Food and drink · Metro area · Connecticut
Restaurants and cafes in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 39 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #266 of 387 scored metro areas
#4 of 5 scored metro areas based in Connecticut
- Listings
- 1,361
- 395 chain locations (29%)
- Official establishments
- 626
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $481.5M
- On food away from home · $4,160 a household
- Spending per listing
- $354K
- 5% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 117.6
- 7% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 284,015
- +2.0% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic 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 Norwich-New London-Willimantic 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
Households in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area spend about $481.5M a year on food away from home, or $4,160 per household, 2% above the U.S. average. That works out to $354K per restaurant, 5% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area has 1,361 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 29% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 117.6, 7% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 626 businesses with payroll in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area classed as restaurants and other eating places. That is one for every 185 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 93 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 17 SBA-backed loans worth $4.2M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +2.0%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area has a Groundwork market score of 39 (lower middle): #266 of 387 scored metro areas and #4 of 5 scored metro areas based in Connecticut.
How the Norwich-New London-Willimantic 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 | Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 117.6 | 112.3 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $354K | $401K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 185 | 190 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.0% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,160 | $4,498 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $86,586 | $95,781 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 39 | 61 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 626
- Employees, 2023
- 10,338
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $293.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 93Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,361395 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,299The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 17
- Amount
- $4.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic 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 Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 284,015+2.0% since 2020
- Households
- 115,768
- Median age
- 42.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 598 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 468
- Median household income
- $86,586
- Average household income
- $111,769
- Median home value
- $323,400
- Jobs located here
- 118,380
- Daytime population
- 270,328Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic 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 Norwich-New London-Willimantic 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 Norwich-New London-Willimantic 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 Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes39
- Sit-down restaurants40
- Fast food and sandwich shops63
- Pizza39
- Coffee shops and cafes44
- Bakeries and dessert shops36
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 Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,361 restaurants and cafes in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area. 395 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 626 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023. Another 93 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT metro area spend on food away from home?
About $481.5M a year, or $4,160 per household. That is 2% above the U.S. average (an index of 102, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,361 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $354K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 115,768 households in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT metro area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area has 117.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $354K, 5% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area would have about 1,299, against 1,361 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 185 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.
How fast is the Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area at 284,015 people in 2025, up 2.0% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 115,768 households. Median household income in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area is $86,586, 7% 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 Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area scores 39 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #266 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 Norwich-New London-Willimantic 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 Norwich-New London-Willimantic metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Norwich-New London-Willimantic 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 Norwich-New London-Willimantic 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.