Food and drink · County · North Carolina
Restaurants and cafes in New Hanover County, NC
The restaurants and cafes in New Hanover County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 37 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,760 of 2,405 scored counties
#76 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 1,507
- 474 chain locations (31%)
- Official establishments
- 685
- +8.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $407.5M
- On food away from home · $3,886 a household
- Spending per listing
- $270K
- 27% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 143.7
- 31% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 245,959
- +8.6% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in New Hanover 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 New Hanover 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
Households in New Hanover County spend about $407.5M a year on food away from home, or $3,886 per household, 5% below the U.S. average. That works out to $270K per restaurant, 27% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
New Hanover County has 1,507 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 31% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 143.7 for every 10,000 households, 31% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 685 businesses with payroll in New Hanover County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 8.4% from 2019. That is one for every 153 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 82 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 31 SBA-backed loans worth $18.5M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in New Hanover County.
Population estimates put the population change in New Hanover County from 2020 to 2025 at +8.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, New Hanover County has a Groundwork market score of 37 (lower middle): #1,760 of 2,405 scored counties and #76 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina.
How New Hanover 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 | New Hanover County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 143.7 | 97.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $270K | $387K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 153 | 221 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.4% | +8.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +8.6% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,886 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $75,166 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 37 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 632 → 685+8.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 14,842
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $337.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 82Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,507474 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,099The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 31
- Amount
- $18.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in New Hanover 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 New Hanover County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 245,959+8.6% since 2020
- Households
- 104,856
- Median age
- 41.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 192 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,223
- Median household income
- $75,166+36.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $107,828
- Median home value
- $387,800
- Jobs located here
- 128,058
- Daytime population
- 260,358Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in New Hanover 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 New Hanover 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 New Hanover 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 |
| 76New Hanover County, NC | 37 | 1,507 | 143.7 | $270K | +8.6% | #1,760 of 2,405 |
Other business types in New Hanover County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes37
- Sit-down restaurants39
- Fast food and sandwich shops48
- Pizza60
- Coffee shops and cafes38
- Bakeries and dessert shops42
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 New Hanover County, NC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,507 restaurants and cafes in New Hanover County. 474 of them (31%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 685 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 8.4% from 2019. Official counts list 82 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in New Hanover County, NC spend on food away from home?
About $407.5M a year, or $3,886 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,507 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $270K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 104,856 households in New Hanover County and national spending patterns by income.
How does New Hanover County, NC compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
New Hanover County has 143.7 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 31% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $270K, 27% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, New Hanover County would have about 1,099, against 1,507 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 153 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is New Hanover County, NC growing?
Population estimates put New Hanover County at 245,959 people in 2025, up 8.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 104,856 households. Median household income in New Hanover County is $75,166, 7% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 36.9%, 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. New Hanover County scores 37 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,760 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in New Hanover 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 New Hanover County
Screening a site or an acquisition in New Hanover 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 New Hanover 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.