Groundwork

Real estate · County · North Carolina

Mortgage brokers and lenders in Buncombe County, NC

The mortgage brokers and lenders in Buncombe County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 30 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #782 of 887 scored counties
#35 of 38 scored counties in North Carolina

Listings
58
12 chain locations (21%)
Official establishments
31
+19.2% since 2019
Household spending a year
$1.6B
On rent and homeowner costs · $15,301 a household
Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)
69
31% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
5.7
33% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
277,417
+2.9% since 2020

See the mortgage brokers and lenders around any address in Buncombe County

The site report maps the mortgage brokers and lenders 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.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Buncombe County scores 30 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for mortgage brokers and lenders, ranking #782 of 887 scored counties and #35 of 38 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

As of September 2026, map listings count 58 mortgage brokers and lenders in Buncombe County. 12 of them (21%) are chain locations, against 21% across the U.S. That comes to 5.7 for every 10,000 households, 33% above the U.S. rate of 4.3.

Household spending on rent and homeowner costs in Buncombe County comes to about $1.6B a year: $15,301 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. Housing spending per office is 31% below the U.S. figure. That figure is all rent and homeowner costs, used as a measure of housing demand; it is not money mortgage brokers and lenders take in.

Official counts show 31 businesses with payroll classed as mortgage brokers and real estate lenders in Buncombe County in 2023, up 19.2% from 2019. That is one for every 3,286 households, against one for every 4,897 across the U.S. Population estimates show Buncombe County grew 2.9% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Buncombe County compares

The same measures for North Carolina and the whole U.S. Housing spending per listing divides all rent and homeowner costs by the listings counted: a measure of housing demand for each business, not money any of them take in, so it is shown against the U.S. (100) only. Households per establishment divides households by the official count.

Mortgage brokers and lenders in Buncombe County, NC compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureBuncombe CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households5.74.14.3
Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)6995100
Households per official establishment3,2865,4694,897
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+19.2%+19.9%+9.5%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.9%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on rent and homeowner costs$15,301$15,139$16,661
Median household income$74,436$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score3047

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
26 → 31+19.2% over the period
Employees, 2023
153
Annual payroll, 2023
$8.7M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
5812 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
40The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
0
Amount
$0

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mortgage brokers and real estate lenders 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 mortgage brokers and lenders 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.

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Mortgage brokers and lenders across North Carolina

Every North Carolina market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for mortgage brokers and lenders, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Buncombe County marked.

Top counties in North Carolina

Counties in North Carolina ranked for mortgage brokers and lenders by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsHousing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)Population growthU.S. rank
1Cabarrus County, NC85172.0208+9.9%#8 of 887
2Johnston County, NC82151.8227+17.9%#22 of 887
3Union County, NC81161.9236+11.7%#26 of 887
4Lincoln County, NC7861.6248+13.2%#42 of 887
5Gaston County, NC76181.9194+7.8%#61 of 887
6Iredell County, NC75212.8147+12.9%#69 of 887
7Davidson County, NC71111.6231+6.6%#103 of 887
8Forsyth County, NC71372.3162+5.0%#107 of 887
9Durham County, NC70402.8146+7.7%#124 of 887
10Randolph County, NC6791.6226+3.5%#144 of 887
35Buncombe County, NC30585.769+2.9%#782 of 887

Other business types in Buncombe County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many mortgage brokers and lenders are in Buncombe County, NC?

Buncombe County has 58 mortgage brokers and lenders on map listings as of September 2026. 12 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count mortgage brokers and mortgage lenders. Official counts show 31 businesses with payroll classed as mortgage brokers and real estate lenders in 2023, up 19.2% from 2019.

How much do households in Buncombe County, NC spend on rent and homeowner costs?

About $1.6B a year, or $15,301 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). For the 58 mortgage brokers and lenders on map listings, housing spending per office is 31% below the U.S. figure. The spending figure is all rent and homeowner costs, a measure of housing demand, not money mortgage brokers and lenders take in. 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 mortgage brokers and lenders?

Buncombe County has 5.7 mortgage brokers and lenders per 10,000 households, 33% above the U.S. rate of 4.3. The index of housing spending per office is 69, where 100 is the U.S. At the national ratio of mortgage brokers and lenders to household spending, Buncombe County would have about 40, against 58 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,286 households, against one for every 4,897 across the U.S. The official count rose 19.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +9.5% 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 30 for mortgage brokers and lenders (lower middle), #782 of 887 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 mortgage brokers and lenders 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 mortgage brokers and lenders · 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.