Food and drink · County · Arizona
Restaurants and cafes in Santa Cruz County, AZ
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Santa Cruz County, AZ, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 33 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,928 of 2,405 scored counties
#12 of 14 scored counties in Arizona
- Listings
- 195
- 46 chain locations (24%)
- Official establishments
- 72
- +14.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $54M
- On food away from home · $3,182 a household
- Spending per listing
- $277K
- 25% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 114.9
- 5% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 50,020
- +4.8% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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
For restaurants and cafes, Santa Cruz County has a Groundwork market score of 33 (lower middle): #1,928 of 2,405 scored counties and #12 of 14 scored counties in Arizona. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 195 restaurants and cafes in Santa Cruz County. Chain locations make up 24% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 114.9, 5% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,182 per household (22% below the U.S. average), households in Santa Cruz County spend about $54M a year on food away from home. That is about $277K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 25% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 72 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Santa Cruz County in 2023, up 14.3% from 2019. That is one for every 236 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Population estimates show Santa Cruz County grew 4.8% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Santa Cruz 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 | Santa Cruz County | Arizona | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 114.9 | 95.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $277K | $415K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 236 | 239 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +14.3% | +11.8% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.8% | +6.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,182 | $3,982 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $55,217 | $79,964 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 33 | 79 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 63 → 72+14.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 942
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $20.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 32Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 19546 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 146The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 50,020+4.8% since 2020
- Households
- 16,966
- Median age
- 38.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,236 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 40
- Median household income
- $55,217+33.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $71,913
- Median home value
- $233,000
- Jobs located here
- 12,313
- Daytime population
- 42,829Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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 |
| 12Santa Cruz County, AZ | 33 | 195 | 114.9 | $277K | +4.8% | #1,928 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Santa Cruz County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes33
- Sit-down restaurants30
- Fast food and sandwich shops47
- Pizza54
- Coffee shops and cafes53
- Bakeries and dessert shops51
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 Santa Cruz County, AZ?
Santa Cruz County has 195 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 46 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 72 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 14.3% from 2019. Official counts also show 32 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Santa Cruz County, AZ spend on food away from home?
About $54M a year, or $3,182 per household. That is 22% below the U.S. average (an index of 78, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 195 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $277K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 16,966 households in Santa Cruz County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Santa Cruz County, AZ compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Santa Cruz County has 114.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $277K, 25% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Santa Cruz County would have about 146, against 195 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 236 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 14.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Santa Cruz County, AZ growing?
Population estimates put Santa Cruz County at 50,020 people in 2025, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 16,966 households. The median household income in Santa Cruz County is $55,217 a year, 32% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 33.8% 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. Santa Cruz County scores 33 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,928 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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.