Food and drink · County · Colorado
Restaurants and cafes in Summit County, CO
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Summit County, CO, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 28 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,116 of 2,405 scored counties
#30 of 37 scored counties in Colorado
- Listings
- 429
- 84 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 220
- +6.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $61.3M
- On food away from home · $4,890 a household
- Spending per listing
- $143K
- 61% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 342.0
- 3.1 times the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 31,517
- +0.9% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Summit 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 Summit 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
Summit County scores 28 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #2,116 of 2,405 scored counties and #30 of 37 scored counties in Colorado. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 429 restaurants and cafes in Summit County. 84 of them (20%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 342.0 for every 10,000 households, 3.1 times the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Summit County comes to about $61.3M a year: $4,890 per household, 20% above the U.S. average. That works out to $143K per restaurant, 61% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 220 businesses with payroll in Summit County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 6.3% from 2019. That is one for every 57 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $8.9M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Summit County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Summit County grew 0.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Summit 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 | Summit County | Colorado | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 342.0 | 113.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $143K | $391K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 57 | 204 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +6.3% | +5.6% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.9% | +3.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,890 | $4,421 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $109,773 | $95,470 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 28 | 64 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 207 → 220+6.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,652
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $138.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 21Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 42984 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 165The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $8.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Summit 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 Summit County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 31,517+0.9% since 2020
- Households
- 12,545
- Median age
- 42.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 608 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 51
- Median household income
- $109,773+38.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $147,734
- Median home value
- $939,900
- Jobs located here
- 24,362
- Daytime population
- 36,471Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Summit 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 Summit 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 Summit 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 |
| 30Summit County, CO | 28 | 429 | 342.0 | $143K | +0.9% | #2,116 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Summit County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes28
- Sit-down restaurants28
- Fast food and sandwich shops34
- Pizza30
- Coffee shops and cafes28
- Bakeries and dessert shops28
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 Summit County, CO?
Summit County has 429 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 84 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 220 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 6.3% from 2019. Another 21 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Summit County, CO spend on food away from home?
About $61.3M a year, or $4,890 per household. That is 20% above the U.S. average (an index of 120, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 429 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $143K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 12,545 households in Summit County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Summit County, CO compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Summit County has 342.0 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 3.1 times the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $143K, 61% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Summit County would have about 165, against 429 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 57 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Summit County, CO growing?
Population estimates put Summit County at 31,517 people in 2025, up 0.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 12,545 households. The median household income in Summit County is $109,773 a year, 36% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 38.5% 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. Summit County scores 28 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #2,116 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Summit 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 Summit County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Summit 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 Summit 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.