The NC hospitality industry has been uniquely devastated during the pandemic. This section includes data and information relative to the impact of the pandemic on taxable sales, hotel occupancy, and monthly employment data.
Based on Current Employment Statistics (CES) from NC Department of Commerce, here are the latest comparisons based on Food Services & Drinking Places and Accommodations sector data.

Industry | May 2022 | May 2019 | Compared to May 2019 |
Food Services & Drinking Places | 387,200 | 400,400 | (13,200) |
Accommodations | 43,500 | 47,600 | (4,100) |
Industry Subtotal | 430,700 | 448,000 | (17,300) |
All Industries | 4,949,923 | 4,877,880 | 72,043 |
All Other Industries | 4,519,223 | 4,429,880 | 89,343 |
Based on NC Department of Revenue Monthly Sales and Use Tax Statistics, here are the latest comparisons based on data for Restaurants, Taverns, and Hotels.
Industry | April 2022 ($) | April 2019 ($) | Year over Year Comparison to April 2019 ($) | Year over Year Comparison to April 2019 (%) | Cumulative Change Since March 2020 ($) |
Restaurants | 1,951,283,075 | 1,787,301,645 | 163,981,430 | 15% | (1,256,458,322) |
Taverns | 109,174,351 | 85,719,114 | 23,455,237 | 29% | (71,157,715) |
Hotels | 502,016,248 | 398,743,144 | 103,273,104 | 17% | (483,580,864) |
Industry Subtotal | 2,562,473,674 | 2,271,763,903 | 290,709,771 | 15% | (1,811,196,901) |
All Industries | 18,856,416,833 | 14,035,937,105 | 4,820,479,728 | 33% | 59,674,834,458 |
All Other Industries | 16,293,943,159 | 11,764,173,202 | 4,529,769,957 | 36% | 61,486,031,359 |
Based on Smith Travel Research data, here are the latest comparisons:
Data Type | May 2022 | May 2019 | Compared to May 2019 |
Occupancy Rate (%) | 63.9% | 69.8% | -5.9% |
ADR ($) | $124.63 | $110.59 | 12.7% |
RevPAR ($) | $79.69 | $77.23 | 3% |