Food and drink · Small-town market · North Carolina
Restaurants and cafes in the Morehead City, NC area
The restaurants and cafes in the Morehead City, NC area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 37 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #403 of 538 scored small-town markets
#20 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 465
- 129 chain locations (28%)
- Official establishments
- 217
- +12.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $119.7M
- On food away from home · $3,745 a household
- Spending per listing
- $258K
- 31% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 145.4
- 32% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 70,469
- +4.1% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Morehead City 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 Morehead City 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
Household spending on food away from home in the Morehead City area comes to about $119.7M a year: $3,745 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. Spread across 465 restaurants and cafes, that is $258K per restaurant, 31% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 465 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Morehead City area as of September 2026. Of those, 129 are chain locations, or 28%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 145.4 per 10,000 households, 32% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Official counts show 217 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Morehead City area in 2023, up 12.4% from 2019. That is one for every 147 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 29 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $2.5M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Morehead City area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Morehead City area grew 4.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Morehead City area scores 37 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #403 of 538 scored small-town markets and #20 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina.
How the Morehead City 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 | Morehead City area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 145.4 | 97.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $258K | $387K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 147 | 221 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +12.4% | +8.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.1% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,745 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $72,322 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 37 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 217+12.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,783
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $92.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 29Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 465129 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 323The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $2.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Morehead City 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 Morehead City area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 70,469+4.1% since 2020
- Households
- 31,977
- Median age
- 49.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 508 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 136
- Median household income
- $72,322+26.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $99,351
- Median home value
- $333,300
- Jobs located here
- 23,748
- Daytime population
- 65,592Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Morehead City 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 Morehead City 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 Morehead City 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 |
| 20Morehead City, NC | 37 | 465 | 145.4 | $258K | +4.1% | #403 of 538 |
Other business types in the Morehead City area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes37
- Sit-down restaurants38
- Fast food and sandwich shops50
- Pizza56
- Coffee shops and cafes42
- Bakeries and dessert shops39
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 Morehead City, NC area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 465 restaurants and cafes in the Morehead City area. 129 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 217 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 12.4% from 2019. Another 29 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Morehead City, NC area spend on food away from home?
About $119.7M a year, or $3,745 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 465 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $258K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 31,977 households in the Morehead City area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Morehead City, NC area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Morehead City area has 145.4 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 32% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $258K, 31% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Morehead City area would have about 323, against 465 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 147 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 12.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Morehead City, NC area growing?
Population estimates put the Morehead City area at 70,469 people in 2025, up 4.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 31,977 households. Median household income in the Morehead City area is $72,322, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.5%, 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. 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 Morehead City area scores 37 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #403 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 Morehead City 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 Morehead City area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Morehead City 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 Morehead City 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.