Food and drink · Metro area · Arizona
Restaurants and cafes in the Flagstaff, AZ metro area
The restaurants and cafes in the Flagstaff, AZ metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 16 out of 100: Low
Ranked #382 of 387 scored metro areas
#7 of 7 scored metro areas based in Arizona
- Listings
- 836
- 270 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 355
- +4.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $210.8M
- On food away from home · $3,824 a household
- Spending per listing
- $252K
- 32% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 151.7
- 38% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 144,368
- −0.6% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Flagstaff metro area
The site report maps the restaurants and cafes 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 the Flagstaff metro area. 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
The Flagstaff metro area scores 16 (low) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #382 of 387 scored metro areas and #7 of 7 scored metro areas based in Arizona. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
At $3,824 per household (6% below the U.S. average), households in the Flagstaff metro area spend about $210.8M a year on food away from home. That works out to $252K per restaurant, 32% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 836 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Flagstaff metro area as of September 2026. Of those, 270 are chain locations, or 32%, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 151.7 for every 10,000 households, 38% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 355 businesses with payroll in the Flagstaff metro area classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 4.7% from 2019. That is one for every 155 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $4.1M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Flagstaff metro area. Population estimates show the Flagstaff metro area declined 0.6% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Flagstaff metro area compares
The same measures for Arizona and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the restaurants and cafes 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 | Flagstaff metro area | Arizona | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 151.7 | 95.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $252K | $415K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 155 | 239 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.7% | +11.8% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.6% | +6.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,824 | $3,982 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $72,966 | $79,964 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 16 | 79 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 355+4.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 7,899
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $224.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 22Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 836270 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 568The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $4.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Flagstaff metro area, 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.
Population and households in the Flagstaff metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 144,368−0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 55,118
- Median age
- 36.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 18,616 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 8
- Median household income
- $72,966+22.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $101,878
- Median home value
- $448,000
- Jobs located here
- 59,472
- Daytime population
- 148,186Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Flagstaff metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the restaurants and cafes on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Flagstaff metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardRestaurants and cafes across Arizona
Every Arizona market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Arizona for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Arizona, with the Flagstaff metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Arizona
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 76 | 18,665 | 98.6 | $426K | +7.3% | #35 of 387 |
| 2Tucson, AZ | 73 | 3,686 | 84.2 | $442K | +2.8% | #43 of 387 |
| 3Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ | 69 | 795 | 78.0 | $422K | +6.5% | #67 of 387 |
| 4Yuma, AZ | 65 | 680 | 85.7 | $391K | +9.2% | #99 of 387 |
| 5Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ | 61 | 1,060 | 95.4 | $383K | +6.5% | #125 of 387 |
| 6Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ | 37 | 532 | 104.4 | $320K | +0.6% | #284 of 387 |
| 7Flagstaff, AZ | 16 | 836 | 151.7 | $252K | −0.6% | #382 of 387 |
Other business types in the Flagstaff metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes16
- Sit-down restaurants16
- Fast food and sandwich shops22
- Pizza29
- Coffee shops and cafes18
- Bakeries and dessert shops36
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 restaurants and cafes are in the Flagstaff, AZ metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 836 restaurants and cafes in the Flagstaff metro area. 270 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 355 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 4.7% from 2019. Official counts also show 22 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Flagstaff, AZ metro area spend on food away from home?
About $210.8M a year, or $3,824 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 836 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $252K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 55,118 households in the Flagstaff metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Flagstaff, AZ metro area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Flagstaff metro area has 151.7 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 38% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $252K, 32% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Flagstaff metro area would have about 568, against 836 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 155 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Flagstaff, AZ metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Flagstaff metro area at 144,368 people in 2025, down 0.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 55,118 households. Median household income in the Flagstaff metro area is $72,966, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.7%, 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. The Flagstaff metro area scores 16 for restaurants and cafes (low), #382 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Flagstaff metro area. It maps the restaurants and cafes 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 restaurants and cafes · All 56 business types in the Flagstaff metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Flagstaff metro area?
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 the Flagstaff metro area. 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.