Market rankings · North Carolina
Medical and dental practices in North Carolina
Markets across North Carolina ranked by the Groundwork market score for medical and dental practices, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 35,686
- 3,557 chain locations (10%)
- Official establishments
- 12,410
- +3.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $4.8B
- On medical and dental services
- Listings per 10k households
- 83.3
- In line with the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $134K
- 12% below the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #28 of 51
- Market score 48 · Lower middle
A site report maps the medical and dental practices on map listings around any address in North Carolina by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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 35,686 medical and dental practices in North Carolina. Chain locations make up 10% of them, against 11% across the U.S. That comes to 83.3 for every 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 84.5.
Household spending on medical and dental services in North Carolina comes to about $4.8B a year: $1,116 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. Spread across 35,686 medical and dental practices, that is $134K per practice, 12% below the U.S. figure of $152K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in North Carolina was 12,410 in 2023, up 3.9% from 2019. That is one for every 345 households, against one for every 270 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 1.5% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 104 SBA-backed loans worth $94M have gone to businesses classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in North Carolina.
Among the 50 states and DC, North Carolina ranks #28 for medical and dental practices, with a Groundwork market score of 48 (lower middle). Of the 16 scored metro areas in or partly in North Carolina, the Jacksonville metro area scores highest (77). Of the 23 scored small-town markets in or partly in North Carolina, the Anderson Creek area scores highest (80).
Every market in North Carolina for medical and dental practices
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in North Carolina, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Jacksonville, NC | 77 | 346 | 46.0 | $227K | +6.0% | #24 of 387 |
| 2Burlington, NC | 73 | 379 | 54.1 | $193K | +8.5% | #39 of 387 |
| 3Goldsboro, NC | 72 | 219 | 46.1 | $217K | +3.8% | #44 of 387 |
| 4Rocky Mount, NC | 67 | 285 | 48.8 | $205K | +2.8% | #65 of 387 |
| 5Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | 61 | 856 | 57.2 | $178K | +3.2% | #109 of 387 |
| 6Raleigh-Cary, NC | 56 | 5,168 | 90.0 | $144K | +12.6% | #144 of 387 |
| 7Fayetteville, NC | 55 | 904 | 60.7 | $167K | +1.6% | #150 of 387 |
| 8Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC | 54 | 329 | 74.8 | $157K | +10.3% | #156 of 387 |
| 9Greensboro-High Point, NC | 52 | 2,383 | 75.2 | $141K | +4.1% | #176 of 387 |
| 10Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 48 | 2,818 | 113.5 | $107K | +7.5% | #209 of 387 |
| 11Wilmington, NC | 47 | 1,686 | 84.6 | $134K | +15.9% | #215 of 387 |
| 12Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 45 | 10,838 | 100.7 | $119K | +10.1% | #233 of 387 |
| 13Winston-Salem, NC | 45 | 2,836 | 100.7 | $105K | +5.3% | #234 of 387 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | 43 | 6,131 | 86.7 | $135K | +0.9% | #252 of 387 |
| 14Greenville, NC | 39 | 646 | 86.7 | $116K | +5.4% | #286 of 387 |
| 15Asheville, NC | 21 | 1,831 | 113.5 | $97K | +3.6% | #368 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Anderson Creek, NC | 80 | 203 | 40.7 | $263K | +12.3% | #28 of 538 |
| 2New Bern, NC | 56 | 270 | 51.5 | $198K | +3.6% | #214 of 538 |
| 3Wilson, NC | 54 | 174 | 52.6 | $185K | +1.7% | #236 of 538 |
| 4Albemarle, NC | 52 | 183 | 72.5 | $140K | +9.8% | #258 of 538 |
| 5Marion, NC | 50 | 99 | 53.1 | $183K | +1.5% | #270 of 538 |
| 6Forest City, NC | 50 | 158 | 59.3 | $160K | +2.1% | #274 of 538 |
| 7Waynesville, NC | 48 | 167 | 61.6 | $166K | +1.9% | #290 of 538 |
| 8Brevard, NC | 47 | 90 | 61.7 | $171K | +2.9% | #297 of 538 |
| 9Sanford, NC | 47 | 174 | 69.2 | $148K | +10.8% | #304 of 538 |
| 10Morehead City, NC | 45 | 203 | 63.5 | $174K | +4.1% | #325 of 538 |
| 11Lumberton, NC | 42 | 249 | 57.7 | $152K | +3.4% | #352 of 538 |
| 12North Wilkesboro, NC | 42 | 167 | 61.6 | $151K | +0.6% | #353 of 538 |
| 13Rockingham, NC | 41 | 87 | 51.1 | $175K | −1.6% | #359 of 538 |
| 14Kinston, NC | 40 | 131 | 56.1 | $163K | +1.4% | #365 of 538 |
| 15Kill Devil Hills, NC | 37 | 155 | 92.1 | $133K | +3.3% | #396 of 538 |
| 16Shelby-Kings Mountain, NC | 37 | 336 | 86.5 | $114K | +3.4% | #400 of 538 |
| 17Roanoke Rapids, NC | 35 | 146 | 51.7 | $178K | −4.3% | #411 of 538 |
| 18Henderson, NC | 34 | 97 | 60.1 | $157K | +0.2% | #422 of 538 |
| 19Washington, NC | 31 | 122 | 62.9 | $158K | 0.0% | #442 of 538 |
| 20Mount Airy, NC | 29 | 241 | 80.7 | $120K | +1.3% | #464 of 538 |
| 21Elizabeth City, NC | 26 | 159 | 100.7 | $102K | +4.5% | #477 of 538 |
| 22Laurinburg, NC | 20 | 89 | 70.7 | $128K | −0.3% | #509 of 538 |
| 23Boone, NC | 19 | 228 | 107.6 | $93K | +0.6% | #516 of 538 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Currituck County, NC | 86 | 37 | 31.2 | $398K | +16.7% | #29 of 2,394 |
| 2Camden County, NC | 84 | 6 | 15.0 | $789K | +8.8% | #41 of 2,394 |
| 3Franklin County, NC | 82 | 62 | 21.7 | $498K | +18.8% | #73 of 2,394 |
| 4Perquimans County, NC | 77 | 9 | 16.0 | $644K | +3.6% | #137 of 2,394 |
| 5Chatham County, NC | 77 | 138 | 41.8 | $309K | +11.0% | #158 of 2,394 |
| 6Clay County, NC | 75 | 14 | 27.6 | $366K | +9.9% | #206 of 2,394 |
| 7Hoke County, NC | 75 | 61 | 31.7 | $328K | +9.0% | #209 of 2,394 |
| 8Warren County, NC | 71 | 6 | 7.4 | $1.3M | +1.6% | #298 of 2,394 |
| 9Harnett County, NC | 70 | 203 | 40.7 | $263K | +12.3% | #352 of 2,394 |
| 10Yadkin County, NC | 69 | 46 | 30.6 | $334K | +2.9% | #371 of 2,394 |
| 11Madison County, NC | 69 | 27 | 32.4 | $313K | +5.9% | #375 of 2,394 |
| 12Montgomery County, NC | 68 | 32 | 30.1 | $329K | +2.7% | #400 of 2,394 |
| 13Person County, NC | 68 | 53 | 33.0 | $316K | +3.7% | #404 of 2,394 |
| 14Johnston County, NC | 68 | 386 | 45.1 | $255K | +17.9% | #420 of 2,394 |
| 15Alexander County, NC | 67 | 38 | 26.9 | $372K | +1.5% | #437 of 2,394 |
| 16Granville County, NC | 67 | 74 | 32.9 | $329K | +2.1% | #443 of 2,394 |
| 17Swain County, NC | 66 | 14 | 23.3 | $426K | −0.6% | #465 of 2,394 |
| 18Stokes County, NC | 66 | 64 | 32.7 | $300K | +3.5% | #481 of 2,394 |
| 19Pamlico County, NC | 65 | 15 | 27.5 | $361K | +3.7% | #523 of 2,394 |
| 20Yancey County, NC | 65 | 31 | 38.1 | $265K | +3.2% | #541 of 2,394 |
| 21Davidson County, NC | 65 | 298 | 42.7 | $243K | +6.6% | #547 of 2,394 |
| 22Brunswick County, NC | 62 | 343 | 49.6 | $224K | +26.5% | #671 of 2,394 |
| 23Northampton County, NC | 61 | 7 | 8.9 | $1.1M | −5.4% | #683 of 2,394 |
| 24Randolph County, NC | 61 | 221 | 38.3 | $260K | +3.5% | #709 of 2,394 |
| 25Caswell County, NC | 60 | 8 | 9.1 | $1.1M | +0.4% | #723 of 2,394 |
Show all 100 counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26Bertie County, NC | 60 | 15 | 21.0 | $450K | −3.6% | #727 of 2,394 |
| 27Onslow County, NC | 60 | 346 | 46.0 | $227K | +6.0% | #756 of 2,394 |
| 28Union County, NC | 60 | 569 | 67.5 | $195K | +11.7% | #765 of 2,394 |
| 29Greene County, NC | 59 | 19 | 27.5 | $328K | +1.3% | #773 of 2,394 |
| 30Rowan County, NC | 58 | 278 | 47.2 | $220K | +5.6% | #839 of 2,394 |
| 31Ashe County, NC | 57 | 52 | 42.6 | $228K | +3.5% | #871 of 2,394 |
| 32Sampson County, NC | 57 | 90 | 41.7 | $227K | +4.1% | #872 of 2,394 |
| 33Pender County, NC | 57 | 133 | 52.6 | $217K | +19.0% | #878 of 2,394 |
| 34Duplin County, NC | 56 | 88 | 42.3 | $225K | +6.0% | #922 of 2,394 |
| 35Alleghany County, NC | 55 | 18 | 34.8 | $263K | +5.4% | #950 of 2,394 |
| 36Wayne County, NC | 55 | 219 | 46.1 | $217K | +3.8% | #965 of 2,394 |
| 37Alamance County, NC | 55 | 379 | 54.1 | $193K | +8.5% | #976 of 2,394 |
| 38Caldwell County, NC | 54 | 131 | 39.8 | $244K | +0.7% | #998 of 2,394 |
| 39Bladen County, NC | 54 | 46 | 38.9 | $234K | +1.3% | #1,003 of 2,394 |
| 40Rockingham County, NC | 54 | 191 | 48.2 | $200K | +3.3% | #1,016 of 2,394 |
| 41Gates County, NC | 53 | 8 | 19.1 | $510K | −2.1% | #1,028 of 2,394 |
| 42Washington County, NC | 53 | 14 | 29.5 | $307K | −3.1% | #1,032 of 2,394 |
| 43Lincoln County, NC | 51 | 269 | 73.1 | $160K | +13.2% | #1,152 of 2,394 |
| 44Edgecombe County, NC | 50 | 86 | 43.8 | $217K | +0.7% | #1,170 of 2,394 |
| 45Nash County, NC | 49 | 199 | 51.3 | $200K | +3.9% | #1,226 of 2,394 |
| 46Davie County, NC | 48 | 163 | 94.4 | $120K | +6.9% | #1,310 of 2,394 |
| 47Anson County, NC | 47 | 35 | 40.9 | $215K | −2.1% | #1,322 of 2,394 |
| 48Polk County, NC | 46 | 65 | 72.4 | $149K | +6.0% | #1,387 of 2,394 |
| 49Stanly County, NC | 46 | 183 | 72.5 | $140K | +9.8% | #1,389 of 2,394 |
| 50Gaston County, NC | 45 | 599 | 64.0 | $166K | +7.8% | #1,429 of 2,394 |
| 51Wilson County, NC | 44 | 174 | 52.6 | $185K | +1.7% | #1,470 of 2,394 |
| 52Lee County, NC | 44 | 174 | 69.2 | $148K | +10.8% | #1,499 of 2,394 |
| 53Burke County, NC | 43 | 185 | 51.0 | $193K | +1.6% | #1,520 of 2,394 |
| 54Jackson County, NC | 43 | 113 | 61.3 | $161K | +6.9% | #1,537 of 2,394 |
| 55Moore County, NC | 43 | 329 | 74.8 | $157K | +10.3% | #1,542 of 2,394 |
| 56Wake County, NC | 43 | 4,720 | 102.6 | $130K | +11.2% | #1,555 of 2,394 |
| 57Macon County, NC | 42 | 109 | 59.2 | $171K | +5.8% | #1,588 of 2,394 |
| 58Rutherford County, NC | 42 | 158 | 59.3 | $160K | +2.1% | #1,595 of 2,394 |
| 59McDowell County, NC | 41 | 99 | 53.1 | $183K | +1.5% | #1,620 of 2,394 |
| 60Craven County, NC | 41 | 246 | 57.4 | $180K | +3.5% | #1,621 of 2,394 |
| 61Carteret County, NC | 41 | 203 | 63.5 | $174K | +4.1% | #1,629 of 2,394 |
| 62Transylvania County, NC | 41 | 90 | 61.7 | $171K | +2.9% | #1,633 of 2,394 |
| 63Haywood County, NC | 41 | 167 | 61.6 | $166K | +1.9% | #1,638 of 2,394 |
| 64Columbus County, NC | 40 | 98 | 48.9 | $189K | 0.0% | #1,663 of 2,394 |
| 65Avery County, NC | 40 | 44 | 64.8 | $163K | +1.1% | #1,672 of 2,394 |
| 66Cherokee County, NC | 40 | 86 | 64.9 | $146K | +6.8% | #1,685 of 2,394 |
| 67Cabarrus County, NC | 40 | 963 | 114.3 | $107K | +9.9% | #1,701 of 2,394 |
| 68Martin County, NC | 39 | 44 | 46.3 | $202K | −1.6% | #1,708 of 2,394 |
| 69Catawba County, NC | 39 | 502 | 75.8 | $140K | +5.8% | #1,724 of 2,394 |
| 70Durham County, NC | 38 | 1,973 | 139.1 | $86K | +7.7% | #1,793 of 2,394 |
| 71Iredell County, NC | 37 | 727 | 95.2 | $123K | +12.9% | #1,823 of 2,394 |
| 72Orange County, NC | 37 | 654 | 114.1 | $111K | +6.1% | #1,825 of 2,394 |
| 73Robeson County, NC | 36 | 249 | 57.7 | $152K | +3.4% | #1,849 of 2,394 |
| 74Guilford County, NC | 36 | 1,971 | 89.7 | $121K | +4.4% | #1,870 of 2,394 |
| 75Wilkes County, NC | 35 | 167 | 61.6 | $151K | +0.6% | #1,891 of 2,394 |
| 76Dare County, NC | 35 | 155 | 92.1 | $133K | +3.3% | #1,898 of 2,394 |
| 77Mecklenburg County, NC | 35 | 6,291 | 134.8 | $92K | +10.5% | #1,914 of 2,394 |
| 78Lenoir County, NC | 34 | 131 | 56.1 | $163K | +1.4% | #1,925 of 2,394 |
| 79Cumberland County, NC | 34 | 843 | 65.0 | $156K | +0.4% | #1,929 of 2,394 |
| 80Henderson County, NC | 34 | 443 | 86.7 | $124K | +5.0% | #1,951 of 2,394 |
| 81Forsyth County, NC | 34 | 2,265 | 141.6 | $76K | +5.0% | #1,961 of 2,394 |
| 82Richmond County, NC | 33 | 87 | 51.1 | $175K | −1.6% | #1,968 of 2,394 |
| 83Pitt County, NC | 33 | 646 | 86.7 | $116K | +5.4% | #1,998 of 2,394 |
| 84Cleveland County, NC | 33 | 336 | 86.5 | $114K | +3.4% | #2,002 of 2,394 |
| 85Mitchell County, NC | 32 | 34 | 51.6 | $189K | +1.1% | #2,012 of 2,394 |
| 86New Hanover County, NC | 31 | 1,210 | 115.4 | $99K | +8.6% | #2,071 of 2,394 |
| 87Vance County, NC | 30 | 97 | 60.1 | $157K | +0.2% | #2,082 of 2,394 |
| 88Beaufort County, NC | 28 | 122 | 62.9 | $158K | 0.0% | #2,142 of 2,394 |
| 89Surry County, NC | 26 | 241 | 80.7 | $120K | +1.3% | #2,197 of 2,394 |
| 90Pasquotank County, NC | 24 | 159 | 100.7 | $102K | +4.5% | #2,236 of 2,394 |
| 91Buncombe County, NC | 22 | 1,361 | 133.6 | $84K | +2.9% | #2,268 of 2,394 |
| 92Chowan County, NC | 21 | 58 | 94.6 | $108K | +2.8% | #2,280 of 2,394 |
| 93Halifax County, NC | 19 | 139 | 68.2 | $133K | −3.9% | #2,299 of 2,394 |
| 94Scotland County, NC | 19 | 89 | 70.7 | $128K | −0.3% | #2,300 of 2,394 |
| 95Watauga County, NC | 18 | 228 | 107.6 | $93K | +0.6% | #2,320 of 2,394 |
| 96Hertford County, NC | 9 | 94 | 113.5 | $81K | −11.2% | #2,388 of 2,394 |
| Jones County, NC | Not scored | 9 | 21.8 | $439K | +4.6% | |
| Graham County, NC | Not scored | 9 | 25.5 | $381K | +1.9% | |
| Hyde County, NC | Not scored | 4 | 20.6 | $430K | +1.0% | |
| Tyrrell County, NC | Not scored | 2 | 12.9 | $670K | +9.3% |
Markets with fewer than 5 medical and dental practices on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.
Questions
How many medical and dental practices are in North Carolina?
There are 35,686 medical and dental practices on map listings in North Carolina as of September 2026. 3,557 of them (10%) are chain locations. The listings count every outpatient clinic and practice, and urgent care. Official counts show 12,410 businesses with payroll classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in 2023, up 3.9% from 2019. Official counts also show 8,900 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in North Carolina spend on medical and dental services?
About $4.8B a year, or $1,116 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 35,686 medical and dental practices on map listings, it comes to $134K per practice. It is estimated from the incomes of the 4,282,345 households in North Carolina and national spending patterns by income.
How does North Carolina compare with the U.S. for medical and dental practices?
North Carolina has 83.3 medical and dental practices per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 84.5. Spending per practice is $134K, 12% below the U.S. figure of $152K. At the national ratio of medical and dental practices to household spending, North Carolina would have about 31,334, against 35,686 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 345 households, against one for every 270 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
Which market in North Carolina has the highest market score for medical and dental practices?
Among 16 scored metro areas in or partly in North Carolina, the Jacksonville metro area scores highest, at 77 (high). Among 23 scored small-town markets in or partly in North Carolina, the Anderson Creek area scores highest, at 80 (high). Among 96 scored counties in North Carolina, Currituck County scores highest, at 86 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. North Carolina scores 48 for medical and dental practices (lower middle), #28 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in North Carolina. It maps the medical and dental practices 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.
Doctors, dentists and clinics in other states
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Top markets for medical and dental practices across the U.S. · All business types in North Carolina
Related business types in North Carolina
- Dentists and orthodontists4,737 listings
- Primary care and pediatrics3,079 listings
- Urgent care and walk-in clinics185 listings
- Chiropractors1,741 listings
- Physical therapy2,247 listings
- Optometrists and eye care1,533 listings
Screening a site or an acquisition in North Carolina?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.