Food and drink · County · Maryland
Pizza places in Howard County, MD
The pizza places in Howard County, MD, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #385 of 2,090 scored counties
#9 of 23 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 78
- 43 chain locations (55%)
- Official establishments
- 302
- All limited-service restaurants · +3.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $673.6M
- On food away from home · $5,564 a household
- Spending per listing
- $8.6M
- 70% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.4
- 20% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 339,183
- +1.9% since 2020
See the pizza places around any address in Howard County
The site report maps the pizza places on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Howard County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
Map listings as of September 2026 show 78 pizza places in Howard County. 43 of them (55%) are chain locations, against 58% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 6.4, 20% below the U.S. rate of 8.0.
At $5,564 per household (37% above the U.S. average), households in Howard County spend about $673.6M a year on food away from home. That is about $8.6M of household spending for each pizza place on map listings, 70% above the U.S. figure of $5.1M. That spending covers all food away from home, which pizza places share with other businesses in the trade.
Official counts show 302 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Howard County in 2023, up 3.4% from 2019. That is one for every 401 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only pizza places: fast food and sandwich shops are counted too. Another 81 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 12 SBA-backed loans worth $3.7M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Howard County.
Population estimates put the population change in Howard County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Howard County scores 67 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for pizza places, ranking #385 of 2,090 scored counties and #9 of 23 scored counties in Maryland. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Howard County compares
The same measures for Maryland and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the pizza places counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Howard County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.4 | 7.4 | 8.0 |
| Spending per listing | $8.6M | $6.2M | $5.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 401 | 431 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.4% | −0.1% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.9% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $5,564 | $4,604 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $149,763 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 292 → 302All limited-service restaurants · +3.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,612
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $103M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 81All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7843 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 133The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 12
- Amount
- $3.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Howard County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3. These official figures cover all limited-service restaurants, not only pizza places.
Population and households in Howard County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 339,183+1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 121,065
- Median age
- 40.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 251 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,340
- Median household income
- $149,763+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $184,243
- Median home value
- $597,900
- Jobs located here
- 185,575
- Daytime population
- 363,145Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Howard County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the pizza places on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Howard County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardPizza across Maryland
Every Maryland market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maryland for pizza places, numbered among those based in Maryland, with Howard County marked.
Top counties in Maryland
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Frederick County, MD | 76 | 83 | 7.9 | $6.3M | +11.0% | #157 of 2,090 |
| 2Charles County, MD | 75 | 35 | 5.7 | $8.7M | +5.9% | #163 of 2,090 |
| 3Kent County, MD | 74 | 6 | 7.1 | $5.5M | +2.3% | #197 of 2,090 |
| 4St. Mary’s County, MD | 72 | 26 | 6.1 | $8M | +2.4% | #240 of 2,090 |
| 5Harford County, MD | 71 | 75 | 7.4 | $6.4M | +2.0% | #270 of 2,090 |
| 6Queen Anne’s County, MD | 71 | 19 | 9.5 | $5M | +8.8% | #287 of 2,090 |
| 7Calvert County, MD | 70 | 25 | 7.5 | $7M | +1.7% | #300 of 2,090 |
| 8Montgomery County, MD | 69 | 222 | 5.7 | $9.2M | +1.3% | #326 of 2,090 |
| 9Howard County, MD | 67 | 78 | 6.4 | $8.6M | +1.9% | #385 of 2,090 |
| 10Carroll County, MD | 67 | 52 | 8.1 | $6.1M | +2.2% | #398 of 2,090 |
Other business types in Howard County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pizza places are in Howard County, MD?
There are 78 pizza places on map listings in Howard County as of September 2026. 43 of them (55%) are chain locations. The listings count pizza restaurants. Official counts show 302 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 3.4% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (fast food and sandwich shops included), not only pizza places. Official counts list 81 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Howard County, MD spend on food away from home?
About $673.6M a year, or $5,564 per household. That is 37% above the U.S. average (an index of 137, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 78 pizza places on map listings, it comes to $8.6M per pizza place. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only pizza places. It is estimated from the incomes of the 121,065 households in Howard County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Howard County, MD compare with the U.S. for pizza places?
Howard County has 6.4 pizza places per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 8.0. Spending per pizza place is $8.6M, 70% above the U.S. figure of $5.1M. At the national ratio of pizza places to household spending, Howard County would have about 133, against 78 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 401 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Howard County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Howard County at 339,183 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 121,065 households. The median household income in Howard County is $149,763 a year, 86% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.6% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Howard County scores 67 for pizza places (upper middle), #385 of 2,090 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Howard County. It maps the pizza places on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for pizza places · All 56 business types in Howard County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Howard County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of Howard County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.