Groundwork

Food and drink · County · North Carolina

Restaurants and cafes in Halifax County, NC

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Halifax County, NC, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 28 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #2,086 of 2,405 scored counties
#89 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina

Listings
165
73 chain locations (44%)
Official establishments
84
+1.2% since 2019
Household spending a year
$60.3M
On food away from home · $2,956 a household
Spending per listing
$365K
2% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
80.9
26% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
46,534
−3.9% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Halifax 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 Halifax County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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

What this means

Halifax County scores 28 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #2,086 of 2,405 scored counties and #89 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

As of September 2026, map listings count 165 restaurants and cafes in Halifax County. Chain locations make up 44% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 80.9, 26% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Households in Halifax County spend about $60.3M a year on food away from home, or $2,956 per household, 27% below the U.S. average. That is about $365K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 2% below the U.S. figure of $371K.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Halifax County was 84 in 2023, up 1.2% from 2019. That is one for every 243 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $214K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Halifax County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Halifax County declined 3.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Halifax 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.

Restaurants and cafes in Halifax County, NC compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureHalifax CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households80.997.5109.8
Spending per listing$365K$387K$371K
Households per official establishment243221209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+1.2%+8.5%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−3.9%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$2,956$3,776$4,070
Median household income$45,590$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score2858

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
83 → 84+1.2% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,890
Annual payroll, 2023
$31.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
11Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
16573 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
163The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$214K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Halifax 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 Halifax County

Population, 2025 estimate
46,534−3.9% since 2020
Households
20,383
Median age
43.1
Homes lived in by their owners
63%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
724 sq. mi.
People per square mile
66
Median household income
$45,590+28.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$63,278
Median home value
$106,200
Jobs located here
14,278
Daytime population
42,838Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Halifax 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 Halifax County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Restaurants 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 Halifax County marked.

Top counties in North Carolina

Counties in North Carolina ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Camden County, NC931947.4$851K+8.8%#8 of 2,405
2Chatham County, NC9021565.1$687K+11.0%#25 of 2,405
3Franklin County, NC8914149.4$741K+18.8%#30 of 2,405
4Hoke County, NC859549.3$704K+9.0%#60 of 2,405
5Union County, NC8464977.0$596K+11.7%#71 of 2,405
6Davie County, NC8310963.1$610K+6.9%#89 of 2,405
7Lincoln County, NC8225870.1$567K+13.2%#108 of 2,405
8Johnston County, NC8164074.8$529K+17.9%#124 of 2,405
9Harnett County, NC8031362.8$572K+12.3%#137 of 2,405
10Granville County, NC7713560.1$613K+2.1%#191 of 2,405
89Halifax County, NC2816580.9$365K−3.9%#2,086 of 2,405

Other business types in Halifax County

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

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Halifax County, NC?

Halifax County has 165 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 73 of them (44%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 84 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 1.2% from 2019. Official counts also show 11 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $60.3M a year, or $2,956 per household. That is 27% below the U.S. average (an index of 73, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 165 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $365K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 20,383 households in Halifax County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Halifax County, NC compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Halifax County has 80.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $365K, 2% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Halifax County would have about 163, against 165 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 243 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Halifax County, NC growing?

Population estimates put Halifax County at 46,534 people in 2025, down 3.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 20,383 households. The median household income in Halifax County is $45,590 a year, 44% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.4% 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. Halifax County scores 28 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #2,086 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Halifax 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 Halifax County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Halifax 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 Halifax 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.