Food and drink · County · California
Restaurants and cafes in Santa Clara County, CA
How Santa Clara 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 51 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,122 of 2,405 scored counties
#17 of 55 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 8,564
- 2,627 chain locations (31%)
- Official establishments
- 4,104
- −0.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $3.8B
- On food away from home · $5,786 a household
- Spending per listing
- $445K
- 20% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 129.9
- 18% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,914,391
- −0.9% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 8,564 restaurants and cafes in Santa Clara County. 2,627 of them (31%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 129.9 per 10,000 households, 18% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $5,786 per household (42% above the U.S. average), households in Santa Clara County spend about $3.8B a year on food away from home. That works out to $445K per restaurant, 20% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 4,104 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Santa Clara County in 2023, down 0.6% from 2019. That is one for every 161 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 667 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 125 SBA-backed loans worth $97.2M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Santa Clara County.
Population estimates put the population change in Santa Clara County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For restaurants and cafes, Santa Clara County has a Groundwork market score of 51 (upper middle): #1,122 of 2,405 scored counties and #17 of 55 scored counties in California.
How Santa Clara 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 | Santa Clara County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 129.9 | 128.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $445K | $355K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 161 | 170 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −0.6% | +3.9% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.9% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $5,786 | $4,559 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $164,281 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 51 | 33 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4,129 → 4,104−0.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 69,473
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.2B
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 667Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8,5642,627 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 10,288The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 125
- Amount
- $97.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,914,391−0.9% since 2020
- Households
- 659,353
- Median age
- 39.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 55%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,291 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,473
- Median household income
- $164,281+32.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $227,008
- Median home value
- $1,490,600
- Jobs located here
- 1,140,081
- Daytime population
- 2,082,732Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara 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 |
| 17Santa Clara County, CA | 51 | 8,564 | 129.9 | $445K | −0.9% | #1,122 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Santa Clara County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes51
- Sit-down restaurants45
- Fast food and sandwich shops61
- Pizza62
- Coffee shops and cafes40
- Bakeries and dessert shops51
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 Santa Clara County, CA?
There are 8,564 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Santa Clara County as of September 2026. 2,627 of them (31%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 4,104 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 0.6% from 2019. Official counts list 667 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Santa Clara County, CA spend on food away from home?
About $3.8B a year, or $5,786 per household. That is 42% above the U.S. average (an index of 142, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 8,564 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $445K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 659,353 households in Santa Clara County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Santa Clara County, CA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Santa Clara County has 129.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 18% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $445K, 20% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Santa Clara County would have about 10,288, against 8,564 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 161 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 0.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Santa Clara County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Santa Clara County at 1,914,391 people in 2025, down 0.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 659,353 households. The median household income in Santa Clara County is $164,281 a year, twice the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 32.4% 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. Santa Clara County scores 51 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #1,122 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara 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.