Food and drink · County · North Carolina
Sit-down restaurants in Columbus County, NC
How Columbus County, NC compares with other counties and the U.S. for sit-down restaurants: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 35 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,832 of 2,405 scored counties
#75 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 96
- 25 chain locations (26%)
- Official establishments
- 29
- −6.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $60.4M
- On food away from home · $3,014 a household
- Spending per listing
- $629K
- 5% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 47.9
- 22% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 50,487
- 0.0% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Columbus County
The site report maps the sit-down restaurants 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 Columbus 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
Columbus County scores 35 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #1,832 of 2,405 scored counties and #75 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 96 sit-down restaurants in Columbus County. 25 of them (26%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 47.9, 22% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Household spending on food away from home in Columbus County comes to about $60.4M a year: $3,014 per household, 26% below the U.S. average. Spread across 96 sit-down restaurants, that is $629K per restaurant, 5% below the U.S. figure of $664K. That spending covers all food away from home, which sit-down restaurants share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 29 businesses with payroll in Columbus County classed as full-service restaurants, down 6.4% from 2019. That is one for every 691 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Columbus County held about level, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Columbus 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 sit-down restaurants 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 | Columbus County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 47.9 | 53.3 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $629K | $709K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 691 | 501 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −6.4% | +6.8% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | 0.0% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,014 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $49,442 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 35 | 51 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 31 → 29−6.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 316
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 11Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9625 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 91The 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 full-service restaurants in Columbus 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 Columbus County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 50,4870.0% since 2020
- Households
- 20,048
- Median age
- 43.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 938 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 53
- Median household income
- $49,442+31.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $67,260
- Median home value
- $146,000
- Jobs located here
- 15,101
- Daytime population
- 42,846Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Columbus 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 sit-down restaurants on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Columbus County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSit-down restaurants across North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Columbus County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Camden County, NC | 92 | 13 | 32.4 | $1.2M | +8.8% | #13 of 2,405 |
| 2Franklin County, NC | 89 | 78 | 27.3 | $1.3M | +18.8% | #28 of 2,405 |
| 3Chatham County, NC | 87 | 117 | 35.5 | $1.3M | +11.0% | #49 of 2,405 |
| 4Hoke County, NC | 84 | 54 | 28.0 | $1.2M | +9.0% | #70 of 2,405 |
| 5Union County, NC | 84 | 344 | 40.8 | $1.1M | +11.7% | #74 of 2,405 |
| 6Lincoln County, NC | 82 | 145 | 39.4 | $1M | +13.2% | #95 of 2,405 |
| 7Johnston County, NC | 82 | 348 | 40.7 | $972K | +17.9% | #96 of 2,405 |
| 8Harnett County, NC | 81 | 168 | 33.7 | $1.1M | +12.3% | #113 of 2,405 |
| 9Granville County, NC | 77 | 77 | 34.3 | $1.1M | +2.1% | #189 of 2,405 |
| 10Person County, NC | 77 | 55 | 34.2 | $1M | +3.7% | #193 of 2,405 |
| 75Columbus County, NC | 35 | 96 | 47.9 | $629K | 0.0% | #1,832 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Columbus County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes34
- Sit-down restaurants35
- Fast food and sandwich shops11
- Pizza22
- Coffee shops and cafes56
- Bakeries and dessert shops29
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 sit-down restaurants are in Columbus County, NC?
There are 96 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Columbus County as of September 2026. 25 of them (26%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 29 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 6.4% from 2019. Official counts also show 11 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Columbus County, NC spend on food away from home?
About $60.4M a year, or $3,014 per household. That is 26% below the U.S. average (an index of 74, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 96 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $629K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 20,048 households in Columbus County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Columbus County, NC compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Columbus County has 47.9 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $629K, 5% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Columbus County would have about 91, against 96 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 691 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 6.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Columbus County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Columbus County at 50,487 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 20,048 households. The median household income in Columbus County is $49,442 a year, 39% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.4% 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. Columbus County scores 35 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,832 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Columbus County. It maps the sit-down restaurants 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 sit-down restaurants · All 56 business types in Columbus County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Columbus 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 Columbus 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.