BMIE Market 28679

Watauga County, North Carolina · ZCTA boundaries as of 2020

Profile

Population (current estimate)	2,454 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimate ±614 · American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates · ACS 5-Year 2024 (2020-2024) ZCTA · B01003_001E · on 2020 boundaries · retrieved 2026-09-05
Households	952 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimate ±219 · American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates · ACS 5-Year 2024 (2020-2024) ZCTA · B11001_001E · on 2020 boundaries · retrieved 2026-09-05
Population, 2010 Census count	2,064 2010 Census count · Decennial Census · Census Gazetteer ZCTA 2010 · POP10 · on 2010 boundaries · retrieved 2026-09-04
Housing units	1,133 2010 Census count · Decennial Census · Census Gazetteer ZCTA 2010 · HU10 · on 2010 boundaries · retrieved 2026-09-04
Median household income	$65,246 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimate ±20,561 · American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates · ACS 5-Year 2024 (2020-2024) ZCTA · B19013_001E · on 2020 boundaries · retrieved 2026-09-05
Median age	45.3 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimate ±13 · American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates · ACS 5-Year 2024 (2020-2024) ZCTA · B01002_001E · on 2020 boundaries · retrieved 2026-09-05
Median gross rent	$1,014 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimate ±445 · American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates · ACS 5-Year 2024 (2020-2024) ZCTA · B25064_001E · on 2020 boundaries · retrieved 2026-09-05
Median home value	$287,100 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimate ±54,055 · American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates · ACS 5-Year 2024 (2020-2024) ZCTA · B25077_001E · on 2020 boundaries · retrieved 2026-09-05
Land area	25.7 sq mi Census Gazetteer 2020
Restaurants	1 2009 · U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns 2009 detail (NAICS2007) · by USPS ZIP 28679
Restaurants per 10,000 residents	Not yet derived
Restaurant growth, 5-year	+0.0% DERIVED: 2004 → 2009, ZIP Code Business Patterns restaurants
Projected restaurants, 2014	2 (range 0–4) FORECAST · linear trend v1 fitted to 2001–2009 (7 points, +0.0 per year, r² 0.07) · 80% range · confidence Low · momentum, not a guarantee
Projected population, 5 years ahead	Needs more ACS years on file
BMIE Market Score	53 / 100 MODELED · bmie_market_score v1 · confidence Medium · why?
Consumer Market Score	45 / 100 MODELED · consumer_market_score v1 · confidence High · why?
Restaurant Opportunity Score	63 / 100 MODELED · restaurant_opportunity_score v1 · confidence Medium · why?

Map

Boundary: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic file, 1:500k, 2020 vintage. Basemap © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Trends

Historical lines are published counts. Dashed lines are derived: a least-squares trend through the last decade, extended as a FORECAST with its 80% range. Momentum, not a guarantee.

Restaurants by year, with trend and projection

ZIP Code Business Patterns, USPS ZIP 28679. Projection: linear trend v1, fitted 2001–2009, +0.0 restaurants per year, r² 0.07, confidence Low.

Growth index (first year on file = 100)

Each category relative to its own first published count. Full/limited split is unavailable under SIC (before 1998).

Mix of the food-service market

Share of all food-service establishments. "Other" = snack bars, caterers, contractors, mobile.

Population and restaurants per 10,000 residents

Population points: 2010 Census count and ACS 5-year estimates on file (more vintages load over time). Density uses the population point within two years of each restaurant count. Population projection appears once three or more ACS years are loaded.

Restaurant growth vs. North Carolina and U.S. averages

Averages are the mean growth across all ZCTAs with the figure (state n = 688, U.S. n = 24,852). DERIVED from ZIP Code Business Patterns.

Why these scores?

Each score is a weighted average of national percentile ranks (0 = lowest of all ZCTAs with that figure, 100 = highest). Weights are set in the model registry, not in code, and every score carries its model version.

BMIE Market Score: 53 (Medium confidence)

Component	Value	Rank	Weight	Adds
Consumer Market Score	44.8	45	40%	+23.9
Restaurant Opportunity Score	63.4	63	35%	+29.6

Health index, advertising, whitespace, competition and risk components join in later versions.

Consumer Market Score: 45 (High confidence)

Component	Value	Rank	Weight	Adds
Population (ACS)	2,454	49	40%	+19.4
Median household income (ACS)	65,246	39	40%	+15.7
Households (ACS)	952	49	20%	+9.7

Percentile-rank composite. No spending model yet: income and size stand in for spending capacity.

Restaurant Opportunity Score: 63 (Medium confidence)

Component	Value	Rank	Weight	Adds
Restaurants per 10,000 residents (lower = more room)	4.1	95	25%	+36.4
Population (ACS)	2,454	49	20%	+15.0
Median household income (ACS)	65,246	39	20%	+12.1

Whitespace, competition and demand signals are not yet available; this version uses growth, density, size and income only.

A high score is a statistical position among all U.S. ZCTAs, not a prediction that a restaurant will succeed.

Restaurants on file (3)

By cuisine

Ice cream / frozen desserts 1

By type

Restaurant (service type not stated) 2 · Dessert 1 · Winery / distillery / taproom 1

Name	Type	Cuisine	Address	Status
Dutch Creek Ice Cream	Dessert · Restaurant (service type not stated)	Ice cream / frozen desserts	2918 Broadstone Rd	open
Pearl's Kitchen	Restaurant (service type not stated)		3595 Broadstone Rd	open
Valle Crucis Vineyard	Winery / distillery / taproom		1923 Watauga River Rd	open

Listings: Overture Maps Places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0), matched into the BMIE restaurant master. Census establishment counts and listing counts differ by definition (Census counts employer establishments in the reference week; listings are places currently mapped).

Restaurant establishments over time

Year	All food service	Restaurants	Full-service	Limited-service	Snack & beverage	Bars	Industry codes
2001	1	1	—	1	—	—	NAICS1997
2002	1	1	1	—	—	—	NAICS1997
2004	1	1	—	1	—	—	NAICS2002
2006	2	2	2	—	—	—	NAICS2002
2007	2	2	2	—	—	—	NAICS2002
2008	1	1	—	1	—	—	NAICS2007
2009	1	1	—	1	—	—	NAICS2007

U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns, by USPS ZIP 28679. Categories are BMIE roll-ups of the published SIC/NAICS codes (full vs limited service is not split under SIC). More years load in stages.

Nearby markets (within 5 miles)

ZCTA	Distance	Restaurants	Year
28692	3.8 mi	2	2016

Distance is centroid to centroid (Census Gazetteer). Restaurants: latest ZBP year on file for that ZIP.