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Lowest measured density of restaurants in North Carolina

North Carolina has 23 ZIP codes where published counts of restaurants are statistically below the U.S. rate. Coverage is the North Carolina counties on this site, not the whole state. Same filters as the radius search. Census ZBP 2023 + ACS 2024.

Includes: Sit-down restaurants with table service. Counted together because official statistics use one 722511 code.

Statistically low ZIPs
23
Poisson p < 0.05
Comparable ZIPs
121
published count ≥ 5, ≥ 10,000 residents
U.S. rate
6.4
per 10,000 present

Coverage. Only the North Carolina counties BizGapMap covers, not the whole state. A missing state page means no ZIP there cleared the test — we do not publish an empty list.

Lowest measured density is not evidence of opportunity. A low published count can mean weak demand, no suitable space, commuters spending elsewhere, or businesses with no paid employees that ZBP does not count. Each line is a question to check locally.

False positives. The test is one-sided at 5% with no correction for looking at many ZIPs. Of 121 comparable ZIPs here, about 6 could clear the bar by chance. Small ZIPs rarely reach significance, so “not on this list” does not mean “no gap”.

ZIP codes

ZIPCityCounty RestaurantsExpected IndexBandZIP type ResidentsTest
28715 Candler Buncombe County 5 20.7 24% Far below average Residential 30,328 p < 0.001
28214 Charlotte Mecklenburg County 10 32.9 30% Far below average Residential 43,837 p < 0.001
27610 Raleigh Wake County 22 59.1 37% Far below average Residential 81,419 p < 0.001
28212 Charlotte Mecklenburg County 11 29.3 38% Far below average Residential 42,440 p < 0.001
28269 Charlotte Mecklenburg County 24 60.0 40% Far below average Residential 79,586 p < 0.001
28215 Charlotte Mecklenburg County 18 44.5 40% Far below average Residential 66,674 p < 0.001
27703 Durham Durham County 23 54.2 42% Far below average Mixed 63,458 p < 0.001
28278 Charlotte Mecklenburg County 11 25.7 43% Far below average Residential 37,420 p < 0.001
27405 Greensboro Guilford County 17 39.0 44% Far below average Residential 54,303 p < 0.001
27597 Zebulon Wake County 10 21.1 47% Far below average Residential 30,184 p < 0.01
28120 Mount Holly Gaston County 9 18.4 49% Far below average Residential 25,805 p ≈ 0.012
27455 Greensboro Guilford County 10 20.3 49% Far below average Residential 29,302 p < 0.01
27539 Apex Wake County 9 18.3 49% Far below average Residential 25,878 p ≈ 0.013
27127 Winston Salem Forsyth County 15 28.8 52% Below average Residential 41,443 p < 0.01
27591 Wendell Wake County 11 20.4 54% Below average Residential 29,838 p ≈ 0.018
27107 Winston Salem Forsyth County 20 36.0 56% Below average Residential 50,769 p < 0.01
27616 Raleigh Wake County 27 47.0 57% Below average Residential 63,520 p < 0.01
27105 Winston Salem Forsyth County 19 32.8 58% Below average Mixed 40,678 p < 0.01
28348 Hope Mills Cumberland County 16 27.3 59% Below average Residential 39,196 p ≈ 0.014
27704 Durham Durham County 19 30.2 63% Below average Residential 40,102 p ≈ 0.020
28306 Fayetteville Cumberland County 20 30.9 65% Below average Residential 43,042 p ≈ 0.025
28208 Charlotte Mecklenburg County 27 41.0 66% Below average Mixed 40,197 p ≈ 0.013
27406 Greensboro Guilford County 33 45.4 73% Below average Residential 60,651 p ≈ 0.034

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns. Sorted by measured density, lowest first.

How this is built

Who can be listed. ZIPs in the covered counties whose county has at least 15 ZIPs in our data, with at least 10,000 residents, and at least 5 published businesses in this industry. Census hides counts of 0–2; derived remainders are excluded.

Statistically low. P(X ≤ n | expected) < 0.05, where expected is the U.S. establishments-per-person-present rate times this ZIP’s demand (residents + 0.5 × jobs located here). Same definition as the index, so the percentage and the test cannot disagree. Full test →

ZIP type is jobs per resident, not zoning. A residential ZIP can look low because residents shop near work.

Questions

What does “lowest measured density” mean for restaurants? A ZIP is listed only when Census published at least 5 restaurants with paid employees, the ZIP has at least 10,000 residents, and a one-sided Poisson test finds the count statistically below the U.S. rate (p < 0.05). Index 100% is the national density per person present.

Is a low-density ZIP a place to open this kind of business? No. A low published count of restaurants can mean weak demand, no suitable space, residents shopping near work, or businesses with no paid employees that Census ZBP does not count. Each line is a question to check locally, not a recommendation.

Why is a state missing from this list? A state page exists only when at least one ZIP in the counties we cover clears the same test as the radius search. We do not publish an empty list. Coverage is those counties, not the whole state.

← All states for restaurants  ·  Restaurants in North Carolina (county totals)  ·  Search by radius

BizGapMap — free, no-login small-business saturation reports for major U.S. counties. Built entirely from public U.S. Census, BLS, and IRS data (ZBP 2023, ACS 2024 5-year, PEP 2024, LODES, QCEW, IRS SOI). No forecasts, no revenue guesses — withheld cells are marked, and the few derived counts are labelled as estimates.