Food and drink · Small-town market · North Carolina
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Morehead City, NC area
The fast food and sandwich shops in the Morehead City, NC area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 50 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #279 of 537 scored small-town markets
#8 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 55
- 43 chain locations (78%)
- Official establishments
- 66
- All limited-service restaurants · +1.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $119.7M
- On food away from home · $3,745 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.2M
- 29% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 17.2
- 29% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 70,469
- +4.1% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Morehead City area
The site report maps the fast food and sandwich shops 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 Morehead City 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
Households in the Morehead City area spend about $119.7M a year on food away from home, or $3,745 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. That works out to $2.2M per shop, 29% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
There are 55 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in the Morehead City area as of September 2026. 43 of them (78%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 17.2 for every 10,000 households, 29% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in the Morehead City area was 66 in 2023, up 1.5% from 2019. That is one for every 485 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Another 7 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $200K have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Morehead City area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Morehead City area grew 4.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For fast food and sandwich shops, the Morehead City area has a Groundwork market score of 50 (upper middle): #279 of 537 scored small-town markets and #8 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina.
How the Morehead City 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 fast food and sandwich shops 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 | Morehead City area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 17.2 | 13.4 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.2M | $2.8M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 485 | 504 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.5% | +4.7% | +6.1% |
| 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 | 50 | 47 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 66All limited-service restaurants · +1.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,200
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $26.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5543 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 39The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $200K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Morehead City 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 limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
Population and households in the Morehead City area
- 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 the Morehead City area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the fast food and sandwich shops on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Morehead City area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardFast food and sandwich shops across North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in North Carolina for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with the Morehead City area marked.
Top small-town markets in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Anderson Creek, NC | 76 | 50 | 10.0 | $3.6M | +12.3% | #50 of 537 |
| 2Brevard, NC | 63 | 17 | 11.7 | $3M | +2.9% | #150 of 537 |
| 3Forest City, NC | 57 | 29 | 10.9 | $2.8M | +2.1% | #214 of 537 |
| 4Washington, NC | 55 | 19 | 9.8 | $3.4M | 0.0% | #226 of 537 |
| 5New Bern, NC | 52 | 70 | 13.3 | $2.6M | +3.6% | #259 of 537 |
| 6Albemarle, NC | 52 | 35 | 13.9 | $2.4M | +9.8% | #263 of 537 |
| 7North Wilkesboro, NC | 51 | 30 | 11.1 | $2.7M | +0.6% | #273 of 537 |
| 8Morehead City, NC | 50 | 55 | 17.2 | $2.2M | +4.1% | #279 of 537 |
| 9Shelby-Kings Mountain, NC | 46 | 53 | 13.6 | $2.4M | +3.4% | #313 of 537 |
| 10Waynesville, NC | 45 | 39 | 14.4 | $2.4M | +1.9% | #321 of 537 |
Other business types in the Morehead City area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes37
- Sit-down restaurants38
- Fast food and sandwich shops50
- Pizza56
- Coffee shops and cafes42
- Bakeries and dessert shops39
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 fast food and sandwich shops are in the Morehead City, NC area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 55 fast food and sandwich shops in the Morehead City area. 43 of them (78%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 66 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 1.5% from 2019. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Official counts list 7 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Morehead City, NC area 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 55 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.2M per shop. That spending covers all food away from home, which fast food and sandwich shops share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 31,977 households in the Morehead City area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Morehead City, NC area compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
The Morehead City area has 17.2 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 29% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.2M, 29% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Morehead City area would have about 39, against 55 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 485 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Morehead City, NC area growing?
Population estimates put the Morehead City area 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 the Morehead City area 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Morehead City area scores 50 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #279 of 537 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Morehead City area. It maps the fast food and sandwich shops 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 fast food and sandwich shops · All 56 business types in the Morehead City area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Morehead City 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 Morehead City 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.