Food and drink · County · Connecticut
Restaurants and cafes in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT
The restaurants and cafes in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 53 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,055 of 2,405 scored counties
#7 of 9 scored counties in Connecticut
- Listings
- 857
- 188 chain locations (22%)
- Official establishments
- 394
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $345.9M
- On food away from home · $4,670 a household
- Spending per listing
- $404K
- 9% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 115.7
- 5% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 177,311
- +2.3% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region
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 Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 857 restaurants and cafes in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. Of those, 188 are chain locations, or 22%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 115.7, 5% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region comes to about $345.9M a year: $4,670 per household, 15% above the U.S. average. That is about $404K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 9% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 394 businesses with payroll in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region classed as restaurants and other eating places. That is one for every 188 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 51 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 23 SBA-backed loans worth $8.1M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region.
Population estimates show the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region grew 2.3% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region is 53 (upper middle), #1,055 of 2,405 scored counties and #7 of 9 scored counties in Connecticut.
How the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region 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 | Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 115.7 | 112.3 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $404K | $401K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 188 | 190 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,670 | $4,498 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $104,428 | $95,781 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 53 | 61 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 394
- Employees, 2023
- 5,015
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $135.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 51Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 857188 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 933The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 23
- Amount
- $8.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, 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 Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 177,311+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 74,068
- Median age
- 45.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 424 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 415
- Median household income
- $104,428
- Average household income
- $138,522
- Median home value
- $379,700
- Jobs located here
- 70,497
- Daytime population
- 159,861Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region?
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 the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. 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 counties in Connecticut for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Connecticut, with the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region marked.
Top counties in Connecticut
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 75 | 297 | 75.4 | $564K | +3.0% | #238 of 2,405 |
| 2Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, CT | 63 | 1,725 | 95.8 | $439K | +3.2% | #639 of 2,405 |
| 3Northwest Hills Planning Region, CT | 61 | 469 | 98.0 | $450K | +2.2% | #718 of 2,405 |
| 4Capitol Planning Region, CT | 58 | 4,063 | 103.9 | $424K | +3.1% | #833 of 2,405 |
| 5Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, CT | 55 | 1,373 | 114.8 | $388K | +4.1% | #977 of 2,405 |
| 6Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 54 | 3,080 | 130.9 | $403K | +3.5% | #1,013 of 2,405 |
| 7Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT | 53 | 857 | 115.7 | $404K | +2.3% | #1,055 of 2,405 |
| 8South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 44 | 2,879 | 124.8 | $344K | +2.5% | #1,468 of 2,405 |
| 9Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 43 | 1,361 | 117.6 | $354K | +2.0% | #1,499 of 2,405 |
Other business types in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes53
- Sit-down restaurants48
- Fast food and sandwich shops76
- Pizza63
- Coffee shops and cafes59
- Bakeries and dessert shops43
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 Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT?
There are 857 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region as of September 2026. 188 of them (22%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 394 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023. Another 51 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT spend on food away from home?
About $345.9M a year, or $4,670 per household. That is 15% above the U.S. average (an index of 115, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 857 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $404K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 74,068 households in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region has 115.7 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $404K, 9% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region would have about 933, against 857 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 188 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.
How fast is the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT growing?
Population estimates put the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region at 177,311 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 74,068 households. The median household income in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region is $104,428 a year, 29% 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 Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region scores 53 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #1,055 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. 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 Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region?
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 Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. 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.