Food and drink · County · Connecticut
Restaurants and cafes in the Northwest Hills Planning Region, CT
How the Northwest Hills Planning Region, CT compares with other counties and the U.S. for restaurants and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 61 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #718 of 2,405 scored counties
#3 of 9 scored counties in Connecticut
- Listings
- 469
- 82 chain locations (17%)
- Official establishments
- 219
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $211M
- On food away from home · $4,410 a household
- Spending per listing
- $450K
- 21% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 98.0
- 11% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 114,690
- +2.2% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Northwest Hills 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 Northwest Hills 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
At $4,410 per household (8% above the U.S. average), households in the Northwest Hills Planning Region spend about $211M a year on food away from home. That is about $450K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 21% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
The Northwest Hills Planning Region has 469 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 82 of them (17%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 98.0, 11% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 219 businesses with payroll in the Northwest Hills Planning Region classed as restaurants and other eating places. That is one for every 218 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 47 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $1.2M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Northwest Hills Planning Region.
Population estimates show the Northwest Hills Planning Region grew 2.2% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Northwest Hills Planning Region scores 61 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #718 of 2,405 scored counties and #3 of 9 scored counties in Connecticut.
How the Northwest Hills 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 | Northwest Hills Planning Region | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 98.0 | 112.3 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $450K | $401K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 218 | 190 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.2% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,410 | $4,498 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $93,551 | $95,781 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 61 | 61 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 219
- Employees, 2023
- 2,747
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $65.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 47Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 46982 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 569The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $1.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Northwest Hills 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 Northwest Hills Planning Region
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 114,690+2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 47,845
- Median age
- 47.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 787 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 144
- Median household income
- $93,551
- Average household income
- $131,679
- Median home value
- $335,600
- Jobs located here
- 36,871
- Daytime population
- 93,666Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Northwest Hills 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 Northwest Hills 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 Northwest Hills 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 Northwest Hills Planning Region
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes61
- Sit-down restaurants56
- Fast food and sandwich shops81
- Pizza68
- Coffee shops and cafes58
- Bakeries and dessert shops52
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 Northwest Hills Planning Region, CT?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 469 restaurants and cafes in the Northwest Hills Planning Region. 82 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 219 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023. Official counts list 47 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Northwest Hills Planning Region, CT spend on food away from home?
About $211M a year, or $4,410 per household. That is 8% above the U.S. average (an index of 108, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 469 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $450K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 47,845 households in the Northwest Hills Planning Region and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Northwest Hills Planning Region, CT compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Northwest Hills Planning Region has 98.0 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $450K, 21% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Northwest Hills Planning Region would have about 569, against 469 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 218 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.
How fast is the Northwest Hills Planning Region, CT growing?
Population estimates put the Northwest Hills Planning Region at 114,690 people in 2025, up 2.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 47,845 households. Median household income in the Northwest Hills Planning Region is $93,551, 16% 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 Northwest Hills Planning Region scores 61 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #718 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 Northwest Hills 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 Northwest Hills Planning Region
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Northwest Hills 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 Northwest Hills 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.