Market rankings · Delaware
Restaurants and cafes in Delaware
Markets across Delaware ranked by the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 4,155
- 1,416 chain locations (34%)
- Official establishments
- 1,980
- +7.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.6B
- On food away from home
- Listings per 10k households
- 103.3
- 6% below the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $396K
- 7% above the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #10 of 51
- Market score 63 · Upper middle
A site report maps the restaurants and cafes on map listings around any address in Delaware by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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 4,155 restaurants and cafes in Delaware. Chain locations make up 34% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 103.3, 6% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in Delaware spend about $1.6B a year on food away from home, or $4,092 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That is about $396K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 7% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 1,980 businesses with payroll in Delaware classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 7.8% from 2019. That is one for every 203 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 6.0% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 84 SBA-backed loans worth $40.8M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Delaware.
Among the 50 states and DC, Delaware ranks #10 for restaurants and cafes, with a Groundwork market score of 63 (upper middle). Of the 2 scored metro areas in or partly in Delaware, the Dover metro area scores highest (73). The one scored small-town market in or partly in Delaware, the Seaford area, scores 56.
Every market in Delaware for restaurants and cafes
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Delaware, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Dover, DE | 73 | 598 | 83.7 | $444K | +6.8% | #42 of 387 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 60 | 26,413 | 107.0 | $407K | +1.4% | #128 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Seaford, DE | 56 | 1,222 | 114.8 | $346K | +16.1% | #205 of 538 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Kent County, DE | 64 | 598 | 83.7 | $444K | +6.8% | #609 of 2,405 |
| 2New Castle County, DE | 56 | 2,335 | 104.2 | $410K | +3.0% | #923 of 2,405 |
| 3Sussex County, DE | 50 | 1,222 | 114.8 | $346K | +16.1% | #1,205 of 2,405 |
Questions
How many restaurants and cafes are in Delaware?
Delaware has 4,155 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 1,416 of them (34%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 1,980 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 7.8% from 2019. Another 412 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Delaware spend on food away from home?
About $1.6B a year, or $4,092 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 101, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 4,155 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $396K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 402,038 households in Delaware and national spending patterns by income.
How does Delaware compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Delaware has 103.3 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $396K, 7% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Delaware would have about 4,437, against 4,155 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 203 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
Which market in Delaware has the highest market score for restaurants and cafes?
Among 2 scored metro areas in or partly in Delaware, the Dover metro area scores highest, at 73 (upper middle). The one scored small-town market in or partly in Delaware is the Seaford area, at 56 (upper middle). Among 3 scored counties in Delaware, Kent County scores highest, at 64 (upper middle). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. Delaware scores 63 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #10 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Delaware. 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.
Restaurants and cafes in other states
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Top markets for restaurants and cafes across the U.S. · All business types in Delaware
Related business types in Delaware
- Sit-down restaurants2,429 listings
- Fast food and sandwich shops478 listings
- Pizza346 listings
- Coffee shops and cafes354 listings
- Bakeries and dessert shops439 listings
Screening a site or an acquisition in Delaware?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.