Food and drink · Small-town market · North Carolina
Sit-down restaurants in the North Wilkesboro, NC area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in the North Wilkesboro, NC area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 56 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #201 of 538 scored small-town markets
#5 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 105
- 43 chain locations (41%)
- Official establishments
- 36
- −10.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $81.5M
- On food away from home · $3,005 a household
- Spending per listing
- $776K
- 17% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 38.7
- 37% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 66,233
- +0.6% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the North Wilkesboro 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 North Wilkesboro 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
Household spending on food away from home in the North Wilkesboro area comes to about $81.5M a year: $3,005 per household, 26% below the U.S. average. That is about $776K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 17% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
The North Wilkesboro area has 105 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 43 are chain locations, or 41%, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 38.7 for every 10,000 households, 37% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 36 businesses with payroll in the North Wilkesboro area classed as full-service restaurants, down 10.0% from 2019. That is one for every 753 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Another 10 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates put the population change in the North Wilkesboro area from 2020 to 2025 at +0.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in the North Wilkesboro area is 56 (upper middle), #201 of 538 scored small-town markets and #5 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina.
How the North Wilkesboro 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 | North Wilkesboro area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 38.7 | 53.3 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $776K | $709K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 753 | 501 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −10.0% | +6.8% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.6% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,005 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $51,721 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 56 | 51 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 36−10.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 668
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $10.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 10Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 10543 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 123The 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 North Wilkesboro 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 North Wilkesboro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 66,233+0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 27,107
- Median age
- 45.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 754 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 87
- Median household income
- $51,721+17.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $66,361
- Median home value
- $168,800
- Jobs located here
- 19,607
- Daytime population
- 59,600Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the North Wilkesboro 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 North Wilkesboro 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 North Wilkesboro 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 |
Other business types in the North Wilkesboro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes62
- Sit-down restaurants56
- Fast food and sandwich shops51
- Pizza52
- Coffee shops and cafes61
- Bakeries and dessert shops64
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 North Wilkesboro, NC area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 105 sit-down restaurants in the North Wilkesboro area. 43 of them (41%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 36 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 10.0% from 2019. Official counts list 10 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the North Wilkesboro, NC area spend on food away from home?
About $81.5M a year, or $3,005 per household. That is 26% below the U.S. average (an index of 74, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 105 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $776K 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 27,107 households in the North Wilkesboro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the North Wilkesboro, NC area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The North Wilkesboro area has 38.7 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 37% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $776K, 17% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the North Wilkesboro area would have about 123, against 105 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 753 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 10.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the North Wilkesboro, NC area growing?
Population estimates put the North Wilkesboro area at 66,233 people in 2025, up 0.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 27,107 households. Median household income in the North Wilkesboro area is $51,721, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 17.3%, 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 North Wilkesboro area scores 56 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #201 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 North Wilkesboro 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 North Wilkesboro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the North Wilkesboro 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 North Wilkesboro 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.