Food and drink · Metro area · North Carolina
Fast food and sandwich shops in the Wilmington, NC metro area
The fast food and sandwich shops in the Wilmington, NC metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 53 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #182 of 387 scored metro areas
#6 of 15 scored metro areas based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 312
- 238 chain locations (76%)
- Official establishments
- 407
- All limited-service restaurants · +10.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $767.4M
- On food away from home · $3,851 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.5M
- 19% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.7
- 18% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 492,772
- +15.9% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in the Wilmington metro 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 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 $2.5M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 19% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
The Wilmington metro area has 312 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 76% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 15.7 for every 10,000 households, 18% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in the Wilmington metro area was 407 in 2023, up 10.3% from 2019. That is one for every 490 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 40 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 15 SBA-backed loans worth $6.9M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in the Wilmington metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Wilmington metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +15.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For fast food and sandwich shops, the Wilmington metro area has a Groundwork market score of 53 (upper middle): #182 of 387 scored metro areas and #6 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 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 | Wilmington metro area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.7 | 13.4 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.5M | $2.8M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 490 | 504 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +10.3% | +4.7% | +6.1% |
| 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 | 53 | 47 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 407All limited-service restaurants · +10.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 7,921
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $151M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 40All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 312238 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 252The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 15
- Amount
- $6.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants 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 limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
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 fast food and sandwich shops 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 cardFast food and sandwich shops across North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in North Carolina for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in North Carolina, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC | 81 | 44 | 10.0 | $4M | +10.3% | #22 of 387 |
| 2Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 79 | 295 | 11.9 | $3.5M | +7.5% | #31 of 387 |
| 3Raleigh-Cary, NC | 78 | 720 | 12.5 | $3.6M | +12.6% | #34 of 387 |
| 4Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 70 | 1,416 | 13.2 | $3.1M | +10.1% | #71 of 387 |
| 5Winston-Salem, NC | 59 | 355 | 12.6 | $2.8M | +5.3% | #140 of 387 |
| 6Wilmington, NC | 53 | 312 | 15.7 | $2.5M | +15.9% | #182 of 387 |
| 7Burlington, NC | 49 | 88 | 12.6 | $2.8M | +8.5% | #203 of 387 |
| 8Asheville, NC | 48 | 209 | 13.0 | $2.9M | +3.6% | #208 of 387 |
| 9Rocky Mount, NC | 47 | 72 | 12.3 | $2.7M | +2.8% | #218 of 387 |
| 10Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | 44 | 189 | 12.6 | $2.7M | +3.2% | #234 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 fast food and sandwich shops are in the Wilmington, NC metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 312 fast food and sandwich shops in the Wilmington metro area. 238 of them (76%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 407 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 10.3% 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 40 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 312 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.5M 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 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 fast food and sandwich shops?
The Wilmington metro area has 15.7 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 18% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.5M, 19% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, the Wilmington metro area would have about 252, against 312 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 490 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 10.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% 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 53 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #182 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 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 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.