Real estate · County · North Carolina
Real estate businesses in Watauga County, NC
The real estate businesses 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 #2,224 of 2,229 scored counties
#90 of 90 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 118
- 2 chain locations (2%)
- Official establishments
- 121
- +19.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $291.1M
- On rent and homeowner costs · $13,733 a household
- Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)
- 57
- 43% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 55.7
- 45% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 54,786
- +0.6% since 2020
See the real estate businesses around any address in Watauga County
The site report maps the real estate businesses 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
For real estate businesses, Watauga County has a Groundwork market score of 17 (low): #2,224 of 2,229 scored counties and #90 of 90 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on rent and homeowner costs in Watauga County comes to about $291.1M a year: $13,733 per household, 18% below the U.S. average. Housing spending per office is 43% below the U.S. figure. The spending figure is all rent and homeowner costs, a measure of housing demand, not money real estate businesses take in.
Watauga County has 118 real estate businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 2 of them (2%) are chain locations, against 6% across the U.S. That comes to 55.7 for every 10,000 households, 45% above the U.S. rate of 38.5.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Watauga County was 121 in 2023, up 19.8% from 2019. That is one for every 175 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Watauga County grew 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 | 55.7 | 37.8 | 38.5 |
| Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | 57 | 92 | 100 |
| Households per official establishment | 175 | 378 | 414 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +19.8% | +20.8% | +15.8% |
| 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 | 40 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 101 → 121+19.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 496
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $23.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 424Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1182 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 67The 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 real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors 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 businesses 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 across North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for real estate businesses, 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 | 78 | 17 | 8.2 | 374 | +6.0% | #52 of 2,229 |
| 2Perquimans County, NC | 76 | 5 | 8.9 | 369 | +3.6% | #80 of 2,229 |
| 3Camden County, NC | 76 | 6 | 15.0 | 244 | +8.8% | #90 of 2,229 |
| 4Yadkin County, NC | 75 | 11 | 7.3 | 445 | +2.9% | #95 of 2,229 |
| 5Hoke County, NC | 75 | 24 | 12.5 | 264 | +9.0% | #106 of 2,229 |
| 6Franklin County, NC | 75 | 37 | 13.0 | 263 | +18.8% | #108 of 2,229 |
| 7Sampson County, NC | 71 | 21 | 9.7 | 312 | +4.1% | #182 of 2,229 |
| 8Person County, NC | 71 | 20 | 12.5 | 264 | +3.7% | #187 of 2,229 |
| 9Davidson County, NC | 70 | 100 | 14.3 | 229 | +6.6% | #208 of 2,229 |
| 10Rowan County, NC | 67 | 75 | 12.7 | 259 | +5.6% | #298 of 2,229 |
| 90Watauga County, NC | 17 | 118 | 55.7 | 57 | +0.6% | #2,224 of 2,229 |
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
Funeral services
Questions
How many real estate businesses are in Watauga County, NC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 118 real estate businesses in Watauga County. 2 of them (2%) are chain locations. The listings count real estate agents and brokers, property managers, mortgage brokers and lenders, and home inspectors. Official counts show 121 businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in 2023, up 19.8% from 2019. Official counts list 424 one-person businesses without payroll.
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 118 real estate businesses on map listings, housing spending per office is 43% 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 businesses 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 businesses?
Watauga County has 55.7 real estate businesses per 10,000 households, 45% above the U.S. rate of 38.5. The index of housing spending per office is 57, where 100 is the U.S. At the U.S. ratio of real estate businesses to household spending, Watauga County would have about 67, against 118 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 175 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. The official count rose 19.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +15.8% 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 businesses (low), #2,224 of 2,229 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 businesses 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 businesses · 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.