Groundwork

Food and drink · County · California

Restaurants and cafes in Solano County, CA

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Solano County, CA, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 59 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #791 of 2,405 scored counties
#7 of 55 scored counties in California

Listings
1,544
624 chain locations (40%)
Official establishments
715
+6.7% since 2019
Household spending a year
$710.9M
On food away from home · $4,513 a household
Spending per listing
$460K
24% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
98.0
11% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
455,376
+0.6% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Solano 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 Solano County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Households in Solano County spend about $710.9M a year on food away from home, or $4,513 per household, 11% above the U.S. average. That is about $460K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 24% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

Solano County has 1,544 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 40% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That is 98.0 per 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Solano County was 715 in 2023, up 6.7% from 2019. That is one for every 220 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 132 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 21 SBA-backed loans worth $12.2M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Solano County.

Population estimates show Solano County grew 0.6% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Solano County has a Groundwork market score of 59 (upper middle): #791 of 2,405 scored counties and #7 of 55 scored counties in California.

How Solano 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.

Restaurants and cafes in Solano County, CA compared with California and the U.S.
MeasureSolano CountyCaliforniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households98.0128.4109.8
Spending per listing$460K$355K$371K
Households per official establishment220170209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+6.7%+3.9%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.6%−0.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$4,513$4,559$4,070
Median household income$100,401$99,122$80,734
Groundwork market score5933

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
670 → 715+6.7% over the period
Employees, 2023
12,731
Annual payroll, 2023
$334.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
132Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
1,544624 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
1,917The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
21
Amount
$12.2M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Solano 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 Solano County

Population, 2025 estimate
455,376+0.6% since 2020
Households
157,512
Median age
40.1
Homes lived in by their owners
63%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
822 sq. mi.
People per square mile
550
Median household income
$100,401+23.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$126,026
Median home value
$617,700
Jobs located here
138,955
Daytime population
384,717Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Solano 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 Solano County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Restaurants 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 Solano County marked.

Top counties in California

Counties in California ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Yuba County, CA8617962.5$606K+8.2%#52 of 2,405
2San Benito County, CA70209101.6$482K+8.6%#405 of 2,405
3Contra Costa County, CA643,86993.4$555K+0.3%#585 of 2,405
4San Joaquin County, CA622,489101.5$423K+5.5%#685 of 2,405
5Merced County, CA6072984.7$418K+5.1%#766 of 2,405
6Placer County, CA601,914121.2$405K+8.9%#769 of 2,405
7Solano County, CA591,54498.0$460K+0.6%#791 of 2,405
8Riverside County, CA597,943102.4$422K+5.0%#802 of 2,405
9Madera County, CA5845099.2$387K+7.4%#849 of 2,405
10Lassen County, CA566772.5$483K−13.1%#903 of 2,405

Other business types in Solano County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Solano County, CA?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,544 restaurants and cafes in Solano County. 624 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 715 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 6.7% from 2019. Official counts also show 132 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Solano County, CA spend on food away from home?

About $710.9M a year, or $4,513 per household. That is 11% above the U.S. average (an index of 111, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,544 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $460K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 157,512 households in Solano County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Solano County, CA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Solano County has 98.0 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $460K, 24% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Solano County would have about 1,917, against 1,544 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 220 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Solano County, CA growing?

Population estimates put Solano County at 455,376 people in 2025, up 0.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 157,512 households. Median household income in Solano County is $100,401, 24% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.2%, 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. Solano County scores 59 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #791 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Solano 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 Solano County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Solano 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 Solano 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.