Food and drink · Small-town market · California
Restaurants and cafes in the Sonora, CA area
The restaurants and cafes in the Sonora, CA area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 40 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #374 of 538 scored small-town markets
#6 of 9 scored small-town markets based in California
- Listings
- 256
- 56 chain locations (22%)
- Official establishments
- 113
- +3.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $88.8M
- On food away from home · $3,914 a household
- Spending per listing
- $347K
- 6% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 112.8
- 3% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 53,160
- −4.0% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Sonora area
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 the Sonora area. 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 256 restaurants and cafes in the Sonora area. 56 of them (22%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 112.8, 3% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in the Sonora area spend about $88.8M a year on food away from home, or $3,914 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. Spread across 256 restaurants and cafes, that is $347K per restaurant, 6% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Sonora area was 113 in 2023, up 3.7% from 2019. That is one for every 201 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 12 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $1.9M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Sonora area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Sonora area declined 4.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in the Sonora area is 40 (lower middle), #374 of 538 scored small-town markets and #6 of 9 scored small-town markets based in California.
How the Sonora area 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 | Sonora area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 112.8 | 128.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $347K | $355K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 201 | 170 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.7% | +3.9% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −4.0% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,914 | $4,559 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $77,404 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 40 | 33 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 113+3.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,436
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $38.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 12Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 25656 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 240The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $1.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Sonora area, 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 the Sonora area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 53,160−4.0% since 2020
- Households
- 22,690
- Median age
- 48.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 2,221 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 25
- Median household income
- $77,404+28.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $104,064
- Median home value
- $433,200
- Jobs located here
- 16,129
- Daytime population
- 40,598Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Sonora area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Sonora area. 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 small-town markets in California for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in California (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Sonora area marked.
Top small-town markets in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Susanville, CA | 67 | 67 | 72.5 | $483K | −13.1% | #98 of 538 |
| 2Red Bluff, CA | 65 | 178 | 71.8 | $489K | −1.7% | #117 of 538 |
| 3Truckee-Grass Valley, CA | 62 | 444 | 103.6 | $416K | −0.4% | #149 of 538 |
| 4Clearlake, CA | 60 | 252 | 93.5 | $376K | −0.6% | #170 of 538 |
| 5Crescent City, CA | 57 | 88 | 92.4 | $388K | −4.4% | #189 of 538 |
| Gardnerville Ranchos, NV-CA | 53 | 267 | 122.7 | $351K | +0.9% | #236 of 538 |
| 6Sonora, CA | 40 | 256 | 112.8 | $347K | −4.0% | #374 of 538 |
| 7Eureka-Arcata, CA | 24 | 665 | 121.1 | $289K | −3.4% | #492 of 538 |
| 8Bishop, CA | 22 | 129 | 160.4 | $238K | −4.4% | #506 of 538 |
| 9Ukiah, CA | 20 | 523 | 150.1 | $244K | −3.5% | #516 of 538 |
Other business types in the Sonora area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes40
- Sit-down restaurants46
- Fast food and sandwich shops74
- Pizza63
- Coffee shops and cafes23
- Bakeries and dessert shops30
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 the Sonora, CA area?
The Sonora area has 256 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 56 of them (22%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 113 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 3.7% from 2019. Official counts also show 12 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Sonora, CA area spend on food away from home?
About $88.8M a year, or $3,914 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 256 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $347K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 22,690 households in the Sonora area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Sonora, CA area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Sonora area has 112.8 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $347K, 6% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Sonora area would have about 240, against 256 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 201 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Sonora, CA area growing?
Population estimates put the Sonora area at 53,160 people in 2025, down 4.0% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 22,690 households. The median household income in the Sonora area is $77,404 a year, 4% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.8% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Sonora area scores 40 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #374 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Sonora area. 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 the Sonora area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Sonora area?
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 the Sonora area. 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.