Food and drink · County · Arizona
Restaurants and cafes in Maricopa County, AZ
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Maricopa County, AZ, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 61 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #725 of 2,405 scored counties
#5 of 14 scored counties in Arizona
- Listings
- 17,834
- 7,696 chain locations (43%)
- Official establishments
- 7,900
- +12.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $7.3B
- On food away from home · $4,234 a household
- Spending per listing
- $411K
- 11% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 103.0
- 6% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 4,689,558
- +5.5% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Maricopa County
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 Maricopa 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
Households in Maricopa County spend about $7.3B a year on food away from home, or $4,234 per household, 4% above the U.S. average. That works out to $411K per restaurant, 11% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
Maricopa County has 17,834 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 7,696 are chain locations, or 43%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 103.0 per 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Official counts show 7,900 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Maricopa County in 2023, up 12.9% from 2019. That is one for every 219 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 1,689 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 340 SBA-backed loans worth $225.5M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Maricopa County.
Population estimates show Maricopa County grew 5.5% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Maricopa County has a Groundwork market score of 61 (upper middle): #725 of 2,405 scored counties and #5 of 14 scored counties in Arizona.
How Maricopa County 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 | Maricopa County | Arizona | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 103.0 | 95.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $411K | $415K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 219 | 239 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +12.9% | +11.8% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.5% | +6.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,234 | $3,982 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $89,300 | $79,964 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 61 | 79 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 7,000 → 7,900+12.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 179,839
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.6B
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,689Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 17,8347,696 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 19,761The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 340
- Amount
- $225.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Maricopa 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.
Population and households in Maricopa County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 4,689,558+5.5% since 2020
- Households
- 1,730,696
- Median age
- 39.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 9,202 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 496
- Median household income
- $89,300+38.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $120,023
- Median home value
- $452,800
- Jobs located here
- 2,317,205
- Daytime population
- 4,768,907Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Maricopa 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 restaurants and cafes on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Maricopa County. 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 counties in Arizona for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Arizona, with Maricopa County marked.
Top counties in Arizona
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Pinal County, AZ | 92 | 831 | 51.3 | $753K | +25.4% | #13 of 2,405 |
| 2Graham County, AZ | 65 | 82 | 64.3 | $542K | +4.0% | #541 of 2,405 |
| 3Pima County, AZ | 63 | 3,686 | 84.2 | $442K | +2.8% | #637 of 2,405 |
| 4Mohave County, AZ | 62 | 795 | 78.0 | $422K | +6.5% | #686 of 2,405 |
| 5Maricopa County, AZ | 61 | 17,834 | 103.0 | $411K | +5.5% | #725 of 2,405 |
| 6Yuma County, AZ | 61 | 680 | 85.7 | $391K | +9.2% | #731 of 2,405 |
| 7Apache County, AZ | 60 | 105 | 49.8 | $578K | −2.2% | #742 of 2,405 |
| 8Yavapai County, AZ | 57 | 1,060 | 95.4 | $383K | +6.5% | #890 of 2,405 |
| 9Cochise County, AZ | 39 | 532 | 104.4 | $320K | +0.6% | #1,670 of 2,405 |
| 10Navajo County, AZ | 38 | 363 | 90.6 | $345K | +3.0% | #1,700 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Maricopa County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes61
- Sit-down restaurants65
- Fast food and sandwich shops59
- Pizza67
- Coffee shops and cafes55
- Bakeries and dessert shops60
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 Maricopa County, AZ?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 17,834 restaurants and cafes in Maricopa County. 7,696 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 7,900 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 12.9% from 2019. Official counts list 1,689 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Maricopa County, AZ spend on food away from home?
About $7.3B a year, or $4,234 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 17,834 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $411K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,730,696 households in Maricopa County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Maricopa County, AZ compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Maricopa County has 103.0 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $411K, 11% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Maricopa County would have about 19,761, against 17,834 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 219 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 12.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Maricopa County, AZ growing?
Population estimates put Maricopa County at 4,689,558 people in 2025, up 5.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 1,730,696 households. Median household income in Maricopa County is $89,300, 11% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 38.5%, 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. Maricopa County scores 61 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #725 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Maricopa County. 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 Maricopa County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Maricopa 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 Maricopa 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.