Market rankings · Colorado

Restaurants and cafes in Colorado

Every metro area, small-town market and county in Colorado, ranked by the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings: 26,826; 9,061 chain locations (34%)
Official establishments: 11,631; +5.6% since 2019
Household spending a year: $10.5B; On food away from home
Listings per 10k households: 113.0; 3% above the U.S.
Spending per listing: $391K; 6% above the U.S.
Rank among states: #9 of 51; Market score 64 · Upper middle

A site report maps the restaurants and cafes on map listings around any address in Colorado by name and distance, and the spending within reach.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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

What this means

There are 26,826 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Colorado as of September 2026. Of those, 9,061 are chain locations, or 34%, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 113.0 for every 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.

At $4,421 per household (9% above the U.S. average), households in Colorado spend about $10.5B a year on food away from home. Spread across 26,826 restaurants and cafes, that is $391K per restaurant, 6% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

Official counts show 11,631 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Colorado in 2023, up 5.6% from 2019. That is one for every 204 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 6.0% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 663 SBA-backed loans worth $372.3M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Colorado.

Among the 50 states and DC, Colorado ranks #9 for restaurants and cafes, with a Groundwork market score of 64 (upper middle). Of the 7 scored metro areas in or partly in Colorado, the Greeley metro area scores highest (95). Of the 10 scored small-town markets in or partly in Colorado, the Fort Morgan area scores highest (69).

Every market in Colorado for restaurants and cafes

Download the ranking (CSV)

Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Colorado, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.

Metro areas

Metro areas reaching Colorado, ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Greeley, CO	95	984	79.2	$546K	+14.2%	#1 of 387
2Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO	70	13,384	109.6	$427K	+4.1%	#61 of 387
3Colorado Springs, CO	67	3,077	101.9	$417K	+3.1%	#81 of 387
4Grand Junction, CO	65	630	95.7	$391K	+4.4%	#98 of 387
5Fort Collins-Loveland, CO	62	1,671	108.3	$400K	+4.8%	#115 of 387
6Pueblo, CO	55	578	84.4	$413K	+0.6%	#152 of 387
7Boulder, CO	35	1,867	136.3	$346K	−0.7%	#294 of 387

Small-town markets

Small-town markets reaching Colorado, ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Fort Morgan, CO	69	100	90.3	$385K	+4.2%	#88 of 538
2Cañon City, CO	61	160	89.0	$382K	+2.4%	#160 of 538
3Montrose, CO	60	185	102.4	$353K	+4.1%	#171 of 538
4Sterling, CO	43	71	86.6	$371K	−2.7%	#341 of 538
5Durango, CO	40	349	143.2	$288K	+2.2%	#378 of 538
6Steamboat Springs, CO	35	281	168.6	$260K	+0.9%	#419 of 538
7Alamosa, CO	34	126	109.9	$284K	+2.1%	#431 of 538
8Rifle, CO	34	604	185.2	$234K	+1.2%	#433 of 538
9Breckenridge, CO	32	479	307.7	$155K	+1.1%	#449 of 538
10Edwards, CO	24	474	214.9	$218K	−2.4%	#494 of 538

Counties

Counties in Colorado, ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Elbert County, CO	97	49	49.0	$1.1M	+16.5%	#2 of 2,405
2Park County, CO	89	69	76.8	$578K	+5.1%	#33 of 2,405
3Weld County, CO	84	984	79.2	$546K	+14.2%	#76 of 2,405
4Douglas County, CO	83	1,125	80.4	$698K	+10.9%	#82 of 2,405
5Broomfield County, CO	74	270	85.0	$602K	+6.3%	#257 of 2,405
6Adams County, CO	74	1,691	89.6	$483K	+6.6%	#272 of 2,405
7Arapahoe County, CO	62	2,493	96.9	$472K	+2.8%	#671 of 2,405
8Jefferson County, CO	61	2,240	92.7	$516K	−0.5%	#707 of 2,405
9El Paso County, CO	61	2,957	101.9	$418K	+3.2%	#723 of 2,405
10Mesa County, CO	59	630	95.7	$391K	+4.4%	#811 of 2,405
11Larimer County, CO	58	1,671	108.3	$400K	+4.8%	#842 of 2,405
12Morgan County, CO	55	100	90.3	$385K	+4.2%	#979 of 2,405
13Teller County, CO	54	120	101.2	$400K	0.0%	#1,016 of 2,405
14Pueblo County, CO	50	578	84.4	$413K	+0.6%	#1,175 of 2,405
15Fremont County, CO	49	160	89.0	$382K	+2.4%	#1,234 of 2,405
16Montrose County, CO	49	185	102.4	$353K	+4.1%	#1,244 of 2,405
17Boulder County, CO	38	1,867	136.3	$346K	−0.7%	#1,699 of 2,405
18Denver County, CO	38	5,305	158.2	$282K	+3.2%	#1,719 of 2,405
19Moffat County, CO	36	53	98.3	$368K	−1.1%	#1,767 of 2,405
20Montezuma County, CO	36	120	106.5	$327K	+3.0%	#1,785 of 2,405
21Logan County, CO	35	71	86.6	$371K	−2.7%	#1,813 of 2,405
22Garfield County, CO	35	341	145.7	$289K	+2.7%	#1,844 of 2,405
23Chaffee County, CO	35	197	199.7	$203K	+6.9%	#1,855 of 2,405
24La Plata County, CO	34	349	143.2	$288K	+2.2%	#1,887 of 2,405
25Archuleta County, CO	34	106	179.0	$220K	+6.6%	#1,891 of 2,405

Show all 64 counties

Counties in Colorado, ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score, continued
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
26Grand County, CO	33	198	264.9	$157K	+4.8%	#1,933 of 2,405
27Routt County, CO	32	228	202.1	$235K	+2.0%	#1,966 of 2,405
28Gunnison County, CO	31	147	173.1	$234K	+2.9%	#2,000 of 2,405
29Delta County, CO	30	159	122.7	$270K	+3.6%	#2,042 of 2,405
30Summit County, CO	28	429	342.0	$143K	+0.9%	#2,116 of 2,405
31Eagle County, CO	23	474	214.9	$218K	−2.4%	#2,240 of 2,405
32Otero County, CO	22	75	98.9	$315K	−5.2%	#2,248 of 2,405
33Prowers County, CO	20	52	109.9	$290K	−1.1%	#2,286 of 2,405
34Pitkin County, CO	20	263	285.4	$162K	−4.2%	#2,294 of 2,405
35Alamosa County, CO	18	95	142.9	$223K	+1.9%	#2,333 of 2,405
36Rio Grande County, CO	16	69	134.4	$257K	−3.9%	#2,354 of 2,405
37Las Animas County, CO	10	103	158.1	$197K	−0.7%	#2,394 of 2,405
Yuma County, CO	Not scored	48	117.7	$292K	−0.8%
Clear Creek County, CO	Not scored	85	181.7	$253K	−3.9%
San Miguel County, CO	Not scored	111	241.1	$175K	−3.7%
Conejos County, CO	Not scored	12	37.9	$833K	+1.0%
Lake County, CO	Not scored	50	165.6	$258K	+1.9%
Kit Carson County, CO	Not scored	33	114.0	$316K	+0.1%
Huerfano County, CO	Not scored	53	171.0	$186K	+2.7%
Saguache County, CO	Not scored	17	50.0	$626K	+5.3%
Rio Blanco County, CO	Not scored	32	114.1	$298K	+2.5%
Gilpin County, CO	Not scored	57	182.6	$242K	+4.4%
Crowley County, CO	Not scored	9	67.3	$432K	−0.5%
Lincoln County, CO	Not scored	24	121.8	$275K	−0.4%
Bent County, CO	Not scored	7	37.3	$782K	+4.5%
Custer County, CO	Not scored	32	119.8	$308K	+18.3%
Ouray County, CO	Not scored	60	228.7	$180K	+7.9%
Washington County, CO	Not scored	15	72.5	$488K	−1.6%
Phillips County, CO	Not scored	29	148.6	$258K	−2.4%
Costilla County, CO	Not scored	19	115.1	$240K	+5.1%
Baca County, CO	Not scored	15	90.5	$324K	−3.8%
Dolores County, CO	Not scored	5	39.9	$930K	+5.8%
Sedgwick County, CO	Not scored	8	78.3	$400K	−6.0%
Cheyenne County, CO	Not scored	5	63.7	$569K	−1.9%
Kiowa County, CO	Not scored	5	85.5	$376K	−2.8%
Jackson County, CO	Not scored	13	197.6	$163K	−12.2%
Hinsdale County, CO	Not scored	20	391.4	$96K	−4.6%
Mineral County, CO	Not scored	17	440.4	$77K	+4.6%
San Juan County, CO	Not scored	22	551.4	$63K	+14.5%

Markets with fewer than 5 restaurants and cafes on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Colorado?

As of September 2026, map listings count 26,826 restaurants and cafes in Colorado. 9,061 of them (34%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 11,631 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 5.6% from 2019. Another 2,139 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Colorado spend on food away from home?

About $10.5B a year, or $4,421 per household. That is 9% above the U.S. average (an index of 109, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 26,826 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $391K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 2,374,218 households in Colorado and national spending patterns by income.

How does Colorado compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Colorado has 113.0 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $391K, 6% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Colorado would have about 28,309, against 26,826 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 204 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

Which market in Colorado has the highest market score for restaurants and cafes?

Among 7 scored metro areas in or partly in Colorado, the Greeley metro area scores highest, at 95 (very high). Among 10 scored small-town markets in or partly in Colorado, the Fort Morgan area scores highest, at 69 (upper middle). Among 37 scored counties in Colorado, Elbert County scores highest, at 97 (very high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.

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. Colorado scores 64 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #9 of the 50 states and DC.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Colorado. 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.

Sit-down restaurants14,663 listings
Fast food and sandwich shops3,062 listings
Pizza1,634 listings
Coffee shops and cafes3,237 listings
Bakeries and dessert shops2,041 listings

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