Food and drink · County · North Carolina
Sit-down restaurants in Watauga County, NC
The sit-down restaurants in Watauga County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 16 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,368 of 2,405 scored counties
#96 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 165
- 38 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 85
- −2.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $70.3M
- On food away from home · $3,317 a household
- Spending per listing
- $426K
- 36% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 77.8
- 27% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 54,786
- +0.6% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Watauga 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 Watauga 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
For sit-down restaurants, Watauga County has a Groundwork market score of 16 (low): #2,368 of 2,405 scored counties and #96 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on food away from home in Watauga County comes to about $70.3M a year: $3,317 per household, 18% below the U.S. average. That is about $426K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 36% below the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 165 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Watauga County as of September 2026. Of those, 38 are chain locations, or 23%, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 77.8 for every 10,000 households, 27% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Official counts show 85 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Watauga County in 2023, down 2.3% from 2019. That is one for every 249 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $175K have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Watauga County. Population estimates put the population change in Watauga County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Watauga 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 | Watauga County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 77.8 | 53.3 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $426K | $709K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 249 | 501 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.3% | +6.8% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.6% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,317 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $51,693 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 16 | 51 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 87 → 85−2.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,188
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $46M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 16538 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 106The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $175K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Watauga 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 Watauga County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 54,786+0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 21,198
- Median age
- 35.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 312 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 176
- Median household income
- $51,693+8.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $83,665
- Median home value
- $358,900
- Jobs located here
- 24,062
- Daytime population
- 59,737Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Watauga 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 Watauga 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 Watauga 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 |
| 96Watauga County, NC | 16 | 165 | 77.8 | $426K | +0.6% | #2,368 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Watauga County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes16
- Sit-down restaurants16
- Fast food and sandwich shops37
- Pizza49
- Coffee shops and cafes16
- Bakeries and dessert shops15
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 Watauga County, NC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 165 sit-down restaurants in Watauga County. 38 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 85 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 2.3% from 2019. Another 6 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Watauga County, NC spend on food away from home?
About $70.3M a year, or $3,317 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 165 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $426K 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 21,198 households in Watauga County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Watauga County, NC compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Watauga County has 77.8 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 27% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $426K, 36% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Watauga County would have about 106, against 165 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 249 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Watauga County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Watauga County at 54,786 people in 2025, up 0.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 21,198 households. Median household income in Watauga County is $51,693, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 8.8%, 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. Watauga County scores 16 for sit-down restaurants (low), #2,368 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Watauga 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 Watauga County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Watauga 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 Watauga 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.