Groundwork

Food and drink · County · California

Restaurants and cafes in Del Norte County, CA

The restaurants and cafes in Del Norte County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,390 of 2,405 scored counties
#24 of 55 scored counties in California

Listings
88
29 chain locations (33%)
Official establishments
34
+6.3% since 2019
Household spending a year
$34.1M
On food away from home · $3,584 a household
Spending per listing
$388K
5% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
92.4
16% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
26,410
−4.4% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Del Norte 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 Del Norte County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Household spending on food away from home in Del Norte County comes to about $34.1M a year: $3,584 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. That works out to $388K per restaurant, 5% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

Del Norte County has 88 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 29 of them (33%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 92.4 for every 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

In 2023, official counts showed 34 businesses with payroll in Del Norte County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 6.3% from 2019. That is one for every 280 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 7 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $65K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Del Norte County.

Population estimates put the population change in Del Norte County from 2020 to 2025 at −4.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Del Norte County scores 45 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,390 of 2,405 scored counties and #24 of 55 scored counties in California.

How Del Norte County compares

The same measures for California 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.

Restaurants and cafes in Del Norte County, CA compared with California and the U.S.
MeasureDel Norte CountyCaliforniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households92.4128.4109.8
Spending per listing$388K$355K$371K
Households per official establishment280170209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+6.3%+3.9%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−4.4%−0.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,584$4,559$4,070
Median household income$67,058$99,122$80,734
Groundwork market score4533

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
32 → 34+6.3% over the period
Employees, 2023
492
Annual payroll, 2023
$12M
One-person businesses, 2023
7Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
8829 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
92The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$65K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Del Norte 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 Del Norte County

Population, 2025 estimate
26,410−4.4% since 2020
Households
9,522
Median age
41.0
Homes lived in by their owners
70%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
1,006 sq. mi.
People per square mile
27
Median household income
$67,058+48.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$85,665
Median home value
$342,000
Jobs located here
7,729
Daytime population
25,295Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Del Norte 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 Del Norte County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Restaurants and cafes across California

Every California market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in California for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in California, with Del Norte County marked.

Top counties in California

Counties in California ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Yuba County, CA8617962.5$606K+8.2%#52 of 2,405
2San Benito County, CA70209101.6$482K+8.6%#405 of 2,405
3Contra Costa County, CA643,86993.4$555K+0.3%#585 of 2,405
4San Joaquin County, CA622,489101.5$423K+5.5%#685 of 2,405
5Merced County, CA6072984.7$418K+5.1%#766 of 2,405
6Placer County, CA601,914121.2$405K+8.9%#769 of 2,405
7Solano County, CA591,54498.0$460K+0.6%#791 of 2,405
8Riverside County, CA597,943102.4$422K+5.0%#802 of 2,405
9Madera County, CA5845099.2$387K+7.4%#849 of 2,405
10Lassen County, CA566772.5$483K−13.1%#903 of 2,405
24Del Norte County, CA458892.4$388K−4.4%#1,390 of 2,405

Other business types in Del Norte County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Del Norte County, CA?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 88 restaurants and cafes in Del Norte County. 29 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 34 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 6.3% from 2019. Official counts list 7 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Del Norte County, CA spend on food away from home?

About $34.1M a year, or $3,584 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 88 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $388K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 9,522 households in Del Norte County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Del Norte County, CA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Del Norte County has 92.4 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $388K, 5% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Del Norte County would have about 92, against 88 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 280 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Del Norte County, CA growing?

Population estimates put Del Norte County at 26,410 people in 2025, down 4.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 9,522 households. Median household income in Del Norte County is $67,058, 17% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 48.1%, 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. Del Norte County scores 45 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,390 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Del Norte 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 Del Norte County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Del Norte 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 Del Norte 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.