Pets · County · North Carolina
Veterinarians in Watauga County, NC
The veterinarians in Watauga County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 23 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,330 of 1,485 scored counties
#61 of 63 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 11
- 1 chain location (9%)
- Official establishments
- 12
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $16.6M
- On pets · $785 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.5M
- 44% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.2
- 58% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 54,786
- +0.6% since 2020
See the veterinarians around any address in Watauga County
The site report maps the veterinarians 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
The Groundwork market score for veterinarians in Watauga County is 23 (low), #1,330 of 1,485 scored counties and #61 of 63 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Watauga County spend about $16.6M a year on pets, or $785 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. That is about $1.5M of household spending for each clinic on map listings, 44% below the U.S. figure of $2.7M. The spending figure covers all pets, not only veterinarians.
Watauga County has 11 veterinarians on map listings as of September 2026. One of them (9%) is a chain location, against 19% across the U.S. That is 5.2 per 10,000 households, 58% above the U.S. rate of 3.3.
Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as veterinary services in Watauga County in 2023. That is one for every 1,767 households, against one for every 3,767 across the U.S. Population estimates show Watauga County grew 0.6% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Watauga County compares
The same measures for North Carolina and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all pets by the veterinarians 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 | Watauga County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.2 | 3.5 | 3.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.5M | $2.6M | $2.7M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,767 | 3,502 | 3,767 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +10.3% | +6.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.6% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $785 | $899 | $909 |
| Median household income | $51,693 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 23 | 56 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 10 → 12
- Employees, 2023
- 155
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 111 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 6The 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 veterinary services 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 veterinarians 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 cardVeterinarians across North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for veterinarians, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Watauga County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Brunswick County, NC | 89 | 15 | 2.2 | $4.2M | +26.5% | #17 of 1,485 |
| 2Harnett County, NC | 88 | 7 | 1.4 | $6.1M | +12.3% | #18 of 1,485 |
| 3Lincoln County, NC | 87 | 9 | 2.4 | $3.9M | +13.2% | #28 of 1,485 |
| 4Johnston County, NC | 81 | 23 | 2.7 | $3.5M | +17.9% | #74 of 1,485 |
| 5Davidson County, NC | 80 | 17 | 2.4 | $3.3M | +6.6% | #92 of 1,485 |
| 6Union County, NC | 80 | 30 | 3.6 | $3.1M | +11.7% | #96 of 1,485 |
| 7Nash County, NC | 76 | 8 | 2.1 | $3.9M | +3.9% | #142 of 1,485 |
| 8Franklin County, NC | 76 | 9 | 3.2 | $2.7M | +18.8% | #156 of 1,485 |
| 9Mecklenburg County, NC | 76 | 179 | 3.8 | $2.7M | +10.5% | #161 of 1,485 |
| 10Rowan County, NC | 75 | 17 | 2.9 | $2.8M | +5.6% | #185 of 1,485 |
| 61Watauga County, NC | 23 | 11 | 5.2 | $1.5M | +0.6% | #1,330 of 1,485 |
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
Pets
- Pet businesses31
- Veterinarians23
- Pet grooming and boarding42
- Pet stores26
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many veterinarians are in Watauga County, NC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 11 veterinarians in Watauga County. One of them (9%) is a chain location. The listings count veterinary clinics and animal hospitals. Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as veterinary services in 2023.
How much do households in Watauga County, NC spend on pets?
About $16.6M a year, or $785 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 11 veterinarians on map listings, it comes to $1.5M per clinic. That spending covers all pets, which veterinarians share with other businesses in the trade. 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 veterinarians?
Watauga County has 5.2 veterinarians per 10,000 households, 58% above the U.S. rate of 3.3. Spending per clinic is $1.5M, 44% below the U.S. figure of $2.7M. At the U.S. ratio of veterinarians to household spending, Watauga County would have about 6, against 11 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,767 households, against one for every 3,767 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 23 for veterinarians (low), #1,330 of 1,485 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 veterinarians 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 veterinarians · 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.