Groundwork

Food and drink · County · North Carolina

Pizza places in Columbus County, NC

The pizza places in Columbus County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 22 out of 100: Low

Ranked #1,968 of 2,090 scored counties
#80 of 83 scored counties in North Carolina

Listings
17
13 chain locations (76%)
Official establishments
50
All limited-service restaurants · +13.6% since 2019
Household spending a year
$60.4M
On food away from home · $3,014 a household
Spending per listing
$3.6M
30% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
8.5
6% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
50,487
0.0% since 2020

See the pizza places around any address in Columbus County

The site report maps the pizza places 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 Columbus County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

For pizza places, Columbus County has a Groundwork market score of 22 (low): #1,968 of 2,090 scored counties and #80 of 83 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

As of September 2026, map listings count 17 pizza places in Columbus County. Chain locations make up 76% of them, against 58% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 8.5, 6% above the U.S. rate of 8.0.

Household spending on food away from home in Columbus County comes to about $60.4M a year: $3,014 per household, 26% below the U.S. average. That is about $3.6M of household spending for each pizza place on map listings, 30% below the U.S. figure of $5.1M. That spending covers all food away from home, which pizza places share with other businesses in the trade.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Columbus County was 50 in 2023, up 13.6% from 2019. That is one for every 401 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only pizza places: fast food and sandwich shops are counted too. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Columbus County held about level, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Columbus 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 pizza places counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.

Pizza in Columbus County, NC compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureColumbus CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households8.57.48.0
Spending per listing$3.6M$5.1M$5.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)401504478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+13.6%+4.7%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–20250.0%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,014$3,776$4,070
Median household income$49,442$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score2253

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
44 → 50All limited-service restaurants · +13.6% over the period
Employees, 2023
919
Annual payroll, 2023
$13.7M
One-person businesses, 2023
7All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
1713 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
12The 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 limited-service restaurants in Columbus 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 limited-service restaurants, not only pizza places.

Population and households in Columbus County

Population, 2025 estimate
50,4870.0% since 2020
Households
20,048
Median age
43.2
Homes lived in by their owners
71%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
938 sq. mi.
People per square mile
53
Median household income
$49,442+31.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$67,260
Median home value
$146,000
Jobs located here
15,101
Daytime population
42,846Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Columbus 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 pizza places on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of Columbus County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Pizza across North Carolina

Every North Carolina market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for pizza places, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Columbus County marked.

Top counties in North Carolina

Counties in North Carolina ranked for pizza places by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Union County, NC85607.1$6.4M+11.7%#43 of 2,090
2Davie County, NC83105.8$6.6M+6.9%#52 of 2,090
3Orange County, NC82335.8$7.6M+6.1%#55 of 2,090
4Chatham County, NC81288.5$5.3M+11.0%#76 of 2,090
5Hoke County, NC79115.7$6.1M+9.0%#109 of 2,090
6Yadkin County, NC7674.7$7.3M+2.9%#151 of 2,090
7Durham County, NC75795.6$7.4M+7.7%#165 of 2,090
8Henderson County, NC75295.7$6.4M+5.0%#171 of 2,090
9Pender County, NC75166.3$6.2M+19.0%#172 of 2,090
10Stokes County, NC7394.6$7M+3.5%#214 of 2,090
80Columbus County, NC22178.5$3.6M0.0%#1,968 of 2,090

Other business types in Columbus County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many pizza places are in Columbus County, NC?

Columbus County has 17 pizza places on map listings as of September 2026. 13 of them (76%) are chain locations. The listings count pizza restaurants. Official counts show 50 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 13.6% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (fast food and sandwich shops included), not only pizza places. Official counts list 7 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Columbus County, NC spend on food away from home?

About $60.4M a year, or $3,014 per household. That is 26% below the U.S. average (an index of 74, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 17 pizza places on map listings, it comes to $3.6M per pizza place. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only pizza places. It is estimated from the incomes of the 20,048 households in Columbus County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Columbus County, NC compare with the U.S. for pizza places?

Columbus County has 8.5 pizza places per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 8.0. Spending per pizza place is $3.6M, 30% below the U.S. figure of $5.1M. At the national ratio of pizza places to household spending, Columbus County would have about 12, against 17 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 401 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 13.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Columbus County, NC growing?

Population estimates put Columbus County at 50,487 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 20,048 households. The median household income in Columbus County is $49,442 a year, 39% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.4% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Columbus County scores 22 for pizza places (low), #1,968 of 2,090 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Columbus County. It maps the pizza places 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 pizza places · All 56 business types in Columbus County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Columbus 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 Columbus 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.