Real estate · County · North Carolina
Mortgage brokers and lenders in Watauga County, NC
How Watauga County, NC compares with other counties and the U.S. for mortgage brokers and lenders: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 51 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #413 of 887 scored counties
#23 of 38 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 5
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 3
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $291.1M
- On rent and homeowner costs · $13,733 a household
- Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)
- 149
- 49% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 2.4
- 44% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 54,786
- +0.6% since 2020
See the mortgage brokers and lenders around any address in Watauga 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 Watauga 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
At $13,733 per household (18% below the U.S. average), households in Watauga County spend about $291.1M a year on rent and homeowner costs. Housing spending per office is 49% above 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.
There are 5 mortgage brokers and lenders on map listings in Watauga County as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 21% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 2.4, 44% below the U.S. rate of 4.3.
Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as mortgage brokers and real estate lenders in Watauga County in 2023. That is one for every 7,066 households, against one for every 4,897 across the U.S.
Population estimates show Watauga County grew 0.6% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Watauga County scores 51 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for mortgage brokers and lenders, ranking #413 of 887 scored counties and #23 of 38 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Watauga 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.
| Measure | Watauga County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 2.4 | 4.1 | 4.3 |
| Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | 149 | 95 | 100 |
| Households per official establishment | 7,066 | 5,469 | 4,897 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +19.9% | +9.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.6% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on rent and homeowner costs | $13,733 | $15,139 | $16,661 |
| Median household income | $51,693 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 51 | 47 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3 → 3
- Employees, 2023
- 5
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $383K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 50 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 8The 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 Watauga 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 Watauga County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 54,786+0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 21,198
- Median age
- 35.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 312 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 176
- Median household income
- $51,693+8.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $83,665
- Median home value
- $358,900
- Jobs located here
- 24,062
- Daytime population
- 59,737Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Watauga 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 Watauga County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardMortgage 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 Watauga County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Cabarrus County, NC | 85 | 17 | 2.0 | 208 | +9.9% | #8 of 887 |
| 2Johnston County, NC | 82 | 15 | 1.8 | 227 | +17.9% | #22 of 887 |
| 3Union County, NC | 81 | 16 | 1.9 | 236 | +11.7% | #26 of 887 |
| 4Lincoln County, NC | 78 | 6 | 1.6 | 248 | +13.2% | #42 of 887 |
| 5Gaston County, NC | 76 | 18 | 1.9 | 194 | +7.8% | #61 of 887 |
| 6Iredell County, NC | 75 | 21 | 2.8 | 147 | +12.9% | #69 of 887 |
| 7Davidson County, NC | 71 | 11 | 1.6 | 231 | +6.6% | #103 of 887 |
| 8Forsyth County, NC | 71 | 37 | 2.3 | 162 | +5.0% | #107 of 887 |
| 9Durham County, NC | 70 | 40 | 2.8 | 146 | +7.7% | #124 of 887 |
| 10Randolph County, NC | 67 | 9 | 1.6 | 226 | +3.5% | #144 of 887 |
| 23Watauga County, NC | 51 | 5 | 2.4 | 149 | +0.6% | #413 of 887 |
Other business types in Watauga 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
- Real estate17
- Real estate agents and brokers17
- Property management11
- Mortgage brokers and lenders51
- Home inspectors
Funeral services
Questions
How many mortgage brokers and lenders are in Watauga County, NC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 5 mortgage brokers and lenders in Watauga County. None of them are chain locations. The listings count mortgage brokers and mortgage lenders. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as mortgage brokers and real estate lenders in 2023.
How much do households in Watauga County, NC spend on rent and homeowner costs?
About $291.1M a year, or $13,733 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). For the 5 mortgage brokers and lenders on map listings, housing spending per office is 49% above 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. It is estimated from the incomes of the 21,198 households in Watauga County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Watauga County, NC compare with the U.S. for mortgage brokers and lenders?
Watauga County has 2.4 mortgage brokers and lenders per 10,000 households, 44% below the U.S. rate of 4.3. The index of housing spending per office is 149, where 100 is the U.S. At the U.S. ratio of mortgage brokers and lenders to household spending, Watauga County would have about 8, against 5 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 7,066 households, against one for every 4,897 across the U.S.
How fast is Watauga County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Watauga County at 54,786 people in 2025, up 0.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 21,198 households. Median household income in Watauga County is $51,693, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 8.8%, 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. Watauga County scores 51 for mortgage brokers and lenders (upper middle), #413 of 887 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Watauga 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 Watauga County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Watauga 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 Watauga 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.