Food and drink · Metro area · North Carolina
Restaurants and cafes in the Goldsboro, NC metro area
How the Goldsboro, NC metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for restaurants and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 62 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #112 of 387 scored metro areas
#6 of 15 scored metro areas based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 379
- 158 chain locations (42%)
- Official establishments
- 188
- +11.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $157.4M
- On food away from home · $3,313 a household
- Spending per listing
- $415K
- 12% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 79.8
- 27% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 122,278
- +3.8% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Goldsboro metro area
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 the Goldsboro 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 $3,313 per household (19% below the U.S. average), households in the Goldsboro metro area spend about $157.4M a year on food away from home. That works out to $415K per restaurant, 12% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 379 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Goldsboro metro area as of September 2026. Of those, 158 are chain locations, or 42%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 79.8 per 10,000 households, 27% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 188 businesses with payroll in the Goldsboro metro area classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 11.9% from 2019. That is one for every 253 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 43 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1.2M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Goldsboro metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Goldsboro metro area grew 3.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, the Goldsboro metro area has a Groundwork market score of 62 (upper middle): #112 of 387 scored metro areas and #6 of 15 scored metro areas based in North Carolina.
How the Goldsboro 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 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 | Goldsboro metro area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 79.8 | 97.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $415K | $387K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 253 | 221 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +11.9% | +8.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.8% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,313 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $59,733 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 62 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 188+11.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,630
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $82.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 43Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 379158 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 425The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $1.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Goldsboro 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.
Population and households in the Goldsboro metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 122,278+3.8% since 2020
- Households
- 47,507
- Median age
- 38.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 554 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 214
- Median household income
- $59,733+34.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,980
- Median home value
- $178,700
- Jobs located here
- 40,987
- Daytime population
- 111,023Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Goldsboro 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 restaurants and cafes on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Goldsboro metro area. 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 metro areas in North Carolina for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in North Carolina (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Goldsboro metro area marked.
Top metro areas in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 80 | 2,441 | 98.3 | $425K | +7.5% | #16 of 387 |
| 2Raleigh-Cary, NC | 77 | 5,851 | 101.9 | $442K | +12.6% | #29 of 387 |
| 3Winston-Salem, NC | 73 | 2,263 | 80.4 | $442K | +5.3% | #44 of 387 |
| 4Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 70 | 10,543 | 98.0 | $419K | +10.1% | #62 of 387 |
| 5Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC | 69 | 414 | 94.1 | $427K | +10.3% | #63 of 387 |
| 6Goldsboro, NC | 62 | 379 | 79.8 | $415K | +3.8% | #112 of 387 |
| 7Rocky Mount, NC | 61 | 473 | 80.9 | $410K | +2.8% | #122 of 387 |
| 8Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | 57 | 1,233 | 82.4 | $411K | +3.2% | #144 of 387 |
| 9Greensboro-High Point, NC | 53 | 2,855 | 90.1 | $393K | +4.1% | #170 of 387 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | 48 | 7,088 | 100.2 | $401K | +0.9% | #202 of 387 |
Other business types in the Goldsboro metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes62
- Sit-down restaurants58
- Fast food and sandwich shops36
- Pizza46
- Coffee shops and cafes59
- Bakeries and dessert shops62
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 the Goldsboro, NC metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 379 restaurants and cafes in the Goldsboro metro area. 158 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 188 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 11.9% from 2019. Another 43 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Goldsboro, NC metro area spend on food away from home?
About $157.4M a year, or $3,313 per household. That is 19% below the U.S. average (an index of 81, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 379 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $415K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 47,507 households in the Goldsboro metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Goldsboro, NC metro area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Goldsboro metro area has 79.8 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 27% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $415K, 12% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Goldsboro metro area would have about 425, against 379 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 253 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 11.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Goldsboro, NC metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Goldsboro metro area at 122,278 people in 2025, up 3.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 47,507 households. Median household income in the Goldsboro metro area is $59,733, 26% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 34.5%, 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. The Goldsboro metro area scores 62 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #112 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 Goldsboro metro area. 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 the Goldsboro metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Goldsboro 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 Goldsboro 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.