Home services · County · North Carolina
HVAC and plumbing companies in McDowell County, NC
The HVAC and plumbing companies in McDowell County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 31 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,480 of 1,707 scored counties
#71 of 77 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 16
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 16
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $46.8M
- On home repairs, maintenance and insurance · $2,509 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.9M
- 39% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.6
- 37% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 45,198
- +1.5% since 2020
See the HVAC and plumbing companies around any address in McDowell County
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 McDowell 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
McDowell County scores 31 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for HVAC and plumbing companies, ranking #1,480 of 1,707 scored counties and #71 of 77 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 16 HVAC and plumbing companies in McDowell County. None of them are chain locations, against 4% across the U.S. That is 8.6 per 10,000 households, 37% above the U.S. rate of 6.3.
Households in McDowell County spend about $46.8M a year on home repairs, maintenance and insurance, or $2,509 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. That works out to $2.9M per company, 39% below the U.S. figure of $4.8M. That spending covers all home repairs, maintenance and insurance, which HVAC and plumbing companies share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 16 businesses with payroll in McDowell County classed as plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors. That is one for every 1,165 households, against one for every 1,162 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $270K has gone to businesses classed as plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors in McDowell County. Population estimates show McDowell County grew 1.5% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How McDowell County 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.
| Measure | McDowell County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.6 | 6.3 | 6.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.9M | $4.6M | $4.8M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,165 | 1,078 | 1,162 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +11.7% | +7.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.5% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on home repairs, maintenance and insurance | $2,509 | $2,889 | $3,018 |
| Median household income | $57,168 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 31 | 53 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 14 → 16
- Employees, 2023
- 139
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 160 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 10The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $270K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors in McDowell 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 McDowell County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 45,198+1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 18,638
- Median age
- 44.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 440 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 102
- Median household income
- $57,168+31.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $72,753
- Median home value
- $171,100
- Jobs located here
- 15,917
- Daytime population
- 39,859Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in McDowell 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 HVAC and plumbing companies on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of McDowell County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardHVAC and plumbing across North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for HVAC and plumbing companies, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with McDowell County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Durham County, NC | 87 | 68 | 4.8 | $6.5M | +7.7% | #19 of 1,707 |
| 2Mecklenburg County, NC | 86 | 241 | 5.2 | $6.3M | +10.5% | #21 of 1,707 |
| 3Hoke County, NC | 84 | 7 | 3.6 | $7.3M | +9.0% | #29 of 1,707 |
| 4Orange County, NC | 80 | 25 | 4.4 | $7.6M | +6.1% | #61 of 1,707 |
| 5Jackson County, NC | 77 | 7 | 3.8 | $6.7M | +6.9% | #89 of 1,707 |
| 6Chatham County, NC | 77 | 17 | 5.2 | $6.6M | +11.0% | #90 of 1,707 |
| 7Wake County, NC | 76 | 311 | 6.8 | $5.2M | +11.2% | #103 of 1,707 |
| 8Robeson County, NC | 71 | 12 | 2.8 | $7.9M | +3.4% | #180 of 1,707 |
| 9Lincoln County, NC | 71 | 18 | 4.9 | $6.2M | +13.2% | #183 of 1,707 |
| 10Forsyth County, NC | 70 | 84 | 5.3 | $5.3M | +5.0% | #212 of 1,707 |
| 71McDowell County, NC | 31 | 16 | 8.6 | $2.9M | +1.5% | #1,480 of 1,707 |
Other business types in McDowell 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
Questions
How many HVAC and plumbing companies are in McDowell County, NC?
McDowell County has 16 HVAC and plumbing companies on map listings as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations. The listings count heating and air-conditioning companies and plumbers. Official counts show 16 businesses with payroll classed as plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors in 2023.
How much do households in McDowell County, NC spend on home repairs, maintenance and insurance?
About $46.8M a year, or $2,509 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 16 HVAC and plumbing companies on map listings, it comes to $2.9M per company. The spending figure covers all home repairs, maintenance and insurance, not only HVAC and plumbing companies. It is estimated from the incomes of the 18,638 households in McDowell County and national spending patterns by income.
How does McDowell County, NC compare with the U.S. for HVAC and plumbing companies?
McDowell County has 8.6 HVAC and plumbing companies per 10,000 households, 37% above the U.S. rate of 6.3. Spending per company is $2.9M, 39% below the U.S. figure of $4.8M. At the national ratio of HVAC and plumbing companies to household spending, McDowell County would have about 10, against 16 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,165 households, against one for every 1,162 across the U.S.
How fast is McDowell County, NC growing?
Population estimates put McDowell County at 45,198 people in 2025, up 1.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 18,638 households. The median household income in McDowell County is $57,168 a year, 29% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.0% 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. McDowell County scores 31 for HVAC and plumbing companies (lower middle), #1,480 of 1,707 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in McDowell County. 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 McDowell County
Screening a site or an acquisition in McDowell 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 McDowell 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.