Food and drink · County · Connecticut
Restaurants and cafes in the Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in the Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 54 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,013 of 2,405 scored counties
#6 of 9 scored counties in Connecticut
- Listings
- 3,080
- 733 chain locations (24%)
- Official establishments
- 1,543
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $1.2B
- On food away from home · $5,267 a household
- Spending per listing
- $403K
- 9% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 130.9
- 19% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 640,482
- +3.5% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Western Connecticut 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 Western Connecticut 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 3,080 restaurants and cafes in the Western Connecticut Planning Region. Chain locations make up 24% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 130.9 for every 10,000 households, 19% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in the Western Connecticut Planning Region comes to about $1.2B a year: $5,267 per household, 29% above the U.S. average. Spread across 3,080 restaurants and cafes, that is $403K per restaurant, 9% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Western Connecticut Planning Region was 1,543 in 2023. That is one for every 153 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 314 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 50 SBA-backed loans worth $19M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Western Connecticut Planning Region.
Population estimates show the Western Connecticut Planning Region grew 3.5% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, the Western Connecticut Planning Region has a Groundwork market score of 54 (upper middle): #1,013 of 2,405 scored counties and #6 of 9 scored counties in Connecticut.
How the Western Connecticut 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 | Western Connecticut Planning Region | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 130.9 | 112.3 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $403K | $401K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 153 | 190 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.5% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $5,267 | $4,498 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $128,188 | $95,781 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 54 | 61 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,543
- Employees, 2023
- 21,048
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $674.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 314Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3,080733 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 3,343The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 50
- Amount
- $19M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Western Connecticut 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 Western Connecticut Planning Region
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 640,482+3.5% since 2020
- Households
- 235,379
- Median age
- 42.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 532 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,178
- Median household income
- $128,188
- Average household income
- $214,675
- Median home value
- $652,900
- Jobs located here
- 282,077
- Daytime population
- 636,160Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Western Connecticut 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 Western Connecticut 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 Western Connecticut 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 Western Connecticut Planning Region
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes54
- Sit-down restaurants50
- Fast food and sandwich shops63
- Pizza63
- Coffee shops and cafes54
- Bakeries and dessert shops49
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 Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT?
The Western Connecticut Planning Region has 3,080 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 733 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 1,543 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023. Official counts also show 314 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT spend on food away from home?
About $1.2B a year, or $5,267 per household. That is 29% above the U.S. average (an index of 129, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 3,080 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $403K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 235,379 households in the Western Connecticut Planning Region and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Western Connecticut Planning Region has 130.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 19% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $403K, 9% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Western Connecticut Planning Region would have about 3,343, against 3,080 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 153 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.
How fast is the Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT growing?
Population estimates put the Western Connecticut Planning Region at 640,482 people in 2025, up 3.5% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 235,379 households. The median household income in the Western Connecticut Planning Region is $128,188 a year, 59% 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 Western Connecticut Planning Region scores 54 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #1,013 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 Western Connecticut 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 Western Connecticut Planning Region
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Western Connecticut 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 Western Connecticut 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.