Food and drink · County · North Carolina
Restaurants and cafes in Buncombe County, NC
The restaurants and cafes in Buncombe County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 30 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,047 of 2,405 scored counties
#87 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 1,573
- 473 chain locations (30%)
- Official establishments
- 732
- +11.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $389.4M
- On food away from home · $3,823 a household
- Spending per listing
- $248K
- 33% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 154.4
- 41% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 277,417
- +2.9% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Buncombe County
The site report maps the restaurants and cafes 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 Buncombe 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
The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Buncombe County is 30 (lower middle), #2,047 of 2,405 scored counties and #87 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,573 restaurants and cafes in Buncombe County. Of those, 473 are chain locations, or 30%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 154.4 per 10,000 households, 41% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,823 per household (6% below the U.S. average), households in Buncombe County spend about $389.4M a year on food away from home. That works out to $248K per restaurant, 33% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 732 businesses with payroll in Buncombe County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 11.8% from 2019. That is one for every 139 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 33 SBA-backed loans worth $11.1M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Buncombe County. Population estimates put the population change in Buncombe County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.9%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Buncombe 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 restaurants and cafes 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 | Buncombe County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 154.4 | 97.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $248K | $387K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 139 | 221 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +11.8% | +8.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.9% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,823 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $74,436 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 30 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 655 → 732+11.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 14,861
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $400.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 81Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,573473 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,050The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 33
- Amount
- $11.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Buncombe 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.
Population and households in Buncombe County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 277,417+2.9% since 2020
- Households
- 101,855
- Median age
- 43.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 657 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 418
- Median household income
- $74,436+42.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $105,560
- Median home value
- $391,800
- Jobs located here
- 142,929
- Daytime population
- 299,325Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Buncombe 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 restaurants and cafes on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Buncombe County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardRestaurants and cafes across North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Buncombe County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Camden County, NC | 93 | 19 | 47.4 | $851K | +8.8% | #8 of 2,405 |
| 2Chatham County, NC | 90 | 215 | 65.1 | $687K | +11.0% | #25 of 2,405 |
| 3Franklin County, NC | 89 | 141 | 49.4 | $741K | +18.8% | #30 of 2,405 |
| 4Hoke County, NC | 85 | 95 | 49.3 | $704K | +9.0% | #60 of 2,405 |
| 5Union County, NC | 84 | 649 | 77.0 | $596K | +11.7% | #71 of 2,405 |
| 6Davie County, NC | 83 | 109 | 63.1 | $610K | +6.9% | #89 of 2,405 |
| 7Lincoln County, NC | 82 | 258 | 70.1 | $567K | +13.2% | #108 of 2,405 |
| 8Johnston County, NC | 81 | 640 | 74.8 | $529K | +17.9% | #124 of 2,405 |
| 9Harnett County, NC | 80 | 313 | 62.8 | $572K | +12.3% | #137 of 2,405 |
| 10Granville County, NC | 77 | 135 | 60.1 | $613K | +2.1% | #191 of 2,405 |
| 87Buncombe County, NC | 30 | 1,573 | 154.4 | $248K | +2.9% | #2,047 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Buncombe County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes30
- Sit-down restaurants31
- Fast food and sandwich shops41
- Pizza44
- Coffee shops and cafes30
- Bakeries and dessert shops30
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 restaurants and cafes are in Buncombe County, NC?
Buncombe County has 1,573 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 473 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 732 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 11.8% from 2019. Another 81 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Buncombe County, NC spend on food away from home?
About $389.4M a year, or $3,823 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,573 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $248K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 101,855 households in Buncombe County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Buncombe County, NC compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Buncombe County has 154.4 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 41% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $248K, 33% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Buncombe County would have about 1,050, against 1,573 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 139 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 11.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Buncombe County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Buncombe County at 277,417 people in 2025, up 2.9% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 101,855 households. The median household income in Buncombe County is $74,436 a year, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 42.6% 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. Buncombe County scores 30 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #2,047 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Buncombe County. It maps the restaurants and cafes 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 restaurants and cafes · All 56 business types in Buncombe County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Buncombe 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 Buncombe 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.