Food and drink · County · North Carolina
Sit-down restaurants in Craven County, NC
The sit-down restaurants in Craven County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 50 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,171 of 2,405 scored counties
#50 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 205
- 76 chain locations (37%)
- Official establishments
- 74
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $147.4M
- On food away from home · $3,439 a household
- Spending per listing
- $719K
- 8% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 47.8
- 22% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 105,025
- +3.5% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Craven 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 Craven 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 205 sit-down restaurants in Craven County. Chain locations make up 37% of them, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 47.8, 22% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
At $3,439 per household (16% below the U.S. average), households in Craven County spend about $147.4M a year on food away from home. Spread across 205 sit-down restaurants, that is $719K per restaurant, 8% above 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.
Official counts show 74 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Craven County in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 579 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Another 15 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $4.5M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Craven County.
Population estimates show Craven County grew 3.5% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). Craven County scores 50 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #1,171 of 2,405 scored counties and #50 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Craven 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 | Craven County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 47.8 | 53.3 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $719K | $709K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 579 | 501 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | +6.8% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.5% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,439 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $65,873 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 50 | 51 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 74 → 740.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,630
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $36M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 15Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 20576 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 222The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $4.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Craven 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 Craven County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 105,025+3.5% since 2020
- Households
- 42,871
- Median age
- 40.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 707 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 145
- Median household income
- $65,873+25.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $85,440
- Median home value
- $231,600
- Jobs located here
- 35,530
- Daytime population
- 98,317Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Craven 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 Craven 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 Craven 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 |
| 50Craven County, NC | 50 | 205 | 47.8 | $719K | +3.5% | #1,171 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Craven County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes47
- Sit-down restaurants50
- Fast food and sandwich shops39
- Pizza40
- Coffee shops and cafes61
- Bakeries and dessert shops57
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 Craven County, NC?
Craven County has 205 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 76 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 74 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Official counts list 15 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Craven County, NC spend on food away from home?
About $147.4M a year, or $3,439 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 205 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $719K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 42,871 households in Craven County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Craven County, NC compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Craven County has 47.8 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $719K, 8% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Craven County would have about 222, against 205 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 579 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Craven County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Craven County at 105,025 people in 2025, up 3.5% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 42,871 households. The median household income in Craven County is $65,873 a year, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.0% 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. Craven County scores 50 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #1,171 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Craven 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 Craven County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Craven 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 Craven 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.