Groundwork

Food and drink · County · North Carolina

Restaurants and cafes in Pamlico County, NC

The restaurants and cafes in Pamlico County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 53 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #1,058 of 2,405 scored counties
#48 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina

Listings
46
11 chain locations (24%)
Official establishments
21
0.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$18.2M
On food away from home · $3,340 a household
Spending per listing
$396K
7% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
84.3
23% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
12,758
+3.7% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Pamlico 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 Pamlico 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

As of September 2026, map listings count 46 restaurants and cafes in Pamlico County. Of those, 11 are chain locations, or 24%, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 84.3 for every 10,000 households, 23% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

At $3,340 per household (18% below the U.S. average), households in Pamlico County spend about $18.2M a year on food away from home. Spread across 46 restaurants and cafes, that is $396K per restaurant, 7% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

Official counts show 21 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Pamlico County in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 260 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 4 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Pamlico County grew 3.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Pamlico County is 53 (upper middle), #1,058 of 2,405 scored counties and #48 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina.

How Pamlico 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 Pamlico County, NC compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasurePamlico CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households84.397.5109.8
Spending per listing$396K$387K$371K
Households per official establishment260221209
Official establishment growth, 2019–20230.0%+8.5%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+3.7%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,340$3,776$4,070
Median household income$59,717$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score5358

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
21 → 210.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
331
Annual payroll, 2023
$5.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
4Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
4611 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
49The 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 Pamlico 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 Pamlico County

Population, 2025 estimate
12,758+3.7% since 2020
Households
5,456
Median age
52.1
Homes lived in by their owners
83%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
337 sq. mi.
People per square mile
37
Median household income
$59,717+27.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$78,618
Median home value
$216,800
Jobs located here
3,289
Daytime population
11,007Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Pamlico 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 Pamlico 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 Pamlico 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
48Pamlico County, NC534684.3$396K+3.7%#1,058 of 2,405

Other business types in Pamlico County

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

Questions

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

Pamlico County has 46 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 11 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 21 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Official counts list 4 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $18.2M a year, or $3,340 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 46 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $396K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 5,456 households in Pamlico County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Pamlico County has 84.3 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 23% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $396K, 7% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Pamlico County would have about 49, against 46 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 260 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 Pamlico County, NC growing?

Population estimates put Pamlico County at 12,758 people in 2025, up 3.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 5,456 households. The median household income in Pamlico County is $59,717 a year, 26% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.8% 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. 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. Pamlico County scores 53 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #1,058 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Pamlico 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 Pamlico 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.