Food and drink · Metro area · North Carolina
Coffee shops and cafes in the Wilmington, NC metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for coffee shops and cafes in the Wilmington, NC metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 40 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #278 of 387 scored metro areas
#14 of 15 scored metro areas based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 270
- 94 chain locations (35%)
- Official establishments
- 176
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +39.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $767.4M
- On food away from home · $3,851 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.8M
- 23% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.5
- 23% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 492,772
- +15.9% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in the Wilmington metro area
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 the Wilmington metro area. 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 $3,851 per household (5% below the U.S. average), households in the Wilmington metro area spend about $767.4M a year on food away from home. That is about $2.8M of household spending for each cafe on map listings, 23% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes.
There are 270 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in the Wilmington metro area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 35% of them, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 13.5, 23% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in the Wilmington metro area was 176 in 2023, up 39.7% from 2019. That is one for every 1,132 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. Official counts list 33 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $1.5M have gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in the Wilmington metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Wilmington metro area grew 15.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes in the Wilmington metro area is 40 (lower middle), #278 of 387 scored metro areas and #14 of 15 scored metro areas based in North Carolina.
How the Wilmington metro area 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 | Wilmington metro area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.5 | 9.3 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $2.8M | $4.1M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 1,132 | 1,926 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +39.7% | +41.8% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +15.9% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,851 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $76,471 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 40 | 64 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 176All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +39.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,969
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $35M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 33All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 27094 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 207The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $1.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in the Wilmington metro area, 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 the Wilmington metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 492,772+15.9% since 2020
- Households
- 199,271
- Median age
- 45.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,913 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 237
- Median household income
- $76,471
- Average household income
- $104,427
- Median home value
- $362,400
- Jobs located here
- 180,798
- Daytime population
- 448,307Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Wilmington metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Wilmington metro area. 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 metro areas in North Carolina for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in North Carolina (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Wilmington metro area marked.
Top metro areas in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 74 | 937 | 8.7 | $4.7M | +10.1% | #30 of 387 |
| 2Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 74 | 238 | 9.6 | $4.4M | +7.5% | #32 of 387 |
| 3Raleigh-Cary, NC | 71 | 596 | 10.4 | $4.3M | +12.6% | #39 of 387 |
| 4Winston-Salem, NC | 70 | 212 | 7.5 | $4.7M | +5.3% | #42 of 387 |
| 5Rocky Mount, NC | 65 | 39 | 6.7 | $5M | +2.8% | #76 of 387 |
| 6Greensboro-High Point, NC | 65 | 239 | 7.5 | $4.7M | +4.1% | #77 of 387 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | 65 | 615 | 8.7 | $4.6M | +0.9% | #78 of 387 |
| 7Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC | 60 | 47 | 10.7 | $3.8M | +10.3% | #114 of 387 |
| 8Burlington, NC | 59 | 57 | 8.1 | $4.3M | +8.5% | #120 of 387 |
| 9Goldsboro, NC | 59 | 38 | 8.0 | $4.1M | +3.8% | #123 of 387 |
| 14Wilmington, NC | 40 | 270 | 13.5 | $2.8M | +15.9% | #278 of 387 |
Other business types in the Wilmington metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes39
- Sit-down restaurants42
- Fast food and sandwich shops53
- Pizza62
- Coffee shops and cafes40
- Bakeries and dessert shops41
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 the Wilmington, NC metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 270 coffee shops and cafes in the Wilmington metro area. 94 of them (35%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 176 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 39.7% from 2019. 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 33 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Wilmington, NC metro area spend on food away from home?
About $767.4M a year, or $3,851 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 270 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $2.8M 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 199,271 households in the Wilmington metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Wilmington, NC metro area compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
The Wilmington metro area has 13.5 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 23% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $2.8M, 23% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, the Wilmington metro area would have about 207, against 270 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,132 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 39.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.
How fast is the Wilmington, NC metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Wilmington metro area at 492,772 people in 2025, up 15.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 199,271 households. Median household income in the Wilmington metro area is $76,471, 5% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. The Wilmington metro area scores 40 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #278 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Wilmington metro area. 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 the Wilmington metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Wilmington metro area?
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 the Wilmington metro area. 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.