Food and drink · County · California
Restaurants and cafes in Sonoma County, CA
How Sonoma 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 31 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,996 of 2,405 scored counties
#43 of 55 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 3,338
- 644 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 1,041
- −0.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $893.7M
- On food away from home · $4,679 a household
- Spending per listing
- $268K
- 28% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 174.8
- 59% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 486,444
- −0.4% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Sonoma 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 Sonoma 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, Sonoma County has a Groundwork market score of 31 (lower middle): #1,996 of 2,405 scored counties and #43 of 55 scored counties in California. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $4,679 per household (15% above the U.S. average), households in Sonoma County spend about $893.7M a year on food away from home. That works out to $268K per restaurant, 28% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 3,338 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Sonoma County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 19% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That is 174.8 per 10,000 households, 59% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 1,041 businesses with payroll in Sonoma County classed as restaurants and other eating places, down 0.1% from 2019. That is one for every 183 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 47 SBA-backed loans worth $23.4M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Sonoma County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Sonoma County declined 0.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Sonoma 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 | Sonoma County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 174.8 | 128.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $268K | $355K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 183 | 170 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −0.1% | +3.9% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.4% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,679 | $4,559 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $104,674 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 31 | 33 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,042 → 1,041−0.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 17,342
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $536.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 136Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3,338644 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,410The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 47
- Amount
- $23.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Sonoma 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 Sonoma County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 486,444−0.4% since 2020
- Households
- 190,998
- Median age
- 44.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 63%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,575 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 308
- Median household income
- $104,674+29.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $142,354
- Median home value
- $815,500
- Jobs located here
- 200,159
- Daytime population
- 465,573Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Sonoma 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 Sonoma 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 Sonoma 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 |
| 43Sonoma County, CA | 31 | 3,338 | 174.8 | $268K | −0.4% | #1,996 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Sonoma County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes31
- Sit-down restaurants44
- Fast food and sandwich shops67
- Pizza66
- Coffee shops and cafes36
- Bakeries and dessert shops36
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 Sonoma County, CA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 3,338 restaurants and cafes in Sonoma County. 644 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 1,041 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 0.1% from 2019. Another 136 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Sonoma County, CA spend on food away from home?
About $893.7M a year, or $4,679 per household. That is 15% above the U.S. average (an index of 115, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 3,338 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $268K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 190,998 households in Sonoma County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Sonoma County, CA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Sonoma County has 174.8 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 59% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $268K, 28% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Sonoma County would have about 2,410, against 3,338 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 183 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 0.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Sonoma County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Sonoma County at 486,444 people in 2025, down 0.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 190,998 households. Median household income in Sonoma County is $104,674, 30% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.2%, 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. Sonoma County scores 31 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,996 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Sonoma 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 Sonoma County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Sonoma 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 Sonoma 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.