Food and drink · Small-town market · Delaware
Restaurants and cafes in the Seaford, DE area
The restaurants and cafes in the Seaford, DE area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 56 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #205 of 538 scored small-town markets
The only scored small-town market based in Delaware
- Listings
- 1,222
- 342 chain locations (28%)
- Official establishments
- 585
- +4.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $423M
- On food away from home · $3,974 a household
- Spending per listing
- $346K
- 7% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 114.8
- 5% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 277,140
- +16.1% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Seaford 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 Seaford 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
At $3,974 per household (2% below the U.S. average), households in the Seaford area spend about $423M a year on food away from home. Spread across 1,222 restaurants and cafes, that is $346K per restaurant, 7% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 1,222 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Seaford area as of September 2026. Of those, 342 are chain locations, or 28%, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 114.8 for every 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 585 businesses with payroll in the Seaford area classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 4.8% from 2019. That is one for every 182 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 90 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 19 SBA-backed loans worth $8.2M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Seaford area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Seaford area from 2020 to 2025 at +16.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Seaford area scores 56 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #205 of 538 scored small-town markets and the only scored small-town market based in Delaware.
How the Seaford area compares
The same measures for Delaware 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 | Seaford area | Delaware | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 114.8 | 103.3 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $346K | $396K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 182 | 203 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.8% | +7.8% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +16.1% | +6.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,974 | $4,092 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $81,497 | $84,954 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 56 | 63 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 585+4.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 10,901
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $318.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 90Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,222342 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,141The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 19
- Amount
- $8.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Seaford 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 Seaford area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 277,140+16.1% since 2020
- Households
- 106,441
- Median age
- 49.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 82%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 936 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 273
- Median household income
- $81,497
- Average household income
- $109,287
- Median home value
- $382,600
- Jobs located here
- 85,870
- Daytime population
- 239,628Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Seaford area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Seaford area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardOther business types in the Seaford area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes56
- Sit-down restaurants51
- Fast food and sandwich shops79
- Pizza73
- Coffee shops and cafes68
- Bakeries and dessert shops47
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 Seaford, DE area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,222 restaurants and cafes in the Seaford area. 342 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 585 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 4.8% from 2019. Another 90 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Seaford, DE area spend on food away from home?
About $423M a year, or $3,974 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,222 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $346K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 106,441 households in the Seaford area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Seaford, DE area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Seaford area has 114.8 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $346K, 7% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Seaford area would have about 1,141, against 1,222 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 182 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Seaford, DE area growing?
Population estimates put the Seaford area at 277,140 people in 2025, up 16.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 106,441 households. Median household income in the Seaford area is $81,497, in line with 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Seaford area scores 56 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #205 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Seaford 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 Seaford area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Seaford 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 Seaford 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.