Food and drink · County · North Carolina
Sit-down restaurants in Gaston County, NC
The sit-down restaurants in Gaston County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 66 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #500 of 2,405 scored counties
#20 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 417
- 151 chain locations (36%)
- Official establishments
- 143
- +0.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $334.1M
- On food away from home · $3,570 a household
- Spending per listing
- $801K
- 21% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 44.6
- 27% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 246,558
- +7.8% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Gaston 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 Gaston 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
Households in Gaston County spend about $334.1M a year on food away from home, or $3,570 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. Spread across 417 sit-down restaurants, that is $801K per restaurant, 21% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 417 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Gaston County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 36% of them, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 44.6, 27% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Official counts show 143 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Gaston County in 2023, up 0.7% from 2019. That is one for every 654 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Another 42 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $3.4M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Gaston County.
Population estimates show Gaston County grew 7.8% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Gaston County scores 66 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #500 of 2,405 scored counties and #20 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Gaston 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 | Gaston County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 44.6 | 53.3 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $801K | $709K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 654 | 501 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +0.7% | +6.8% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.8% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,570 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $67,478 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 66 | 51 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 142 → 143+0.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,114
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $68.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 42Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 417151 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 503The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $3.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Gaston 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 Gaston County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 246,558+7.8% since 2020
- Households
- 93,576
- Median age
- 40.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 356 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 660
- Median household income
- $67,478+27.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $91,074
- Median home value
- $266,000
- Jobs located here
- 82,464
- Daytime population
- 195,265Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Gaston 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 Gaston 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 Gaston 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 |
| 20Gaston County, NC | 66 | 417 | 44.6 | $801K | +7.8% | #500 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Gaston County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes66
- Sit-down restaurants66
- Fast food and sandwich shops55
- Pizza60
- Coffee shops and cafes79
- Bakeries and dessert shops73
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 Gaston County, NC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 417 sit-down restaurants in Gaston County. 151 of them (36%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 143 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 0.7% from 2019. Official counts list 42 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Gaston County, NC spend on food away from home?
About $334.1M a year, or $3,570 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 417 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $801K per restaurant. That spending covers all food away from home, which sit-down restaurants share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 93,576 households in Gaston County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Gaston County, NC compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Gaston County has 44.6 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 27% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $801K, 21% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Gaston County would have about 503, against 417 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 654 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 0.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Gaston County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Gaston County at 246,558 people in 2025, up 7.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 93,576 households. Median household income in Gaston County is $67,478, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.7%, 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. Gaston County scores 66 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #500 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Gaston 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 Gaston County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Gaston 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 Gaston 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.