Real estate · County · North Carolina
Real estate agents and brokers in Watauga County, NC
The real estate agents and brokers in Watauga County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 17 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,174 of 2,176 scored counties
#88 of 88 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 98
- 2 chain locations (2%)
- Official establishments
- 77
- +24.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $291.1M
- On rent and homeowner costs · $13,733 a household
- Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)
- 54
- 46% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 46.2
- 51% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 54,786
- +0.6% since 2020
See the real estate agents and brokers around any address in Watauga County
The site report maps the real estate agents and brokers 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
Watauga County scores 17 (low) on the Groundwork market score for real estate agents and brokers, ranking #2,174 of 2,176 scored counties and #88 of 88 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Watauga County spend about $291.1M a year on rent and homeowner costs, or $13,733 per household, 18% below the U.S. average. Housing spending per office is 46% below the U.S. figure. The spending figure is all rent and homeowner costs, a measure of housing demand, not money real estate agents and brokers take in.
There are 98 real estate agents and brokers on map listings in Watauga County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 2% of them, against 4% across the U.S. That comes to 46.2 for every 10,000 households, 51% above the U.S. rate of 30.6.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as offices of real estate agents and brokers in Watauga County was 77 in 2023, up 24.2% from 2019. That is one for every 275 households, against one for every 788 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in Watauga County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
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 | 46.2 | 30.2 | 30.6 |
| Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | 54 | 92 | 100 |
| Households per official establishment | 275 | 622 | 788 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +24.2% | +29.9% | +20.1% |
| 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 | 17 | 39 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 62 → 77+24.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 192
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 982 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 53The 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 offices of real estate agents and brokers 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 real estate agents and brokers 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 cardReal estate agents and brokers across North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for real estate agents and brokers, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Duplin County, NC | 79 | 14 | 6.7 | 361 | +6.0% | #38 of 2,176 |
| 2Franklin County, NC | 76 | 32 | 11.2 | 241 | +18.8% | #73 of 2,176 |
| 3Hoke County, NC | 74 | 18 | 9.3 | 279 | +9.0% | #104 of 2,176 |
| 4Person County, NC | 74 | 16 | 10.0 | 263 | +3.7% | #107 of 2,176 |
| 5Harnett County, NC | 72 | 59 | 11.8 | 226 | +12.3% | #156 of 2,176 |
| 6Sampson County, NC | 71 | 19 | 8.8 | 274 | +4.1% | #174 of 2,176 |
| 7Davidson County, NC | 71 | 76 | 10.9 | 240 | +6.6% | #179 of 2,176 |
| 8Granville County, NC | 68 | 21 | 9.3 | 290 | +2.1% | #261 of 2,176 |
| 9Robeson County, NC | 68 | 36 | 8.3 | 271 | +3.4% | #265 of 2,176 |
| 10Alexander County, NC | 67 | 10 | 7.1 | 359 | +1.5% | #293 of 2,176 |
| 88Watauga County, NC | 17 | 98 | 46.2 | 54 | +0.6% | #2,174 of 2,176 |
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 real estate agents and brokers are in Watauga County, NC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 98 real estate agents and brokers in Watauga County. 2 of them (2%) are chain locations. The listings count real estate agents and brokerages, commercial brokers included. Official counts show 77 businesses with payroll classed as offices of real estate agents and brokers in 2023, up 24.2% from 2019.
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 98 real estate agents and brokers on map listings, housing spending per office is 46% below the U.S. figure. That figure is all rent and homeowner costs, used as a measure of housing demand; it is not money real estate agents and brokers 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 real estate agents and brokers?
Watauga County has 46.2 real estate agents and brokers per 10,000 households, 51% above the U.S. rate of 30.6. The index of housing spending per office is 54, where 100 is the U.S. At the U.S. ratio of real estate agents and brokers to household spending, Watauga County would have about 53, against 98 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 275 households, against one for every 788 across the U.S. The official count rose 24.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +20.1% for 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 17 for real estate agents and brokers (low), #2,174 of 2,176 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 real estate agents and brokers 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 real estate agents and brokers · 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.