Health care · County · North Carolina
Medical and dental practices in Buncombe County, NC
How Buncombe County, NC compares with other counties and the U.S. for medical and dental practices: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 22 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,268 of 2,394 scored counties
#91 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 1,361
- 112 chain locations (8%)
- Official establishments
- 657
- +19.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $115M
- On medical and dental services · $1,129 a household
- Spending per listing
- $84K
- 45% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 133.6
- 58% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 277,417
- +2.9% since 2020
See the medical and dental practices around any address in Buncombe County
The site report maps the medical and dental practices 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
The Groundwork market score for medical and dental practices in Buncombe County is 22 (low), #2,268 of 2,394 scored counties and #91 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Buncombe County spend about $115M a year on medical and dental services, or $1,129 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. That works out to $84K per practice, 45% below the U.S. figure of $152K.
Buncombe County has 1,361 medical and dental practices on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 112 are chain locations, or 8%, against 11% across the U.S. That is 133.6 per 10,000 households, 58% above the U.S. rate of 84.5.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in Buncombe County was 657 in 2023, up 19.9% from 2019. That is one for every 155 households, against one for every 270 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $7.9M have gone to businesses classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in Buncombe County. Population estimates put the population change in Buncombe County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.9%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
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 medical and dental services by the medical and dental practices 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 | 133.6 | 83.3 | 84.5 |
| Spending per listing | $84K | $134K | $152K |
| Households per official establishment | 155 | 345 | 270 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +19.9% | +3.9% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.9% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on medical and dental services | $1,129 | $1,116 | $1,288 |
| Median household income | $74,436 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 22 | 48 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 548 → 657+19.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 10,777
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $819.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 430Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,361112 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 754The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $7.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers 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 medical and dental practices 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 cardDoctors, dentists and clinics across North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for medical and dental practices, 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 | 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 |
| 91Buncombe County, NC | 22 | 1,361 | 133.6 | $84K | +2.9% | #2,268 of 2,394 |
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
- Doctors, dentists and clinics22
- Dentists and orthodontists26
- Primary care and pediatrics26
- Urgent care and walk-in clinics42
- Chiropractors26
- Physical therapy21
- Optometrists and eye care32
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many medical and dental practices are in Buncombe County, NC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,361 medical and dental practices in Buncombe County. 112 of them (8%) are chain locations. The listings count every outpatient clinic and practice, and urgent care. Official counts show 657 businesses with payroll classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in 2023, up 19.9% from 2019. Official counts also show 430 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Buncombe County, NC spend on medical and dental services?
About $115M a year, or $1,129 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,361 medical and dental practices on map listings, it comes to $84K per practice. 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 medical and dental practices?
Buncombe County has 133.6 medical and dental practices per 10,000 households, 58% above the U.S. rate of 84.5. Spending per practice is $84K, 45% below the U.S. figure of $152K. At the U.S. ratio of medical and dental practices to household spending, Buncombe County would have about 754, against 1,361 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 155 households, against one for every 270 across the U.S. The official count rose 19.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% 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 22 for medical and dental practices (low), #2,268 of 2,394 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 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.
How the score works · Top markets for medical and dental practices · 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.