costs · $15,301 a household
- Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)
- 59
- 41% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 1.0
- 67% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 277,417
- +2.9% since 2020
See the home inspectors around any address in Buncombe County
The site report maps the home inspectors 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
For home inspectors, Buncombe County has a Groundwork market score of 29 (lower middle): #367 of 415 scored counties and #14 of 14 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $15,301 per household (8% below the U.S. average), households in Buncombe County spend about $1.6B a year on rent and homeowner costs. Housing spending per business is 41% below the U.S. figure. The spending figure is all rent and homeowner costs, a measure of housing demand, not money home inspectors take in.
There are 10 home inspectors on map listings in Buncombe County as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 3% across the U.S. That is 1.0 per 10,000 households, 67% above the U.S. rate of 0.6.
In 2023, official counts showed 17 businesses with payroll in Buncombe County classed as building inspection services. That is one for every 5,991 households, against one for every 17,237 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $50K has gone to businesses classed as building inspection 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%).
How Buncombe County compares
The same measures for North Carolina and the whole U.S. Housing spending per listing divides all rent and homeowner costs by the listings counted: a measure of housing demand for each business, not money any of them take in, so it is shown against the U.S. (100) only. Households per establishment divides households by the official count.
| Measure | Buncombe County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | 59 | 102 | 100 |
| Households per official establishment | 5,991 | 14,133 | 17,237 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +13.5% | +6.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.9% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on rent and homeowner costs | $15,301 | $15,139 | $16,661 |
| Median household income | $74,436 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 29 | 48 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 14 → 17
- Employees, 2023
- 39
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 100 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
- 1
- Amount
- $50K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as building inspection 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 home inspectors 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 cardHome inspectors across North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for home inspectors, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Buncombe County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Durham County, NC | 69 | 6 | 0.4 | 145 | +7.7% | #64 of 415 |
| 2Wake County, NC | 59 | 34 | 0.7 | 91 | +11.2% | #129 of 415 |
| 3Mecklenburg County, NC | 58 | 36 | 0.8 | 82 | +10.5% | #134 of 415 |
| 4Guilford County, NC | 57 | 9 | 0.4 | 138 | +4.4% | #135 of 415 |
| 5Union County, NC | 54 | 6 | 0.7 | 93 | +11.7% | #167 of 415 |
| 6Onslow County, NC | 51 | 5 | 0.7 | 82 | +6.0% | #193 of 415 |
| 7Johnston County, NC | 47 | 7 | 0.8 | 72 | +17.9% | #222 of 415 |
| 8Cabarrus County, NC | 46 | 7 | 0.8 | 75 | +9.9% | #231 of 415 |
| 9Brunswick County, NC | 45 | 7 | 1.0 | 57 | +26.5% | #249 of 415 |
| 10New Hanover County, NC | 41 | 9 | 0.9 | 69 | +8.6% | #275 of 415 |
| 14Buncombe County, NC | 29 | 10 | 1.0 | 59 | +2.9% | #367 of 415 |
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
- Real estate27
- Real estate agents and brokers27
- Property management26
- Mortgage brokers and lenders30
- Home inspectors29
Funeral services
Questions
How many home inspectors are in Buncombe County, NC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 10 home inspectors in Buncombe County. None of them are chain locations. The listings count home inspectors. Official counts show 17 businesses with payroll classed as building inspection services in 2023.
How much do households in Buncombe County, NC spend on rent and homeowner costs?
About $1.6B a year, or $15,301 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). For the 10 home inspectors on map listings, housing spending per business is 41% below the U.S. figure. That figure is all rent and homeowner costs, used as a measure of housing demand; it is not money home inspectors take in. 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 home inspectors?
Buncombe County has 1.0 home inspectors per 10,000 households, 67% above the U.S. rate of 0.6. The index of housing spending per business is 59, where 100 is the U.S. At the U.S. ratio of home inspectors to household spending, Buncombe County would have about 6, against 10 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,991 households, against one for every 17,237 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 29 for home inspectors (lower middle), #367 of 415 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 home inspectors 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 home inspectors · 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.