Health care · County · North Carolina
Medical and dental practices in Dare County, NC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for medical and dental practices in Dare County, NC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 35 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,898 of 2,394 scored counties
#76 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 155
- 14 chain locations (9%)
- Official establishments
- 61
- −1.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $20.7M
- On medical and dental services · $1,227 a household
- Spending per listing
- $133K
- 13% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 92.1
- 9% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 38,245
- +3.3% since 2020
See the medical and dental practices around any address in Dare 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 Dare 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
For medical and dental practices, Dare County has a Groundwork market score of 35 (lower middle): #1,898 of 2,394 scored counties and #76 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 155 medical and dental practices in Dare County. Chain locations make up 9% of them, against 11% across the U.S. That comes to 92.1 for every 10,000 households, 9% above the U.S. rate of 84.5.
Household spending on medical and dental services in Dare County comes to about $20.7M a year: $1,227 per household, 5% below the U.S. average. Spread across 155 medical and dental practices, that is $133K per practice, 13% below the U.S. figure of $152K.
In 2023, official counts showed 61 businesses with payroll in Dare County classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers, down 1.6% from 2019. That is one for every 276 households, against one for every 270 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $618K has gone to businesses classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in Dare County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Dare County grew 3.3%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Dare 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 | Dare County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 92.1 | 83.3 | 84.5 |
| Spending per listing | $133K | $134K | $152K |
| Households per official establishment | 276 | 345 | 270 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −1.6% | +3.9% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.3% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on medical and dental services | $1,227 | $1,116 | $1,288 |
| Median household income | $88,994 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 35 | 48 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 62 → 61−1.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 282
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $33M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 30Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 15514 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 136The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $618K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in Dare 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 Dare County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 38,245+3.3% since 2020
- Households
- 16,836
- Median age
- 49.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 383 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 99
- Median household income
- $88,994+49.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $129,955
- Median home value
- $460,400
- Jobs located here
- 17,198
- Daytime population
- 38,549Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dare 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 Dare 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 Dare 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 |
| 76Dare County, NC | 35 | 155 | 92.1 | $133K | +3.3% | #1,898 of 2,394 |
Other business types in Dare 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 clinics35
- Dentists and orthodontists44
- Primary care and pediatrics42
- Urgent care and walk-in clinics
- Chiropractors61
- Physical therapy46
- Optometrists and eye care61
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many medical and dental practices are in Dare County, NC?
There are 155 medical and dental practices on map listings in Dare County as of September 2026. 14 of them (9%) are chain locations. The listings count every outpatient clinic and practice, and urgent care. Official counts show 61 businesses with payroll classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in 2023, down 1.6% from 2019. Official counts list 30 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Dare County, NC spend on medical and dental services?
About $20.7M a year, or $1,227 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 155 medical and dental practices on map listings, it comes to $133K per practice. It is estimated from the incomes of the 16,836 households in Dare County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dare County, NC compare with the U.S. for medical and dental practices?
Dare County has 92.1 medical and dental practices per 10,000 households, 9% above the U.S. rate of 84.5. Spending per practice is $133K, 13% below the U.S. figure of $152K. At the national ratio of medical and dental practices to household spending, Dare County would have about 136, against 155 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 276 households, against one for every 270 across the U.S. The official count fell 1.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Dare County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Dare County at 38,245 people in 2025, up 3.3% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 16,836 households. Median household income in Dare County is $88,994, 10% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 49.9%, 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. Dare County scores 35 for medical and dental practices (lower middle), #1,898 of 2,394 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dare 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 Dare County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dare 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 Dare 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.