Food and drink · Small-town market · Colorado
Restaurants and cafes in the Rifle, CO area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in the Rifle, CO area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 34 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #433 of 538 scored small-town markets
#8 of 10 scored small-town markets based in Colorado
- Listings
- 604
- 107 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 253
- −5.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $141.2M
- On food away from home · $4,329 a household
- Spending per listing
- $234K
- 37% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 185.2
- 69% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 80,099
- +1.2% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Rifle 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 Rifle 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
The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in the Rifle area is 34 (lower middle), #433 of 538 scored small-town markets and #8 of 10 scored small-town markets based in Colorado. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
Household spending on food away from home in the Rifle area comes to about $141.2M a year: $4,329 per household, 6% above the U.S. average. That is about $234K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 37% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 604 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Rifle area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 18% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 185.2, 69% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Official counts show 253 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Rifle area in 2023, down 5.6% from 2019. That is one for every 129 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $3.9M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Rifle area. Population estimates put the population change in the Rifle area from 2020 to 2025 at +1.2%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Rifle area 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 | Rifle area | Colorado | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 185.2 | 113.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $234K | $391K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 129 | 204 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −5.6% | +5.6% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.2% | +3.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,329 | $4,421 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $95,635 | $95,470 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 34 | 64 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 253−5.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 5,118
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $174.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 43Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 604107 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 381The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $3.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Rifle 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 Rifle area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 80,099+1.2% since 2020
- Households
- 32,619
- Median age
- 40.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 3,918 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 20
- Median household income
- $95,635
- Average household income
- $136,246
- Median home value
- $595,100
- Jobs located here
- 42,438
- Daytime population
- 79,095Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Rifle 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 Rifle 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 Colorado
Every Colorado market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Colorado for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Colorado, with the Rifle area marked.
Top small-town markets in Colorado
| 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 |
Other business types in the Rifle area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes34
- Sit-down restaurants33
- Fast food and sandwich shops62
- Pizza55
- Coffee shops and cafes40
- Bakeries and dessert shops49
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 Rifle, CO area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 604 restaurants and cafes in the Rifle area. 107 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 253 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 5.6% from 2019. Another 43 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Rifle, CO area spend on food away from home?
About $141.2M a year, or $4,329 per household. That is 6% above the U.S. average (an index of 106, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 604 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $234K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 32,619 households in the Rifle area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Rifle, CO area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Rifle area has 185.2 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 69% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $234K, 37% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Rifle area would have about 381, against 604 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 129 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Rifle, CO area growing?
Population estimates put the Rifle area at 80,099 people in 2025, up 1.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 32,619 households. Median household income in the Rifle area is $95,635, 18% above the U.S. median of $80,734.
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 Rifle area scores 34 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #433 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 Rifle 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 Rifle area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Rifle 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 Rifle 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.