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HVAC and plumbing companies in the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area

The HVAC and plumbing companies in the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 84 out of 100: High

Ranked #7 of 387 scored metro areas
#1 of 15 scored metro areas based in North Carolina

Listings
122
7 chain locations (6%)
Official establishments
179
+16.2% since 2019
Household spending a year
$787.4M
On home repairs, maintenance and insurance · $3,172 a household
Spending per listing
$6.5M
36% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
4.9
22% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
625,485
+7.5% since 2020

See the HVAC and plumbing companies around any address in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area

The site report maps the HVAC and plumbing companies 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 Durham-Chapel Hill metro 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 Durham-Chapel Hill metro area scores 84 (high) on the Groundwork market score for HVAC and plumbing companies, ranking #7 of 387 scored metro areas and #1 of 15 scored metro areas based in North Carolina. That puts it in the top 10% of metro areas for HVAC and plumbing companies.

Households in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area spend about $787.4M a year on home repairs, maintenance and insurance, or $3,172 per household, 5% above the U.S. average. That works out to $6.5M per company, 36% above the U.S. figure of $4.8M. The spending figure covers all home repairs, maintenance and insurance, not only HVAC and plumbing companies.

There are 122 HVAC and plumbing companies on map listings in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area as of September 2026. Of those, 7 are chain locations, or 6%, against 4% across the U.S. That is 4.9 per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 6.3.

In 2023, official counts showed 179 businesses with payroll in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area classed as plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors, up 16.2% from 2019. That is one for every 1,387 households, against one for every 1,162 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $5.1M have gone to businesses classed as plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area. Population estimates show the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area grew 7.5% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area compares

The same measures for North Carolina and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all home repairs, maintenance and insurance by the HVAC and plumbing companies counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.

HVAC and plumbing in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureDurham-Chapel Hill metro areaNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households4.96.36.3
Spending per listing$6.5M$4.6M$4.8M
Households per official establishment1,3871,0781,162
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+16.2%+11.7%+7.6%
Population growth, 2020–2025+7.5%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on home repairs, maintenance and insurance$3,172$2,889$3,018
Median household income$83,500$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score8453

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
179+16.2% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,709
Annual payroll, 2023
$109M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
1227 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
166The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
8
Amount
$5.1M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro 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 Durham-Chapel Hill metro area

Population, 2025 estimate
625,485+7.5% since 2020
Households
248,256
Median age
39.9
Homes lived in by their owners
62%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
1,759 sq. mi.
People per square mile
342
Median household income
$83,500
Average household income
$120,978
Median home value
$396,100
Jobs located here
363,261
Daytime population
696,157Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area?

These figures cover the whole metro area. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the HVAC and plumbing companies on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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HVAC and plumbing across North Carolina

Every North Carolina market ranked →

The highest-scoring metro areas in North Carolina for HVAC and plumbing companies, numbered among those based in North Carolina (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area marked.

Top metro areas in North Carolina

Metro areas in North Carolina ranked for HVAC and plumbing companies by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Durham-Chapel Hill, NC841224.9$6.5M+7.5%#7 of 387
2Raleigh-Cary, NC654157.2$4.7M+12.6%#70 of 387
3Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC647216.7$4.7M+10.1%#79 of 387
4Goldsboro, NC62224.6$5.6M+3.8%#90 of 387
5Greenville, NC57395.2$4.9M+5.4%#135 of 387
6Jacksonville, NC56476.2$4.4M+6.0%#142 of 387
7Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC56347.7$3.9M+10.3%#146 of 387
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC554356.1$4.9M+0.9%#151 of 387
8Fayetteville, NC55805.4$4.9M+1.6%#153 of 387
9Winston-Salem, NC531696.0$4.6M+5.3%#173 of 387

Other business types in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area

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

Questions

How many HVAC and plumbing companies are in the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area?

As of September 2026, map listings count 122 HVAC and plumbing companies in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area. 7 of them (6%) are chain locations. The listings count heating and air-conditioning companies and plumbers. Official counts show 179 businesses with payroll classed as plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors in 2023, up 16.2% from 2019.

How much do households in the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area spend on home repairs, maintenance and insurance?

About $787.4M a year, or $3,172 per household. That is 5% above the U.S. average (an index of 105, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 122 HVAC and plumbing companies on map listings, it comes to $6.5M per company. That spending covers all home repairs, maintenance and insurance, which HVAC and plumbing companies share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 248,256 households in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area compare with the U.S. for HVAC and plumbing companies?

The Durham-Chapel Hill metro area has 4.9 HVAC and plumbing companies per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 6.3. Spending per company is $6.5M, 36% above the U.S. figure of $4.8M. At the U.S. ratio of HVAC and plumbing companies to household spending, the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area would have about 166, against 122 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,387 households, against one for every 1,162 across the U.S. The official count rose 16.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.6% for the U.S.

How fast is the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area growing?

Population estimates put the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area at 625,485 people in 2025, up 7.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 248,256 households. Median household income in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area is $83,500, 3% above the U.S. median of $80,734.

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. The Durham-Chapel Hill metro area scores 84 for HVAC and plumbing companies (high), #7 of 387 scored metro areas.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area. It maps the HVAC and plumbing companies 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 HVAC and plumbing companies · All 56 business types in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro 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 Durham-Chapel Hill metro 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.