Food and drink · County · Arizona
Restaurants and cafes in Pima County, AZ
How Pima County, AZ compares with other counties and the U.S. for restaurants and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 63 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #637 of 2,405 scored counties
#3 of 14 scored counties in Arizona
- Listings
- 3,686
- 1,498 chain locations (41%)
- Official establishments
- 1,656
- +6.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.6B
- On food away from home · $3,722 a household
- Spending per listing
- $442K
- 19% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 84.2
- 23% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,074,685
- +2.8% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Pima 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 Pima 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 Pima County spend about $1.6B a year on food away from home, or $3,722 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. Spread across 3,686 restaurants and cafes, that is $442K per restaurant, 19% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 3,686 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Pima County as of September 2026. 1,498 of them (41%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 84.2, 23% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 1,656 businesses with payroll in Pima County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 6.7% from 2019. That is one for every 264 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 326 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 55 SBA-backed loans worth $36.7M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Pima County.
Population estimates put the population change in Pima County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.8%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Pima County is 63 (upper middle), #637 of 2,405 scored counties and #3 of 14 scored counties in Arizona.
How Pima 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 | Pima County | Arizona | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 84.2 | 95.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $442K | $415K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 264 | 239 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +6.7% | +11.8% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.8% | +6.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,722 | $3,982 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $70,315 | $79,964 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 63 | 79 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,552 → 1,656+6.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 36,585
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $841.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 326Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3,6861,498 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 4,395The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 55
- Amount
- $36.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Pima 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 Pima County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,074,685+2.8% since 2020
- Households
- 437,827
- Median age
- 41.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 9,189 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 115
- Median household income
- $70,315+31.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $96,008
- Median home value
- $319,700
- Jobs located here
- 381,409
- Daytime population
- 1,030,631Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Pima 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 Pima 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 Pima 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 Pima County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes63
- Sit-down restaurants65
- Fast food and sandwich shops57
- Pizza68
- Coffee shops and cafes53
- Bakeries and dessert shops65
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 Pima County, AZ?
As of September 2026, map listings count 3,686 restaurants and cafes in Pima County. 1,498 of them (41%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 1,656 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 6.7% from 2019. Another 326 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Pima County, AZ spend on food away from home?
About $1.6B a year, or $3,722 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 3,686 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $442K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 437,827 households in Pima County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Pima County, AZ compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Pima County has 84.2 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 23% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $442K, 19% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Pima County would have about 4,395, against 3,686 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 264 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Pima County, AZ growing?
Population estimates put Pima County at 1,074,685 people in 2025, up 2.8% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 437,827 households. Median household income in Pima County is $70,315, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.7%, 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. Pima County scores 63 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #637 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Pima 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 Pima County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Pima 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 Pima 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.