Groundwork

Food and drink · County · North Carolina

Restaurants and cafes in Moore County, NC

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 63 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #642 of 2,405 scored counties
#30 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina

Listings
414
144 chain locations (35%)
Official establishments
213
+8.7% since 2019
Household spending a year
$176.6M
On food away from home · $4,013 a household
Spending per listing
$427K
15% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
94.1
14% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
110,619
+10.3% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Moore 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 Moore 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

Household spending on food away from home in Moore County comes to about $176.6M a year: $4,013 per household, in line with the U.S. average. Spread across 414 restaurants and cafes, that is $427K per restaurant, 15% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

Moore County has 414 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 144 of them (35%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 94.1 for every 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

In 2023, official counts showed 213 businesses with payroll in Moore County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 8.7% from 2019. That is one for every 207 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 43 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $2.3M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Moore County.

Population estimates show Moore County grew 10.3% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Moore County is 63 (upper middle), #642 of 2,405 scored counties and #30 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina.

How Moore 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 Moore County, NC compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureMoore CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households94.197.5109.8
Spending per listing$427K$387K$371K
Households per official establishment207221209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+8.7%+8.5%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+10.3%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$4,013$3,776$4,070
Median household income$86,080$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score6358

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
196 → 213+8.7% over the period
Employees, 2023
3,798
Annual payroll, 2023
$80.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
43Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
414144 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
476The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
7
Amount
$2.3M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
110,619+10.3% since 2020
Households
44,013
Median age
44.5
Homes lived in by their owners
76%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
698 sq. mi.
People per square mile
150
Median household income
$86,080+43.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$107,924
Median home value
$351,400
Jobs located here
42,923
Daytime population
109,477Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Moore 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 Moore 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 Moore 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
30Moore County, NC6341494.1$427K+10.3%#642 of 2,405

Other business types in Moore County

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

Questions

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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 414 restaurants and cafes in Moore County. 144 of them (35%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 213 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 8.7% from 2019. Another 43 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

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

About $176.6M a year, or $4,013 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 414 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $427K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 44,013 households in Moore County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Moore County has 94.1 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $427K, 15% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Moore County would have about 476, against 414 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 207 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Moore County, NC growing?

Population estimates put Moore County at 110,619 people in 2025, up 10.3% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 44,013 households. Median household income in Moore County is $86,080, 7% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 43.6%, 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. Moore County scores 63 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #642 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Moore 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 Moore 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.