Food and drink · County · California
Restaurants and cafes in Los Angeles County, CA
The restaurants and cafes in Los Angeles County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 29 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,065 of 2,405 scored counties
#45 of 55 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 46,038
- 14,157 chain locations (31%)
- Official establishments
- 21,461
- +3.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $14.8B
- On food away from home · $4,324 a household
- Spending per listing
- $321K
- 13% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 134.8
- 23% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 9,694,934
- −3.0% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles 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, Los Angeles County has a Groundwork market score of 29 (lower middle): #2,065 of 2,405 scored counties and #45 of 55 scored counties in California. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $4,324 per household (6% above the U.S. average), households in Los Angeles County spend about $14.8B a year on food away from home. That works out to $321K per restaurant, 13% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Los Angeles County has 46,038 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 14,157 of them (31%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 134.8 per 10,000 households, 23% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Official counts show 21,461 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Los Angeles County in 2023, up 3.0% from 2019. That is one for every 159 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 933 SBA-backed loans worth $570.4M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Los Angeles County. Population estimates put the population change in Los Angeles County from 2020 to 2025 at −3.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Los Angeles 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 | Los Angeles County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 134.8 | 128.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $321K | $355K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 159 | 170 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.0% | +3.9% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.0% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,324 | $4,559 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $90,112 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 29 | 33 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 20,840 → 21,461+3.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 373,539
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11.2B
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4,791Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 46,03814,157 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 39,840The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 933
- Amount
- $570.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 9,694,934−3.0% since 2020
- Households
- 3,416,449
- Median age
- 39.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 46%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 4,060 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 2,416
- Median household income
- $90,112+32.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $128,768
- Median home value
- $834,200
- Jobs located here
- 4,875,632
- Daytime population
- 10,082,231Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles 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 |
| 45Los Angeles County, CA | 29 | 46,038 | 134.8 | $321K | −3.0% | #2,065 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Los Angeles County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes29
- Sit-down restaurants28
- Fast food and sandwich shops47
- Pizza52
- Coffee shops and cafes29
- Bakeries and dessert shops28
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 Los Angeles County, CA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 46,038 restaurants and cafes in Los Angeles County. 14,157 of them (31%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 21,461 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 3.0% from 2019. Another 4,791 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Los Angeles County, CA spend on food away from home?
About $14.8B a year, or $4,324 per household. That is 6% above the U.S. average (an index of 106, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 46,038 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $321K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 3,416,449 households in Los Angeles County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Los Angeles County, CA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Los Angeles County has 134.8 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 23% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $321K, 13% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Los Angeles County would have about 39,840, against 46,038 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 159 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Los Angeles County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Los Angeles County at 9,694,934 people in 2025, down 3.0% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 3,416,449 households. Median household income in Los Angeles County is $90,112, 12% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 32.4%, 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. Los Angeles County scores 29 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #2,065 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles 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.