Groceries and convenience · Small-town market · North Carolina
Grocery and convenience stores in the North Wilkesboro, NC area
The grocery and convenience stores in the North Wilkesboro, NC area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 31 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #448 of 538 scored small-town markets
#15 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 70
- 22 chain locations (31%)
- Official establishments
- 19
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $144.2M
- On groceries · $5,320 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.1M
- 39% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 25.8
- 38% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 66,233
- +0.6% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in the North Wilkesboro area
The site report maps the grocery and convenience stores 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 North Wilkesboro 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
The North Wilkesboro area scores 31 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #448 of 538 scored small-town markets and #15 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
As of September 2026, map listings count 70 grocery and convenience stores in the North Wilkesboro area. Chain locations make up 31% of them, against 42% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 25.8, 38% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.
Household spending on groceries in the North Wilkesboro area comes to about $144.2M a year: $5,320 per household, 16% below the U.S. average. Spread across 70 grocery and convenience stores, that is $2.1M per store, 39% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
In 2023, official counts showed 19 businesses with payroll in the North Wilkesboro area classed as grocery and convenience stores. That is one for every 1,427 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $440K has gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in the North Wilkesboro area. Population estimates show the North Wilkesboro area grew 0.6% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the North Wilkesboro area compares
The same measures for North Carolina and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all groceries by the grocery and convenience stores 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 | North Wilkesboro area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 25.8 | 20.2 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $2.1M | $3M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,427 | 1,469 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +8.2% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.6% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,320 | $6,016 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $51,721 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 31 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 19
- Employees, 2023
- 539
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 24Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7022 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 43The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $440K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in the North Wilkesboro 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.
Population and households in the North Wilkesboro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 66,233+0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 27,107
- Median age
- 45.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 754 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 87
- Median household income
- $51,721+17.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $66,361
- Median home value
- $168,800
- Jobs located here
- 19,607
- Daytime population
- 59,600Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the North Wilkesboro 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 grocery and convenience stores on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the North Wilkesboro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGrocery and convenience stores across North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in North Carolina for grocery and convenience stores, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with the North Wilkesboro 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 | 94 | 18.9 | $3.1M | +12.3% | #36 of 538 |
| 2Brevard, NC | 70 | 25 | 17.1 | $3.4M | +2.9% | #78 of 538 |
| 3Elizabeth City, NC | 68 | 33 | 20.9 | $2.7M | +4.5% | #103 of 538 |
| 4Marion, NC | 63 | 34 | 18.2 | $3M | +1.5% | #148 of 538 |
| 5New Bern, NC | 59 | 99 | 18.9 | $3M | +3.6% | #186 of 538 |
| 6Waynesville, NC | 58 | 61 | 22.5 | $2.5M | +1.9% | #203 of 538 |
| 7Albemarle, NC | 57 | 62 | 24.6 | $2.3M | +9.8% | #220 of 538 |
| 8Morehead City, NC | 54 | 89 | 27.8 | $2.2M | +4.1% | #253 of 538 |
| 9Mount Airy, NC | 46 | 76 | 25.4 | $2.1M | +1.3% | #323 of 538 |
| 10Forest City, NC | 43 | 62 | 23.3 | $2.3M | +2.1% | #355 of 538 |
| 15North Wilkesboro, NC | 31 | 70 | 25.8 | $2.1M | +0.6% | #448 of 538 |
Other business types in the North Wilkesboro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores31
- Grocery stores24
- Convenience stores46
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many grocery and convenience stores are in the North Wilkesboro, NC area?
The North Wilkesboro area has 70 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 22 of them (31%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 19 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023. Official counts also show 24 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the North Wilkesboro, NC area spend on groceries?
About $144.2M a year, or $5,320 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 70 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $2.1M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 27,107 households in the North Wilkesboro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the North Wilkesboro, NC area compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
The North Wilkesboro area has 25.8 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 38% above the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $2.1M, 39% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, the North Wilkesboro area would have about 43, against 70 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,427 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S.
How fast is the North Wilkesboro, NC area growing?
Population estimates put the North Wilkesboro area at 66,233 people in 2025, up 0.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 27,107 households. Median household income in the North Wilkesboro area is $51,721, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 17.3%, 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 North Wilkesboro area scores 31 for grocery and convenience stores (lower middle), #448 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the North Wilkesboro area. It maps the grocery and convenience stores 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 grocery and convenience stores · All 56 business types in the North Wilkesboro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the North Wilkesboro 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 North Wilkesboro 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.