Auto · County · North Carolina
Insurance agencies in Buncombe County, NC
How Buncombe County, NC compares with other counties and the U.S. for insurance agencies: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 64 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #662 of 2,272 scored counties
#69 of 90 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 132
- 27 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 90
- −19.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $248.6M
- On vehicle insurance · $2,440 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.9M
- 50% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.0
- 17% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 277,417
- +2.9% since 2020
See the insurance agencies around any address in Buncombe County
The site report maps the insurance agencies 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 132 insurance agencies in Buncombe County. Chain locations make up 20% of them, against 21% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 13.0, 17% below the U.S. rate of 15.6.
At $2,440 per household (25% above the U.S. average), households in Buncombe County spend about $248.6M a year on vehicle insurance. Spread across 132 insurance agencies, that is $1.9M per agency, 50% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M.
In 2023, official counts showed 90 businesses with payroll in Buncombe County classed as insurance agencies and brokerages, down 19.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,132 households, against one for every 966 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $293K have gone to businesses classed as insurance agencies and brokerages in Buncombe County.
Population estimates show Buncombe County grew 2.9% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for insurance agencies in Buncombe County is 64 (upper middle), #662 of 2,272 scored counties and #69 of 90 scored counties in North Carolina.
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 vehicle insurance by the insurance agencies 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 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 15.6 |
| Spending per listing | $1.9M | $2M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,132 | 1,094 | 966 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −19.6% | +0.1% | −1.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.9% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle insurance | $2,440 | $2,564 | $1,957 |
| Median household income | $74,436 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 64 | 84 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 112 → 90−19.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 389
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $22.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 13227 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 198The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $293K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as insurance agencies and brokerages 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 insurance agencies 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 cardInsurance agencies across North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for insurance agencies, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Currituck County, NC | 98 | 10 | 8.4 | $3.9M | +16.7% | #2 of 2,272 |
| 2Hoke County, NC | 95 | 11 | 5.7 | $4.7M | +9.0% | #14 of 2,272 |
| 3Franklin County, NC | 95 | 24 | 8.4 | $3.4M | +18.8% | #20 of 2,272 |
| 4Brunswick County, NC | 94 | 47 | 6.8 | $3.9M | +26.5% | #25 of 2,272 |
| 5Chatham County, NC | 91 | 26 | 7.9 | $3.5M | +11.0% | #45 of 2,272 |
| 6Pender County, NC | 90 | 12 | 4.7 | $5.9M | +19.0% | #52 of 2,272 |
| 7Polk County, NC | 90 | 6 | 6.7 | $4M | +6.0% | #53 of 2,272 |
| 8Johnston County, NC | 90 | 80 | 9.3 | $3.1M | +17.9% | #58 of 2,272 |
| 9Madison County, NC | 88 | 6 | 7.2 | $3.9M | +5.9% | #80 of 2,272 |
| 10Stokes County, NC | 88 | 15 | 7.7 | $3.9M | +3.5% | #81 of 2,272 |
| 69Buncombe County, NC | 64 | 132 | 13.0 | $1.9M | +2.9% | #662 of 2,272 |
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
Questions
How many insurance agencies are in Buncombe County, NC?
There are 132 insurance agencies on map listings in Buncombe County as of September 2026. 27 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count insurance agencies. Official counts show 90 businesses with payroll classed as insurance agencies and brokerages in 2023, down 19.6% from 2019.
How much do households in Buncombe County, NC spend on vehicle insurance?
About $248.6M a year, or $2,440 per household. That is 25% above the U.S. average (an index of 125, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 132 insurance agencies on map listings, it comes to $1.9M per agency. 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 insurance agencies?
Buncombe County has 13.0 insurance agencies per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 15.6. Spending per agency is $1.9M, 50% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of insurance agencies to household spending, Buncombe County would have about 198, against 132 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,132 households, against one for every 966 across the U.S. The official count fell 19.6% from 2019 to 2023, against −1.0% for 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 64 for insurance agencies (upper middle), #662 of 2,272 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 insurance agencies 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 insurance agencies · 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.