Food and drink · County · California
Restaurants and cafes in Imperial County, CA
How Imperial County, CA 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 30 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,028 of 2,405 scored counties
#44 of 55 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 529
- 208 chain locations (39%)
- Official establishments
- 225
- +3.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $166M
- On food away from home · $3,344 a household
- Spending per listing
- $314K
- 15% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 106.6
- 3% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 181,411
- +1.1% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Imperial 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 Imperial 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, Imperial County has a Groundwork market score of 30 (lower middle): #2,028 of 2,405 scored counties and #44 of 55 scored counties in California. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 529 restaurants and cafes in Imperial County. Of those, 208 are chain locations, or 39%, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 106.6 for every 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,344 per household (18% below the U.S. average), households in Imperial County spend about $166M a year on food away from home. That works out to $314K per restaurant, 15% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 225 businesses with payroll in Imperial County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 3.2% from 2019. That is one for every 221 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 9 SBA-backed loans worth $10.5M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Imperial County. Population estimates show Imperial County grew 1.1% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Imperial 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 | Imperial County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 106.6 | 128.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $314K | $355K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 221 | 170 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.2% | +3.9% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.1% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,344 | $4,559 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $57,681 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 30 | 33 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 218 → 225+3.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,792
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $94.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 78Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 529208 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 448The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 9
- Amount
- $10.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Imperial 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 Imperial County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 181,411+1.1% since 2020
- Households
- 49,644
- Median age
- 33.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 57%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 4,176 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 43
- Median household income
- $57,681+21.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,363
- Median home value
- $309,600
- Jobs located here
- 63,081
- Daytime population
- 165,766Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Imperial 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 Imperial 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 Imperial 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 |
| 44Imperial County, CA | 30 | 529 | 106.6 | $314K | +1.1% | #2,028 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Imperial County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes30
- Sit-down restaurants37
- Fast food and sandwich shops25
- Pizza49
- Coffee shops and cafes31
- Bakeries and dessert shops24
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 Imperial County, CA?
Imperial County has 529 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 208 of them (39%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 225 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 3.2% from 2019. Another 78 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Imperial County, CA spend on food away from home?
About $166M a year, or $3,344 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 529 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $314K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 49,644 households in Imperial County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Imperial County, CA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Imperial County has 106.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $314K, 15% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Imperial County would have about 448, against 529 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 221 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Imperial County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Imperial County at 181,411 people in 2025, up 1.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 49,644 households. The median household income in Imperial County is $57,681 a year, 29% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 21.1% 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. Imperial County scores 30 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #2,028 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Imperial 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 Imperial County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Imperial 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 Imperial 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.