Food and drink · Small-town market · North Carolina
Sit-down restaurants in the Wilson, NC area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in the Wilson, NC area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #272 of 538 scored small-town markets
#9 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 159
- 61 chain locations (38%)
- Official establishments
- 54
- +12.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $106.6M
- On food away from home · $3,224 a household
- Spending per listing
- $670K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 48.1
- 22% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 81,150
- +1.7% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Wilson 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 Wilson 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
Households in the Wilson area spend about $106.6M a year on food away from home, or $3,224 per household, 21% below the U.S. average. That works out to $670K per restaurant, in line with the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
The Wilson area has 159 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 61 of them (38%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 48.1, 22% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Official counts show 54 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in the Wilson area in 2023, up 12.5% from 2019. That is one for every 612 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 12 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Wilson area grew 1.7%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in the Wilson area is 49 (lower middle), #272 of 538 scored small-town markets and #9 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina.
How the Wilson 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 | Wilson area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 48.1 | 53.3 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $670K | $709K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 612 | 501 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +12.5% | +6.8% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.7% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,224 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $56,423 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 51 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 54+12.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 922
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $19.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 12Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 15961 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 161The 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 Wilson 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 Wilson area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 81,150+1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 33,068
- Median age
- 40.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 368 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 216
- Median household income
- $56,423+28.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $76,415
- Median home value
- $186,000
- Jobs located here
- 36,414
- Daytime population
- 81,523Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Wilson 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 Wilson 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 Wilson 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 Wilson area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes54
- Sit-down restaurants49
- Fast food and sandwich shops34
- Pizza48
- Coffee shops and cafes64
- Bakeries and dessert shops65
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 Wilson, NC area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 159 sit-down restaurants in the Wilson area. 61 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 54 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 12.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 12 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Wilson, NC area spend on food away from home?
About $106.6M a year, or $3,224 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 159 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $670K 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 33,068 households in the Wilson area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Wilson, NC area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Wilson area has 48.1 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $670K, in line with the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Wilson area would have about 161, against 159 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 612 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 12.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Wilson, NC area growing?
Population estimates put the Wilson area at 81,150 people in 2025, up 1.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 33,068 households. Median household income in the Wilson area is $56,423, 30% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.6%, 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 Wilson area scores 49 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #272 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 Wilson 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 Wilson area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Wilson 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 Wilson 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.