Food trucks and mobile food vendors in North Carolina: 410 locations, +4.1% jobs
Official counts for food trucks and mobile food vendors in North Carolina, 2026 Q1: how many there are, whether they are adding jobs, what they pay, and how North Carolina compares with the other states. From the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau, refreshed each quarter.
North Carolina against the country · 2026 Q1
| North Carolina | United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Food trucks and mobile food vendors with employees | 410 | 13,075 |
| Per 100,000 residents | 3.7 | 3.8 |
| Jobs | 1,142 | 42,986 |
| Jobs, year over year | +4.1% | +7.6% |
| Locations, year over year | +21.7% | +8.4% |
| Average weekly wage | $406 | $523 |
| Rank among states, density | 21 of 50 | |
| Rank among states, job growth | 32 of 50 |
What the numbers say
North Carolina has 410 food trucks and mobile food vendors with payroll, employing 1,142 people. At 3.7 per 100,000 residents the market is close to the national average, number 21 among the 50 states with published data. Jobs grew +4.1% over the year, behind the national +7.6%. Locations grew faster than jobs, which usually means more and smaller operators entering: the kind of market where the cheapest service gets crowded first.
Average pay at food trucks and mobile food vendors in North Carolina is $406 a week, 22% below the national figure of $523. Budget labor from this number, not from a national guide.
Over five years, from 2021 to 2025, the number of food trucks and mobile food vendors in North Carolina moved +88.9%, from 198 to 374.
Food trucks and mobile food vendors in North Carolina, annual average
- 2021198
- 2022248
- 2023317
- 2024362
- 2025374
Jobs at food trucks and mobile food vendors in North Carolina
- 2021660
- 2022815
- 2023984
- 20241,185
- 20251,221
What counts as "food trucks and mobile food vendors" here
Mobile food services: food trucks, carts and stands that prepare and serve food from a vehicle or non-permanent stand. Catering is counted separately. The code is NAICS 722330. BLS counts establishments that report payroll, so a one-person business with no employees is not in these figures; in trades with many solo operators the true number of businesses is higher.
Before you open one in North Carolina
A statewide figure tells you which way the wind blows. It does not tell you whether the corner you are looking at has the households, the income and the gap in competition to support one more. A counts the food trucks and mobile food vendors within reach of one address in North Carolina, reads the county trend from the same BLS table, and scores the plan. The saturation check does a city-level version for free.
Questions people ask
How many food trucks and mobile food vendors are there in North Carolina?
BLS counted 410 food trucks and mobile food vendors with employees in North Carolina in 2026 Q1, employing 1,142 people. Owner-only businesses with no payroll are not in that count. That is 3.7 per 100,000 residents, against 3.8 nationally.
Are food trucks and mobile food vendors growing in North Carolina?
Yes. Jobs at food trucks and mobile food vendors in North Carolina changed +4.1% over the year to 2026 Q1, and the number of locations changed +21.7%. That ranks North Carolina 32 of 50 states for job growth in this business type. Over five years the location count moved +88.9%.
Is North Carolina a crowded market for food trucks and mobile food vendors?
North Carolina has 3.7 food trucks and mobile food vendors per 100,000 residents, close to the national average, ranking 21 of 50 states. Density is a statewide average; a Neur report counts the competitors around one address.
Food trucks and mobile food vendors in every state
Densest first. The number is food trucks and mobile food vendors per 100,000 residents in 2026 Q1.
Other business types in North Carolina
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private sector, NAICS 722330, 2026 Q1 (quarterly) and annual averages (five-year series); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year population estimates. This page is generated from those feeds and rewritten when a new quarter publishes. All 14 business types in North Carolina · Growth ranking for North Carolina · Food trucks and mobile food vendors by state