Food and drink · County · North Carolina
Pizza places in Wake County, NC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pizza places in Wake County, NC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #253 of 2,090 scored counties
#14 of 83 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 367
- 231 chain locations (63%)
- Official establishments
- 984
- All limited-service restaurants · −0.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $2.1B
- On food away from home · $4,659 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5.8M
- 15% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.0
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,257,235
- +11.2% since 2020
See the pizza places around any address in Wake 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 Wake County. 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 Wake County spend about $2.1B a year on food away from home, or $4,659 per household, 14% above the U.S. average. That works out to $5.8M per pizza place, 15% above the U.S. figure of $5.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only pizza places.
There are 367 pizza places on map listings in Wake County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 63% of them, against 58% across the U.S. That comes to 8.0 for every 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 8.0.
Official counts show 984 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Wake County in 2023, down 0.4% from 2019. That is one for every 468 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (fast food and sandwich shops included), not only pizza places. Official counts also show 164 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 43 SBA-backed loans worth $20.8M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Wake County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Wake County grew 11.2%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Wake County scores 72 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for pizza places, ranking #253 of 2,090 scored counties and #14 of 83 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Wake 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.
| Measure | Wake County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.0 | 7.4 | 8.0 |
| Spending per listing | $5.8M | $5.1M | $5.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 468 | 504 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −0.4% | +4.7% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +11.2% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,659 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $105,768 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 72 | 53 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 988 → 984All limited-service restaurants · −0.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 21,922
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $436.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 164All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 367231 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 422The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 43
- Amount
- $20.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Wake 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 Wake County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,257,235+11.2% since 2020
- Households
- 460,175
- Median age
- 38.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 835 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,412
- Median household income
- $105,768+31.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $139,587
- Median home value
- $461,300
- Jobs located here
- 687,531
- Daytime population
- 1,293,967Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Wake 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 Wake County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardPizza 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 Wake County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Union County, NC | 85 | 60 | 7.1 | $6.4M | +11.7% | #43 of 2,090 |
| 2Davie County, NC | 83 | 10 | 5.8 | $6.6M | +6.9% | #52 of 2,090 |
| 3Orange County, NC | 82 | 33 | 5.8 | $7.6M | +6.1% | #55 of 2,090 |
| 4Chatham County, NC | 81 | 28 | 8.5 | $5.3M | +11.0% | #76 of 2,090 |
| 5Hoke County, NC | 79 | 11 | 5.7 | $6.1M | +9.0% | #109 of 2,090 |
| 6Yadkin County, NC | 76 | 7 | 4.7 | $7.3M | +2.9% | #151 of 2,090 |
| 7Durham County, NC | 75 | 79 | 5.6 | $7.4M | +7.7% | #165 of 2,090 |
| 8Henderson County, NC | 75 | 29 | 5.7 | $6.4M | +5.0% | #171 of 2,090 |
| 9Pender County, NC | 75 | 16 | 6.3 | $6.2M | +19.0% | #172 of 2,090 |
| 10Stokes County, NC | 73 | 9 | 4.6 | $7M | +3.5% | #214 of 2,090 |
| 14Wake County, NC | 72 | 367 | 8.0 | $5.8M | +11.2% | #253 of 2,090 |
Other business types in Wake County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
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 pizza places are in Wake County, NC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 367 pizza places in Wake County. 231 of them (63%) are chain locations. The listings count pizza restaurants. Official counts show 984 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, down 0.4% from 2019. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only pizza places: fast food and sandwich shops are counted too. Another 164 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Wake County, NC spend on food away from home?
About $2.1B a year, or $4,659 per household. That is 14% above the U.S. average (an index of 114, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 367 pizza places on map listings, it comes to $5.8M per pizza place. That spending covers all food away from home, which pizza places share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 460,175 households in Wake County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Wake County, NC compare with the U.S. for pizza places?
Wake County has 8.0 pizza places per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 8.0. Spending per pizza place is $5.8M, 15% above the U.S. figure of $5.1M. At the U.S. ratio of pizza places to household spending, Wake County would have about 422, against 367 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 468 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count fell 0.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Wake County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Wake County at 1,257,235 people in 2025, up 11.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 460,175 households. Median household income in Wake County is $105,768, 31% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.2%, 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. Wake County scores 72 for pizza places (upper middle), #253 of 2,090 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Wake 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 Wake County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Wake 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 Wake 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.