Home services · County · North Carolina
HVAC and plumbing companies in Watauga County, NC
How Watauga County, NC compares with other counties and the U.S. for HVAC and plumbing companies: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 38 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,269 of 1,707 scored counties
#58 of 77 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 13
- 1 chain location (8%)
- Official establishments
- 22
- −12.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $53.9M
- On home repairs, maintenance and insurance · $2,544 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.1M
- 13% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.1
- 3% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 54,786
- +0.6% since 2020
See the HVAC and plumbing companies around any address in Watauga 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 Watauga 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
Households in Watauga County spend about $53.9M a year on home repairs, maintenance and insurance, or $2,544 per household, 16% below the U.S. average. Spread across 13 HVAC and plumbing companies, that is $4.1M per company, 13% below 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 13 HVAC and plumbing companies on map listings in Watauga County as of September 2026. One of them (8%) is a chain location, against 4% across the U.S. That is 6.1 per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 6.3.
Official counts show 22 businesses with payroll classed as plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors in Watauga County in 2023, down 12.0% from 2019. That is one for every 964 households, against one for every 1,162 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $15K has gone to businesses classed as plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors in Watauga County.
Population estimates show Watauga County grew 0.6% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Watauga County scores 38 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for HVAC and plumbing companies, ranking #1,269 of 1,707 scored counties and #58 of 77 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Watauga 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 | Watauga County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.1 | 6.3 | 6.3 |
| Spending per listing | $4.1M | $4.6M | $4.8M |
| Households per official establishment | 964 | 1,078 | 1,162 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −12.0% | +11.7% | +7.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.6% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on home repairs, maintenance and insurance | $2,544 | $2,889 | $3,018 |
| Median household income | $51,693 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 38 | 53 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 25 → 22−12.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 179
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 131 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 11The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $15K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors in Watauga 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 Watauga County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 54,786+0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 21,198
- Median age
- 35.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 312 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 176
- Median household income
- $51,693+8.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $83,665
- Median home value
- $358,900
- Jobs located here
- 24,062
- Daytime population
- 59,737Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Watauga 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 Watauga 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 Watauga 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 |
| 58Watauga County, NC | 38 | 13 | 6.1 | $4.1M | +0.6% | #1,269 of 1,707 |
Other business types in Watauga 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 Watauga County, NC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 13 HVAC and plumbing companies in Watauga County. One of them (8%) is a chain location. The listings count heating and air-conditioning companies and plumbers. Official counts show 22 businesses with payroll classed as plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors in 2023, down 12.0% from 2019.
How much do households in Watauga County, NC spend on home repairs, maintenance and insurance?
About $53.9M a year, or $2,544 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 13 HVAC and plumbing companies on map listings, it comes to $4.1M 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 21,198 households in Watauga County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Watauga County, NC compare with the U.S. for HVAC and plumbing companies?
Watauga County has 6.1 HVAC and plumbing companies per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 6.3. Spending per company is $4.1M, 13% below the U.S. figure of $4.8M. At the U.S. ratio of HVAC and plumbing companies to household spending, Watauga County would have about 11, against 13 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 964 households, against one for every 1,162 across the U.S. The official count fell 12.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.6% for the U.S.
How fast is Watauga County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Watauga County at 54,786 people in 2025, up 0.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 21,198 households. Median household income in Watauga County is $51,693, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 8.8%, 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. Watauga County scores 38 for HVAC and plumbing companies (lower middle), #1,269 of 1,707 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Watauga 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 Watauga County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Watauga 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 Watauga 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.