Food and drink · County · California
Restaurants and cafes in El Dorado County, CA
The restaurants and cafes in El Dorado County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,357 of 2,405 scored counties
#23 of 55 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 984
- 231 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 402
- +3.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $364.1M
- On food away from home · $4,779 a household
- Spending per listing
- $370K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 129.2
- 18% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 192,323
- +0.6% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in El Dorado 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 El Dorado 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
At $4,779 per household (17% above the U.S. average), households in El Dorado County spend about $364.1M a year on food away from home. That is about $370K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 984 restaurants and cafes on map listings in El Dorado County as of September 2026. Of those, 231 are chain locations, or 23%, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 129.2 for every 10,000 households, 18% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in El Dorado County was 402 in 2023, up 3.9% from 2019. That is one for every 190 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 46 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 25 SBA-backed loans worth $17.1M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in El Dorado County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of El Dorado County grew 0.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). El Dorado County scores 46 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,357 of 2,405 scored counties and #23 of 55 scored counties in California.
How El Dorado 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.
| Measure | El Dorado County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 129.2 | 128.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $370K | $355K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 190 | 170 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.9% | +3.9% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.6% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,779 | $4,559 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $108,845 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 46 | 33 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 387 → 402+3.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 6,050
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $167M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 46Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 984231 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 982The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 25
- Amount
- $17.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in El Dorado 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 El Dorado County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 192,323+0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 76,185
- Median age
- 46.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 1,708 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 113
- Median household income
- $108,845+30.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $150,330
- Median home value
- $679,900
- Jobs located here
- 57,451
- Daytime population
- 166,597Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in El Dorado 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 El Dorado 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 California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in California, with El Dorado County marked.
Top counties in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Yuba County, CA | 86 | 179 | 62.5 | $606K | +8.2% | #52 of 2,405 |
| 2San Benito County, CA | 70 | 209 | 101.6 | $482K | +8.6% | #405 of 2,405 |
| 3Contra Costa County, CA | 64 | 3,869 | 93.4 | $555K | +0.3% | #585 of 2,405 |
| 4San Joaquin County, CA | 62 | 2,489 | 101.5 | $423K | +5.5% | #685 of 2,405 |
| 5Merced County, CA | 60 | 729 | 84.7 | $418K | +5.1% | #766 of 2,405 |
| 6Placer County, CA | 60 | 1,914 | 121.2 | $405K | +8.9% | #769 of 2,405 |
| 7Solano County, CA | 59 | 1,544 | 98.0 | $460K | +0.6% | #791 of 2,405 |
| 8Riverside County, CA | 59 | 7,943 | 102.4 | $422K | +5.0% | #802 of 2,405 |
| 9Madera County, CA | 58 | 450 | 99.2 | $387K | +7.4% | #849 of 2,405 |
| 10Lassen County, CA | 56 | 67 | 72.5 | $483K | −13.1% | #903 of 2,405 |
| 23El Dorado County, CA | 46 | 984 | 129.2 | $370K | +0.6% | #1,357 of 2,405 |
Other business types in El Dorado County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes46
- Sit-down restaurants49
- Fast food and sandwich shops68
- Pizza65
- Coffee shops and cafes42
- Bakeries and dessert shops54
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 El Dorado County, CA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 984 restaurants and cafes in El Dorado County. 231 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 402 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 3.9% from 2019. Another 46 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in El Dorado County, CA spend on food away from home?
About $364.1M a year, or $4,779 per household. That is 17% above the U.S. average (an index of 117, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 984 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $370K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 76,185 households in El Dorado County and national spending patterns by income.
How does El Dorado County, CA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
El Dorado County has 129.2 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 18% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $370K, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, El Dorado County would have about 982, against 984 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 190 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is El Dorado County, CA growing?
Population estimates put El Dorado County at 192,323 people in 2025, up 0.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 76,185 households. Median household income in El Dorado County is $108,845, 35% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 30.6%, 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. El Dorado County scores 46 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,357 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in El Dorado 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 El Dorado County
Screening a site or an acquisition in El Dorado 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 El Dorado 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.