Food and drink · County · North Carolina
Restaurants and cafes in Lenoir County, NC
How Lenoir County, NC compares with other counties and the U.S. for restaurants and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 38 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,698 of 2,405 scored counties
#73 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 198
- 74 chain locations (37%)
- Official establishments
- 83
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $68.6M
- On food away from home · $2,937 a household
- Spending per listing
- $346K
- 7% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 84.8
- 23% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 55,837
- +1.4% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Lenoir 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 Lenoir 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
At $2,937 per household (28% below the U.S. average), households in Lenoir County spend about $68.6M a year on food away from home. That works out to $346K per restaurant, 7% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Lenoir County has 198 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 37% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 84.8 for every 10,000 households, 23% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 83 businesses with payroll in Lenoir County classed as restaurants and other eating places, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 281 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 29 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates show Lenoir County grew 1.4% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Lenoir County has a Groundwork market score of 38 (lower middle): #1,698 of 2,405 scored counties and #73 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Lenoir 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 | Lenoir County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 84.8 | 97.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $346K | $387K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 281 | 221 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | +8.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.4% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $2,937 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $45,143 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 38 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 83 → 830.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,623
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $30.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 29Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 19874 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 185The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Lenoir 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 Lenoir County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 55,837+1.4% since 2020
- Households
- 23,351
- Median age
- 41.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 59%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 399 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 138
- Median household income
- $45,143+14.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $65,291
- Median home value
- $120,500
- Jobs located here
- 29,615
- Daytime population
- 59,853Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lenoir 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 Lenoir 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 Lenoir 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 |
| 73Lenoir County, NC | 38 | 198 | 84.8 | $346K | +1.4% | #1,698 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Lenoir County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes38
- Sit-down restaurants42
- Fast food and sandwich shops26
- Pizza31
- Coffee shops and cafes54
- Bakeries and dessert shops46
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 Lenoir County, NC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 198 restaurants and cafes in Lenoir County. 74 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 83 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Official counts list 29 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Lenoir County, NC spend on food away from home?
About $68.6M a year, or $2,937 per household. That is 28% below the U.S. average (an index of 72, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 198 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $346K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 23,351 households in Lenoir County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lenoir County, NC compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Lenoir County has 84.8 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 23% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $346K, 7% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Lenoir County would have about 185, against 198 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 281 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Lenoir County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Lenoir County at 55,837 people in 2025, up 1.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 23,351 households. Median household income in Lenoir County is $45,143, 44% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 14.6%, 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. Lenoir County scores 38 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,698 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lenoir 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 Lenoir County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lenoir 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 Lenoir 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.