Food and drink · Small-town market · North Carolina
Restaurants and cafes in the Kill Devil Hills, NC area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in the Kill Devil Hills, NC area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 35 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #423 of 538 scored small-town markets
#21 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 530
- 95 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 261
- +5.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $70.9M
- On food away from home · $4,213 a household
- Spending per listing
- $134K
- 64% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 314.8
- 2.9 times the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 38,245
- +3.3% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Kill Devil Hills 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 Kill Devil Hills 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
The Kill Devil Hills area scores 35 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #423 of 538 scored small-town markets and #21 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 530 restaurants and cafes in the Kill Devil Hills area. Of those, 95 are chain locations, or 18%, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 314.8 for every 10,000 households, 2.9 times the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in the Kill Devil Hills area comes to about $70.9M a year: $4,213 per household, 4% above the U.S. average. Spread across 530 restaurants and cafes, that is $134K per restaurant, 64% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Kill Devil Hills area was 261 in 2023, up 5.7% from 2019. That is one for every 65 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 15 SBA-backed loans worth $14.1M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Kill Devil Hills area. Population estimates show the Kill Devil Hills area grew 3.3% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Kill Devil Hills 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 | Kill Devil Hills area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 314.8 | 97.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $134K | $387K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 65 | 221 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.7% | +8.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.3% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,213 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $88,994 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 35 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 261+5.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,636
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $128.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 21Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 53095 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 191The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 15
- Amount
- $14.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Kill Devil Hills 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 Kill Devil Hills area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 38,245+3.3% since 2020
- Households
- 16,836
- Median age
- 49.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 383 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 99
- Median household income
- $88,994+49.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $129,955
- Median home value
- $460,400
- Jobs located here
- 17,198
- Daytime population
- 38,549Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Kill Devil Hills area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Kill Devil Hills 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 small-town markets in North Carolina for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with the Kill Devil Hills area marked.
Top small-town markets in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Anderson Creek, NC | 90 | 313 | 62.8 | $572K | +12.3% | #4 of 538 |
| 2Shelby-Kings Mountain, NC | 63 | 309 | 79.5 | $412K | +3.4% | #140 of 538 |
| 3New Bern, NC | 63 | 460 | 87.7 | $388K | +3.6% | #142 of 538 |
| 4North Wilkesboro, NC | 62 | 191 | 70.5 | $427K | +0.6% | #147 of 538 |
| 5Sanford, NC | 56 | 230 | 91.5 | $373K | +10.8% | #202 of 538 |
| 6Laurinburg, NC | 55 | 83 | 66.0 | $448K | −0.3% | #208 of 538 |
| 7Marion, NC | 55 | 153 | 82.1 | $390K | +1.5% | #211 of 538 |
| 8Albemarle, NC | 55 | 236 | 93.5 | $361K | +9.8% | #216 of 538 |
| 9Forest City, NC | 55 | 232 | 87.1 | $355K | +2.1% | #217 of 538 |
| 10Wilson, NC | 54 | 277 | 83.8 | $385K | +1.7% | #220 of 538 |
| 21Kill Devil Hills, NC | 35 | 530 | 314.8 | $134K | +3.3% | #423 of 538 |
Other business types in the Kill Devil Hills area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes35
- Sit-down restaurants35
- Fast food and sandwich shops37
- Pizza36
- Coffee shops and cafes36
- Bakeries and dessert shops35
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 Kill Devil Hills, NC area?
There are 530 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Kill Devil Hills area as of September 2026. 95 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 261 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 5.7% from 2019. Another 21 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Kill Devil Hills, NC area spend on food away from home?
About $70.9M a year, or $4,213 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 530 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $134K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 16,836 households in the Kill Devil Hills area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Kill Devil Hills, NC area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Kill Devil Hills area has 314.8 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 2.9 times the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $134K, 64% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Kill Devil Hills area would have about 191, against 530 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 65 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Kill Devil Hills, NC area growing?
Population estimates put the Kill Devil Hills area at 38,245 people in 2025, up 3.3% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 16,836 households. The median household income in the Kill Devil Hills area is $88,994 a year, 10% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 49.9% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Kill Devil Hills area scores 35 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #423 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Kill Devil Hills 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 Kill Devil Hills area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Kill Devil Hills 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 Kill Devil Hills 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.