Food and drink · County · North Carolina
Coffee shops and cafes in Carteret County, NC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for coffee shops and cafes in Carteret County, NC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 35 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,591 of 2,063 scored counties
#77 of 87 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 47
- 10 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 29
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Household spending a year
- $119.7M
- On food away from home · $3,745 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.5M
- 31% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.7
- 34% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 70,469
- +4.1% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Carteret County
The site report maps the coffee shops and cafes 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 Carteret 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
Carteret County scores 35 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes, ranking #1,591 of 2,063 scored counties and #77 of 87 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $3,745 per household (8% below the U.S. average), households in Carteret County spend about $119.7M a year on food away from home. That works out to $2.5M per cafe, 31% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes.
Carteret County has 47 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 10 are chain locations, or 21%, against 39% across the U.S. That comes to 14.7 for every 10,000 households, 34% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Carteret County was 29 in 2023. That is one for every 1,103 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes. Population estimates put the population change in Carteret County from 2020 to 2025 at +4.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Carteret County compares
The same measures for North Carolina and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the coffee shops and cafes 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 | Carteret County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.7 | 9.3 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $2.5M | $4.1M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 1,103 | 1,926 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +41.8% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.1% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,745 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $72,322 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 35 | 64 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 18 → 29All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Employees, 2023
- 249
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4710 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 32The 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 snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Carteret 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. These official figures cover all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, not only coffee shops and cafes.
Population and households in Carteret County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 70,469+4.1% since 2020
- Households
- 31,977
- Median age
- 49.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 508 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 136
- Median household income
- $72,322+26.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $99,351
- Median home value
- $333,300
- Jobs located here
- 23,748
- Daytime population
- 65,592Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Carteret 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 coffee shops and cafes on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Carteret County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardCoffee shops and cafes across North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Carteret County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Chatham County, NC | 93 | 24 | 7.3 | $6.2M | +11.0% | #11 of 2,063 |
| 2Franklin County, NC | 89 | 14 | 4.9 | $7.5M | +18.8% | #24 of 2,063 |
| 3Davie County, NC | 88 | 9 | 5.2 | $7.4M | +6.9% | #29 of 2,063 |
| 4Hoke County, NC | 82 | 10 | 5.2 | $6.7M | +9.0% | #77 of 2,063 |
| 5Johnston County, NC | 82 | 59 | 6.9 | $5.7M | +17.9% | #84 of 2,063 |
| 6Harnett County, NC | 80 | 36 | 7.2 | $5M | +12.3% | #111 of 2,063 |
| 7Davidson County, NC | 79 | 38 | 5.4 | $6.3M | +6.6% | #117 of 2,063 |
| 8Gaston County, NC | 79 | 61 | 6.5 | $5.5M | +7.8% | #120 of 2,063 |
| 9Granville County, NC | 78 | 8 | 3.6 | $10.3M | +2.1% | #127 of 2,063 |
| 10Union County, NC | 78 | 59 | 7.0 | $6.6M | +11.7% | #133 of 2,063 |
| 77Carteret County, NC | 35 | 47 | 14.7 | $2.5M | +4.1% | #1,591 of 2,063 |
Other business types in Carteret County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes31
- Sit-down restaurants32
- Fast food and sandwich shops43
- Pizza50
- Coffee shops and cafes35
- Bakeries and dessert shops33
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 coffee shops and cafes are in Carteret County, NC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 47 coffee shops and cafes in Carteret County. 10 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 29 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023. The official count takes in all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, not only coffee shops and cafes: bakeries and dessert shops are counted too. Official counts also show 3 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Carteret County, NC spend on food away from home?
About $119.7M a year, or $3,745 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 47 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $2.5M per cafe. That spending covers all food away from home, which coffee shops and cafes share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 31,977 households in Carteret County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Carteret County, NC compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Carteret County has 14.7 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 34% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $2.5M, 31% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Carteret County would have about 32, against 47 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,103 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.
How fast is Carteret County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Carteret County at 70,469 people in 2025, up 4.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 31,977 households. Median household income in Carteret County is $72,322, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.5%, 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. Carteret County scores 35 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #1,591 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Carteret County. It maps the coffee shops and cafes 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 coffee shops and cafes · All 56 business types in Carteret County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Carteret 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 Carteret 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.