Food and drink · County · California
Restaurants and cafes in San Benito County, CA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in San Benito County, CA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 70 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #405 of 2,405 scored counties
#2 of 55 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 209
- 59 chain locations (28%)
- Official establishments
- 99
- +26.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $100.7M
- On food away from home · $4,897 a household
- Spending per listing
- $482K
- 30% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 101.6
- 7% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 70,082
- +8.6% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in San Benito 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 San Benito 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 209 restaurants and cafes in San Benito County. Chain locations make up 28% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 101.6 for every 10,000 households, 7% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in San Benito County spend about $100.7M a year on food away from home, or $4,897 per household, 20% above the U.S. average. That is about $482K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 30% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in San Benito County was 99 in 2023, up 26.9% from 2019. That is one for every 208 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 11 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $3.4M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in San Benito County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of San Benito County grew 8.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, San Benito County has a Groundwork market score of 70 (upper middle): #405 of 2,405 scored counties and #2 of 55 scored counties in California. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How San Benito 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 | San Benito County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 101.6 | 128.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $482K | $355K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 208 | 170 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +26.9% | +3.9% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +8.6% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,897 | $4,559 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $114,394 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 70 | 33 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 78 → 99+26.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,552
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $39.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 11Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 20959 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 272The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $3.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in San Benito 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 San Benito County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 70,082+8.6% since 2020
- Households
- 20,561
- Median age
- 36.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.5
- Land area
- 1,389 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 48
- Median household income
- $114,394+31.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $143,684
- Median home value
- $793,400
- Jobs located here
- 17,302
- Daytime population
- 57,797Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in San Benito 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 San Benito 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 San Benito 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 San Benito County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes70
- Sit-down restaurants72
- Fast food and sandwich shops82
- Pizza82
- Coffee shops and cafes63
- Bakeries and dessert shops62
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 San Benito County, CA?
San Benito County has 209 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 59 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 99 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 26.9% from 2019. Official counts also show 11 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in San Benito County, CA spend on food away from home?
About $100.7M a year, or $4,897 per household. That is 20% above the U.S. average (an index of 120, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 209 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $482K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 20,561 households in San Benito County and national spending patterns by income.
How does San Benito County, CA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
San Benito County has 101.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 7% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $482K, 30% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, San Benito County would have about 272, against 209 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 208 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 26.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is San Benito County, CA growing?
Population estimates put San Benito County at 70,082 people in 2025, up 8.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 20,561 households. The median household income in San Benito County is $114,394 a year, 42% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.6% 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. San Benito County scores 70 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #405 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in San Benito 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 San Benito County
Screening a site or an acquisition in San Benito 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 San Benito 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.