North Carolina: who owns Main Street
State of Main Street Ownership — Q4 2026 · Data as of November 6, 2026
- Classified businesses
- 365,359
- Independent (no chain or franchise brand)
- 90.8%
- US: 91.1%
- List a phone number
- 96%
- List a website
- 82%
Top 10 industries in North Carolina
| # | Industry | Businesses |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real Estate | 17,522 |
| 2 | Restaurant | 17,368 |
| 3 | Hair Salon | 16,210 |
| 4 | Auto Repair | 7,116 |
| 5 | Attorney | 6,763 |
| 6 | Clothing Boutique | 6,741 |
| 7 | Massage Therapy | 5,859 |
| 8 | Auto Dealer | 5,489 |
| 9 | Insurance | 5,271 |
| 10 | Hotel & Lodging | 5,181 |
Top 5 cities by business count
- 1Charlotte, NC42,020
- 2Raleigh, NC25,963
- 3Greensboro, NC13,986
- 4Wilmington, NC11,775
- 5Durham, NC11,404
Cities are ranked by listed city name, not metro area: suburbs are not rolled into their metro.
Industry market data for North Carolina
Buying guides
Counts are businesses in the 390 industries the report classifies; North Carolina’s independent share is weighted by location across those industries. “Independent” means no chain or franchise brand in the listing; brand coverage is partial, so chain share is understated.
Counts describe businesses that exist, not businesses listed for sale, and say nothing about any owner’s intent to sell or any buyer’s returns.
Read the national report for fragmentation by industry, reachability, methodology and the full data downloads.