Food and drink · Metro area · North Carolina
Sit-down restaurants in the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 73 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #34 of 387 scored metro areas
#1 of 15 scored metro areas based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 3,218
- 1,105 chain locations (34%)
- Official establishments
- 1,167
- +15.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $2.6B
- On food away from home · $4,504 a household
- Spending per listing
- $804K
- 21% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 56.0
- 9% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,595,720
- +12.6% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Raleigh-Cary metro 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 Raleigh-Cary metro 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 Raleigh-Cary metro area scores 73 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #34 of 387 scored metro areas and #1 of 15 scored metro areas based in North Carolina. That puts it in the top 10% of metro areas for sit-down restaurants.
Household spending on food away from home in the Raleigh-Cary metro area comes to about $2.6B a year: $4,504 per household, 11% above the U.S. average. Spread across 3,218 sit-down restaurants, that is $804K per restaurant, 21% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
The Raleigh-Cary metro area has 3,218 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 1,105 are chain locations, or 34%, against 29% across the U.S. That is 56.0 per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in the Raleigh-Cary metro area was 1,167 in 2023, up 15.5% from 2019. That is one for every 492 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 67 SBA-backed loans worth $54.1M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Raleigh-Cary metro area. Population estimates show the Raleigh-Cary metro area grew 12.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Raleigh-Cary metro 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 | Raleigh-Cary metro area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 56.0 | 53.3 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $804K | $709K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 492 | 501 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +15.5% | +6.8% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +12.6% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,504 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $100,103 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 73 | 51 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,167+15.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 27,561
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $718.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 197Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3,2181,105 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 3,898The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 67
- Amount
- $54.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Raleigh-Cary metro 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 Raleigh-Cary metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,595,720+12.6% since 2020
- Households
- 574,295
- Median age
- 38.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 2,119 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 702
- Median household income
- $100,103+32.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $131,869
- Median home value
- $418,400
- Jobs located here
- 759,538
- Daytime population
- 1,525,914Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Raleigh-Cary metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Raleigh-Cary metro 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 metro areas in North Carolina for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with the Raleigh-Cary metro area marked.
Top metro areas in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Raleigh-Cary, NC | 73 | 3,218 | 56.0 | $804K | +12.6% | #34 of 387 |
| 2Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 70 | 1,379 | 55.5 | $753K | +7.5% | #51 of 387 |
| 3Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 65 | 5,831 | 54.2 | $758K | +10.1% | #81 of 387 |
| 4Winston-Salem, NC | 63 | 1,192 | 42.3 | $838K | +5.3% | #90 of 387 |
| 5Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC | 61 | 232 | 52.7 | $761K | +10.3% | #108 of 387 |
| 6Goldsboro, NC | 58 | 205 | 43.2 | $768K | +3.8% | #125 of 387 |
| 7Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | 56 | 653 | 43.7 | $775K | +3.2% | #137 of 387 |
| 8Rocky Mount, NC | 55 | 263 | 45.0 | $738K | +2.8% | #144 of 387 |
| 9Jacksonville, NC | 49 | 384 | 51.0 | $681K | +6.0% | #199 of 387 |
| 10Greensboro-High Point, NC | 47 | 1,580 | 49.8 | $710K | +4.1% | #213 of 387 |
Other business types in the Raleigh-Cary metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes77
- Sit-down restaurants73
- Fast food and sandwich shops78
- Pizza73
- Coffee shops and cafes71
- Bakeries and dessert shops69
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 Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 3,218 sit-down restaurants in the Raleigh-Cary metro area. 1,105 of them (34%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 1,167 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 15.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 197 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area spend on food away from home?
About $2.6B a year, or $4,504 per household. That is 11% above the U.S. average (an index of 111, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 3,218 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $804K 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 574,295 households in the Raleigh-Cary metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Raleigh-Cary metro area has 56.0 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $804K, 21% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Raleigh-Cary metro area would have about 3,898, against 3,218 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 492 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 15.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Raleigh-Cary metro area at 1,595,720 people in 2025, up 12.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 574,295 households. Median household income in the Raleigh-Cary metro area is $100,103, 24% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 32.0%, 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. The Raleigh-Cary metro area scores 73 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #34 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Raleigh-Cary metro 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 Raleigh-Cary metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Raleigh-Cary metro 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 Raleigh-Cary metro 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.