Food and drink · County · Colorado
Restaurants and cafes in Boulder County, CO
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Boulder County, CO, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 38 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,699 of 2,405 scored counties
#17 of 37 scored counties in Colorado
- Listings
- 1,867
- 594 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 763
- −0.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $646.2M
- On food away from home · $4,716 a household
- Spending per listing
- $346K
- 7% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 136.3
- 24% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 328,560
- −0.7% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Boulder 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 Boulder 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
Household spending on food away from home in Boulder County comes to about $646.2M a year: $4,716 per household, 16% above the U.S. average. That is about $346K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 7% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Boulder County has 1,867 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 32% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 136.3 for every 10,000 households, 24% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 763 businesses with payroll in Boulder County classed as restaurants and other eating places, down 0.5% from 2019. That is one for every 180 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 113 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 51 SBA-backed loans worth $26M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Boulder County.
Population estimates show Boulder County declined 0.7% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Boulder County is 38 (lower middle), #1,699 of 2,405 scored counties and #17 of 37 scored counties in Colorado.
How Boulder County compares
The same measures for Colorado 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 | Boulder County | Colorado | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 136.3 | 113.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $346K | $391K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 180 | 204 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −0.5% | +5.6% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.7% | +3.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,716 | $4,421 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $103,994 | $95,470 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 38 | 64 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 767 → 763−0.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 15,311
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $427.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 113Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,867594 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,743The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 51
- Amount
- $26M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Boulder 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 Boulder County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 328,560−0.7% since 2020
- Households
- 137,008
- Median age
- 39.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 726 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 453
- Median household income
- $103,994+25.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $148,846
- Median home value
- $756,300
- Jobs located here
- 190,563
- Daytime population
- 376,803Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Boulder 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 Boulder 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 Colorado
Every Colorado market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Colorado for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Colorado, with Boulder County marked.
Top counties in Colorado
| 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 |
| 17Boulder County, CO | 38 | 1,867 | 136.3 | $346K | −0.7% | #1,699 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Boulder County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes38
- Sit-down restaurants36
- Fast food and sandwich shops58
- Pizza56
- Coffee shops and cafes32
- Bakeries and dessert shops46
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 Boulder County, CO?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,867 restaurants and cafes in Boulder County. 594 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 763 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 0.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 113 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Boulder County, CO spend on food away from home?
About $646.2M a year, or $4,716 per household. That is 16% above the U.S. average (an index of 116, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,867 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $346K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 137,008 households in Boulder County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Boulder County, CO compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Boulder County has 136.3 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 24% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $346K, 7% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Boulder County would have about 1,743, against 1,867 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 180 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 0.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Boulder County, CO growing?
Population estimates put Boulder County at 328,560 people in 2025, down 0.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 137,008 households. Median household income in Boulder County is $103,994, 29% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.3%, 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. Boulder County scores 38 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,699 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Boulder 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 Boulder County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Boulder 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 Boulder 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.