Food and drink · Metro area · Connecticut
Restaurants and cafes in the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 56 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #149 of 387 scored metro areas
#3 of 5 scored metro areas based in Connecticut
- Listings
- 4,453
- 1,057 chain locations (24%)
- Official establishments
- 2,150
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $1.8B
- On food away from home · $4,991 a household
- Spending per listing
- $398K
- 7% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 125.4
- 14% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 978,179
- +3.7% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury metro 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 Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury metro 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
Household spending on food away from home in the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury metro area comes to about $1.8B a year: $4,991 per household, 23% above the U.S. average. That works out to $398K per restaurant, 7% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 4,453 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury metro area as of September 2026. Of those, 1,057 are chain locations, or 24%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 125.4 per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 2,150 businesses with payroll in the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury metro area classed as restaurants and other eating places. That is one for every 165 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 505 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 79 SBA-backed loans worth $29.2M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury metro area grew 3.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury metro area is 56 (upper middle), #149 of 387 scored metro areas and #3 of 5 scored metro areas based in Connecticut.
How the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury metro area compares
The same measures for Connecticut 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 | Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury metro area | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 125.4 | 112.3 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $398K | $401K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 165 | 190 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.7% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,991 | $4,498 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $114,565 | $95,781 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 56 | 61 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 2,150
- Employees, 2023
- 29,316
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $895.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 505Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4,4531,057 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 4,779The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 79
- Amount
- $29.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury metro 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 Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 978,179+3.7% since 2020
- Households
- 355,012
- Median age
- 41.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 672 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,422
- Median household income
- $114,565
- Average household income
- $189,223
- Median home value
- $564,500
- Jobs located here
- 399,663
- Daytime population
- 939,733Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury metro 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 Connecticut
Every Connecticut market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Connecticut for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Connecticut, with the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Connecticut
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Waterbury-Shelton, CT | 73 | 1,725 | 95.8 | $439K | +3.2% | #46 of 387 |
| 2Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | 61 | 4,920 | 105.8 | $421K | +3.0% | #121 of 387 |
| 3Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | 56 | 4,453 | 125.4 | $398K | +3.7% | #149 of 387 |
| 4Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT | 39 | 1,361 | 117.6 | $354K | +2.0% | #266 of 387 |
| 5New Haven, CT | 39 | 2,879 | 124.8 | $344K | +2.5% | #268 of 387 |
Other business types in the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes56
- Sit-down restaurants49
- Fast food and sandwich shops64
- Pizza55
- Coffee shops and cafes54
- Bakeries and dessert shops47
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 Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 4,453 restaurants and cafes in the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury metro area. 1,057 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 2,150 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023. Official counts list 505 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT metro area spend on food away from home?
About $1.8B a year, or $4,991 per household. That is 23% above the U.S. average (an index of 123, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 4,453 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $398K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 355,012 households in the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT metro area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury metro area has 125.4 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $398K, 7% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury metro area would have about 4,779, against 4,453 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 165 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.
How fast is the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury metro area at 978,179 people in 2025, up 3.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 355,012 households. Median household income in the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury metro area is $114,565, 42% 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. 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 Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury metro area scores 56 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #149 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury metro 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 Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury metro 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 Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury metro 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.