Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Colorado

Restaurants and cafes in Larimer County, CO

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 58 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #842 of 2,405 scored counties
#11 of 37 scored counties in Colorado

Listings
1,671
615 chain locations (37%)
Official establishments
749
+5.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$669.2M
On food away from home · $4,339 a household
Spending per listing
$400K
8% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
108.3
In line with the U.S.
Population, 2025
377,292
+4.8% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Larimer 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 Larimer 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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,671 restaurants and cafes in Larimer County. Chain locations make up 37% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That is 108.3 per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Household spending on food away from home in Larimer County comes to about $669.2M a year: $4,339 per household, 7% above the U.S. average. That is about $400K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 8% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

In 2023, official counts showed 749 businesses with payroll in Larimer County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 5.1% from 2019. That is one for every 206 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 103 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 47 SBA-backed loans worth $26.1M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Larimer County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Larimer County grew 4.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Larimer County scores 58 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #842 of 2,405 scored counties and #11 of 37 scored counties in Colorado.

How Larimer 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.

Restaurants and cafes in Larimer County, CO compared with Colorado and the U.S.
MeasureLarimer CountyColoradoU.S.
Listings per 10k households108.3113.0109.8
Spending per listing$400K$391K$371K
Households per official establishment206204209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+5.1%+5.6%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+4.8%+3.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$4,339$4,421$4,070
Median household income$93,765$95,470$80,734
Groundwork market score5864

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
713 → 749+5.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
16,036
Annual payroll, 2023
$420.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
103Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
1,671615 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
1,805The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
47
Amount
$26.1M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
377,292+4.8% since 2020
Households
154,232
Median age
39.5
Homes lived in by their owners
64%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
2,596 sq. mi.
People per square mile
142
Median household income
$93,765+30.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$122,442
Median home value
$569,100
Jobs located here
161,552
Daytime population
361,475Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

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Restaurants 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 Larimer County marked.

Top counties in Colorado

Counties in Colorado ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Elbert County, CO974949.0$1.1M+16.5%#2 of 2,405
2Park County, CO896976.8$578K+5.1%#33 of 2,405
3Weld County, CO8498479.2$546K+14.2%#76 of 2,405
4Douglas County, CO831,12580.4$698K+10.9%#82 of 2,405
5Broomfield County, CO7427085.0$602K+6.3%#257 of 2,405
6Adams County, CO741,69189.6$483K+6.6%#272 of 2,405
7Arapahoe County, CO622,49396.9$472K+2.8%#671 of 2,405
8Jefferson County, CO612,24092.7$516K−0.5%#707 of 2,405
9El Paso County, CO612,957101.9$418K+3.2%#723 of 2,405
10Mesa County, CO5963095.7$391K+4.4%#811 of 2,405
11Larimer County, CO581,671108.3$400K+4.8%#842 of 2,405

Other business types in Larimer County

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

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Larimer County, CO?

There are 1,671 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Larimer County as of September 2026. 615 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 749 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 5.1% from 2019. Another 103 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Larimer County, CO spend on food away from home?

About $669.2M a year, or $4,339 per household. That is 7% above the U.S. average (an index of 107, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,671 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $400K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 154,232 households in Larimer County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Larimer County, CO compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Larimer County has 108.3 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $400K, 8% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Larimer County would have about 1,805, against 1,671 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 206 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Larimer County, CO growing?

Population estimates put Larimer County at 377,292 people in 2025, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 154,232 households. The median household income in Larimer County is $93,765 a year, 16% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.4% 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. 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. Larimer County scores 58 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #842 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Larimer 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 Larimer 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.