Food and drink · Metro area · North Carolina
Restaurants and cafes in the Wilmington, NC metro area
The restaurants and cafes in the Wilmington, NC metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 39 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #270 of 387 scored metro areas
#13 of 15 scored metro areas based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 2,409
- 741 chain locations (31%)
- Official establishments
- 1,114
- +13.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $767.4M
- On food away from home · $3,851 a household
- Spending per listing
- $319K
- 14% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 120.9
- 10% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 492,772
- +15.9% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Wilmington metro 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 Wilmington metro 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
At $3,851 per household (5% below the U.S. average), households in the Wilmington metro area spend about $767.4M a year on food away from home. That works out to $319K per restaurant, 14% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The Wilmington metro area has 2,409 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 741 of them (31%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 120.9, 10% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Official counts show 1,114 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Wilmington metro area in 2023, up 13.2% from 2019. That is one for every 179 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 147 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 49 SBA-backed loans worth $28.3M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Wilmington metro area.
Population estimates show the Wilmington metro area grew 15.9% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in the Wilmington metro area is 39 (lower middle), #270 of 387 scored metro areas and #13 of 15 scored metro areas based in North Carolina.
How the Wilmington metro 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 | Wilmington metro area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 120.9 | 97.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $319K | $387K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 179 | 221 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +13.2% | +8.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +15.9% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,851 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $76,471 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 39 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,114+13.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 22,406
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $506.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 147Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2,409741 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,070The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 49
- Amount
- $28.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Wilmington metro 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 Wilmington metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 492,772+15.9% since 2020
- Households
- 199,271
- Median age
- 45.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,913 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 237
- Median household income
- $76,471
- Average household income
- $104,427
- Median home value
- $362,400
- Jobs located here
- 180,798
- Daytime population
- 448,307Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Wilmington metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Wilmington metro 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 metro areas in North Carolina for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in North Carolina (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Wilmington metro area marked.
Top metro areas in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 80 | 2,441 | 98.3 | $425K | +7.5% | #16 of 387 |
| 2Raleigh-Cary, NC | 77 | 5,851 | 101.9 | $442K | +12.6% | #29 of 387 |
| 3Winston-Salem, NC | 73 | 2,263 | 80.4 | $442K | +5.3% | #44 of 387 |
| 4Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 70 | 10,543 | 98.0 | $419K | +10.1% | #62 of 387 |
| 5Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC | 69 | 414 | 94.1 | $427K | +10.3% | #63 of 387 |
| 6Goldsboro, NC | 62 | 379 | 79.8 | $415K | +3.8% | #112 of 387 |
| 7Rocky Mount, NC | 61 | 473 | 80.9 | $410K | +2.8% | #122 of 387 |
| 8Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | 57 | 1,233 | 82.4 | $411K | +3.2% | #144 of 387 |
| 9Greensboro-High Point, NC | 53 | 2,855 | 90.1 | $393K | +4.1% | #170 of 387 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | 48 | 7,088 | 100.2 | $401K | +0.9% | #202 of 387 |
| 13Wilmington, NC | 39 | 2,409 | 120.9 | $319K | +15.9% | #270 of 387 |
Other business types in the Wilmington metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes39
- Sit-down restaurants42
- Fast food and sandwich shops53
- Pizza62
- Coffee shops and cafes40
- Bakeries and dessert shops41
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 Wilmington, NC metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 2,409 restaurants and cafes in the Wilmington metro area. 741 of them (31%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 1,114 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 13.2% from 2019. Official counts also show 147 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Wilmington, NC metro area spend on food away from home?
About $767.4M a year, or $3,851 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,409 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $319K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 199,271 households in the Wilmington metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Wilmington, NC metro area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Wilmington metro area has 120.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 10% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $319K, 14% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Wilmington metro area would have about 2,070, against 2,409 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 179 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 13.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Wilmington, NC metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Wilmington metro area at 492,772 people in 2025, up 15.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 199,271 households. Median household income in the Wilmington metro area is $76,471, 5% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. The Wilmington metro area scores 39 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #270 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Wilmington metro 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 Wilmington metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Wilmington metro 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 Wilmington metro 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.