BMIE Market 28692

Watauga County, North Carolina · ZCTA boundaries as of 2020

Profile

Population (current estimate)	4,367 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimate ±641 · American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates · ACS 5-Year 2024 (2020-2024) ZCTA · B01003_001E · on 2020 boundaries · retrieved 2026-09-05
Households	2,228 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimate ±329 · 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	4,067 2010 Census count · Decennial Census · Census Gazetteer ZCTA 2010 · POP10 · on 2010 boundaries · retrieved 2026-09-04
Housing units	2,443 2010 Census count · Decennial Census · Census Gazetteer ZCTA 2010 · HU10 · on 2010 boundaries · retrieved 2026-09-04
Median household income	$43,103 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimate ±6,606 · American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates · ACS 5-Year 2024 (2020-2024) ZCTA · B19013_001E · on 2020 boundaries · retrieved 2026-09-05
Median age	44.2 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimate ±5 · 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	$958 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimate ±293 · 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	$324,900 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimate ±41,636 · American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates · ACS 5-Year 2024 (2020-2024) ZCTA · B25077_001E · on 2020 boundaries · retrieved 2026-09-05
Land area	40.0 sq mi Census Gazetteer 2020
Restaurants	2 2016 · U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns 2016 detail (NAICS2012) · by USPS ZIP 28692
Restaurants per 10,000 residents	Not yet derived
Restaurant growth, 5-year	+100.0% DERIVED: 2011 → 2016, ZIP Code Business Patterns restaurants
Restaurant growth, 10-year	+100.0% DERIVED: 2005 → 2015, ZIP Code Business Patterns restaurants
Projected restaurants, 2021	3 (range 2–4) FORECAST · linear trend v1 fitted to 1998–2016 (8 points, +0.1 per year, r² 0.63) · 80% range · confidence Medium · momentum, not a guarantee
Projected population, 5 years ahead	Needs more ACS years on file
BMIE Market Score	63 / 100 MODELED · bmie_market_score v1 · confidence High · why?
Consumer Market Score	39 / 100 MODELED · consumer_market_score v1 · confidence High · why?
Restaurant Opportunity Score	69 / 100 MODELED · restaurant_opportunity_score v1 · confidence High · why?
Market Momentum Score	95 / 100 MODELED · market_momentum_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 28692. Projection: linear trend v1, fitted 1998–2016, +0.1 restaurants per year, r² 0.63, confidence Medium.

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: 63 (High confidence)

Component	Value	Rank	Weight	Adds
Consumer Market Score	39.1	39	40%	+15.6
Restaurant Opportunity Score	68.8	69	35%	+24.1
Market Momentum Score	94.6	95	25%	+23.6

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

Consumer Market Score: 39 (High confidence)

Component	Value	Rank	Weight	Adds
Population (ACS)	4,367	58	40%	+23.3
Median household income (ACS)	43,103	8	40%	+3.3
Households (ACS)	2,228	63	20%	+12.5

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

Restaurant Opportunity Score: 69 (High confidence)

Component	Value	Rank	Weight	Adds
10-year restaurant growth	100	92	35%	+32.2
Restaurants per 10,000 residents (lower = more room)	4.6	93	25%	+23.3
Population (ACS)	4,367	58	20%	+11.6
Median household income (ACS)	43,103	8	20%	+1.6

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

Market Momentum Score: 95 (Medium confidence)

Component	Value	Rank	Weight	Adds
5-year restaurant growth	100	96	50%	+60.0
10-year restaurant growth	100	92	30%	+34.5

Restaurant-count growth only until population and income growth series exist.

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

American 1 · Coffee 1 · Indian 1

By type

Bar 1 · Café 1 · Casual dining 1 · Restaurant (service type not stated) 1 · Winery / distillery / taproom 1

Name	Type	Cuisine	Address	Status
Appalachian High Country Vineyard	Winery / distillery / taproom · Bar		2912 Mountain Dale Rd	open
Meraki Merkantile	Café	Coffee		open
Spice House	Restaurant (service type not stated) · Casual dining	Indian · American	4869 US-421	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
1998	1	1	—	—	—	—	NAICS1997
2005	1	1	1	—	—	—	NAICS2002
2011	1	1	1	—	—	—	NAICS2007
2012	2	2	2	—	—	—	NAICS2012
2013	2	2	2	—	—	—	NAICS2012
2014	2	2	2	—	—	—	NAICS2012
2015	2	2	1	1	—	—	NAICS2012
2016	2	2	1	1	—	—	NAICS2012

U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns, by USPS ZIP 28692. 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
28679	3.8 mi	1	2009
28698	4.3 mi	3	2020

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