Food and drink · County · California
Restaurants and cafes in Placer County, CA
How Placer 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 60 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #769 of 2,405 scored counties
#6 of 55 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 1,914
- 770 chain locations (40%)
- Official establishments
- 922
- +7.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $775.9M
- On food away from home · $4,912 a household
- Spending per listing
- $405K
- 9% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 121.2
- 10% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 442,081
- +8.9% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Placer 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 Placer 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,914 restaurants and cafes in Placer County. Chain locations make up 40% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That is 121.2 per 10,000 households, 10% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $4,912 per household (21% above the U.S. average), households in Placer County spend about $775.9M a year on food away from home. That is about $405K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 9% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Placer County was 922 in 2023, up 7.7% from 2019. That is one for every 171 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 101 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 54 SBA-backed loans worth $37.3M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Placer County.
Population estimates put the population change in Placer County from 2020 to 2025 at +8.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Placer County is 60 (upper middle), #769 of 2,405 scored counties and #6 of 55 scored counties in California.
How Placer 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 | Placer County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 121.2 | 128.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $405K | $355K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 171 | 170 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +7.7% | +3.9% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +8.9% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,912 | $4,559 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $115,998 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 60 | 33 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 856 → 922+7.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 18,344
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $498.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 101Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,914770 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,092The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 54
- Amount
- $37.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Placer 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 Placer County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 442,081+8.9% since 2020
- Households
- 157,954
- Median age
- 43.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,407 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 298
- Median household income
- $115,998+29.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $150,239
- Median home value
- $688,100
- Jobs located here
- 187,169
- Daytime population
- 424,461Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Placer 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 Placer 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 Placer 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 |
Other business types in Placer County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes60
- Sit-down restaurants60
- Fast food and sandwich shops66
- Pizza63
- Coffee shops and cafes50
- Bakeries and dessert shops63
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 Placer County, CA?
Placer County has 1,914 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 770 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 922 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 7.7% from 2019. Another 101 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Placer County, CA spend on food away from home?
About $775.9M a year, or $4,912 per household. That is 21% above the U.S. average (an index of 121, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,914 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $405K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 157,954 households in Placer County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Placer County, CA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Placer County has 121.2 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 10% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $405K, 9% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Placer County would have about 2,092, against 1,914 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 171 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Placer County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Placer County at 442,081 people in 2025, up 8.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 157,954 households. The median household income in Placer County is $115,998 a year, 44% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.3% 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. Placer County scores 60 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #769 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Placer 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 Placer County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Placer 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 Placer 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.