Food and drink · County · North Carolina
Restaurants and cafes in Wilkes County, NC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Wilkes County, NC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 51 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,129 of 2,405 scored counties
#52 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 191
- 86 chain locations (45%)
- Official establishments
- 87
- +1.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $81.5M
- On food away from home · $3,005 a household
- Spending per listing
- $427K
- 15% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 70.5
- 36% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 66,233
- +0.6% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Wilkes 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 Wilkes 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 191 restaurants and cafes in Wilkes County. Chain locations make up 45% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 70.5 for every 10,000 households, 36% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Wilkes County comes to about $81.5M a year: $3,005 per household, 26% below the U.S. average. That is about $427K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 15% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 87 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Wilkes County in 2023, up 1.2% from 2019. That is one for every 312 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 19 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates put the population change in Wilkes County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Wilkes County has a Groundwork market score of 51 (upper middle): #1,129 of 2,405 scored counties and #52 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Wilkes 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 | Wilkes County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 70.5 | 97.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $427K | $387K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 312 | 221 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.2% | +8.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.6% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,005 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $51,721 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 51 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 86 → 87+1.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,703
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $28.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 19Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 19186 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 220The 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 Wilkes 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 Wilkes County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 66,233+0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 27,107
- Median age
- 45.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 754 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 87
- Median household income
- $51,721+17.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $66,361
- Median home value
- $168,800
- Jobs located here
- 19,607
- Daytime population
- 59,600Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Wilkes 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 Wilkes 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 Wilkes 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 |
| 52Wilkes County, NC | 51 | 191 | 70.5 | $427K | +0.6% | #1,129 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Wilkes County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes51
- Sit-down restaurants49
- Fast food and sandwich shops43
- Pizza46
- Coffee shops and cafes59
- Bakeries and dessert shops62
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 Wilkes County, NC?
There are 191 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Wilkes County as of September 2026. 86 of them (45%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 87 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 1.2% from 2019. Another 19 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Wilkes County, NC spend on food away from home?
About $81.5M a year, or $3,005 per household. That is 26% below the U.S. average (an index of 74, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 191 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $427K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 27,107 households in Wilkes County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Wilkes County, NC compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Wilkes County has 70.5 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 36% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $427K, 15% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Wilkes County would have about 220, against 191 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 312 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Wilkes County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Wilkes County at 66,233 people in 2025, up 0.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 27,107 households. The median household income in Wilkes County is $51,721 a year, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 17.3% 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. Wilkes County scores 51 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #1,129 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Wilkes 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 Wilkes County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Wilkes 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 Wilkes 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.