Food and drink · Small-town market · North Carolina
Sit-down restaurants in the Henderson, NC area
The sit-down restaurants in the Henderson, NC area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 37 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #408 of 538 scored small-town markets
#20 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 89
- 39 chain locations (44%)
- Official establishments
- 25
- +8.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $50M
- On food away from home · $3,093 a household
- Spending per listing
- $561K
- 15% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 55.1
- 10% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 42,638
- +0.2% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Henderson area
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 the Henderson 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
The Henderson area scores 37 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #408 of 538 scored small-town markets and #20 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
As of September 2026, map listings count 89 sit-down restaurants in the Henderson area. Of those, 39 are chain locations, or 44%, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 55.1 for every 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
At $3,093 per household (24% below the U.S. average), households in the Henderson area spend about $50M a year on food away from home. That works out to $561K per restaurant, 15% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in the Henderson area was 25 in 2023, up 8.7% from 2019. That is one for every 646 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Population estimates show the Henderson area grew 0.2% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Henderson 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 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 | Henderson area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 55.1 | 53.3 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $561K | $709K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 646 | 501 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.7% | +6.8% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.2% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,093 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $50,465 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 37 | 51 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 25+8.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 475
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 8Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8939 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 75The 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 the Henderson 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 Henderson area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 42,638+0.2% since 2020
- Households
- 16,147
- Median age
- 40.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 252 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 168
- Median household income
- $50,465+24.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $68,426
- Median home value
- $161,500
- Jobs located here
- 14,655
- Daytime population
- 37,464Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Henderson area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Henderson area. 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 small-town markets in North Carolina for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with the Henderson area marked.
Top small-town markets in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Anderson Creek, NC | 89 | 168 | 33.7 | $1.1M | +12.3% | #4 of 538 |
| 2New Bern, NC | 63 | 238 | 45.4 | $751K | +3.6% | #135 of 538 |
| 3Marion, NC | 61 | 69 | 37.0 | $864K | +1.5% | #151 of 538 |
| 4Shelby-Kings Mountain, NC | 58 | 178 | 45.8 | $715K | +3.4% | #188 of 538 |
| 5North Wilkesboro, NC | 56 | 105 | 38.7 | $776K | +0.6% | #201 of 538 |
| 6Laurinburg, NC | 54 | 50 | 39.7 | $743K | −0.3% | #221 of 538 |
| 7Sanford, NC | 53 | 128 | 50.9 | $671K | +10.8% | #238 of 538 |
| 8Albemarle, NC | 50 | 131 | 51.9 | $650K | +9.8% | #265 of 538 |
| 9Wilson, NC | 49 | 159 | 48.1 | $670K | +1.7% | #272 of 538 |
| 10Kinston, NC | 49 | 110 | 47.1 | $623K | +1.4% | #276 of 538 |
| 20Henderson, NC | 37 | 89 | 55.1 | $561K | +0.2% | #408 of 538 |
Other business types in the Henderson area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes46
- Sit-down restaurants37
- Fast food and sandwich shops28
- Pizza25
- Coffee shops and cafes63
- Bakeries and dessert shops58
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 the Henderson, NC area?
The Henderson area has 89 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 39 of them (44%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 25 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 8.7% from 2019. Another 8 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Henderson, NC area spend on food away from home?
About $50M a year, or $3,093 per household. That is 24% below the U.S. average (an index of 76, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 89 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $561K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 16,147 households in the Henderson area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Henderson, NC area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Henderson area has 55.1 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $561K, 15% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Henderson area would have about 75, against 89 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 646 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Henderson, NC area growing?
Population estimates put the Henderson area at 42,638 people in 2025, up 0.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 16,147 households. The median household income in the Henderson area is $50,465 a year, 37% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.5% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Henderson area scores 37 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #408 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Henderson area. 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 the Henderson area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Henderson 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 Henderson 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.