Groundwork

Market rankings · District of Columbia

Restaurants and cafes in the District of Columbia

Every metro area, small-town market and county in the District of Columbia, ranked by the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings
5,505
1,325 chain locations (24%)
Official establishments
2,110
+1.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$1.6B
On food away from home
Listings per 10k households
169.7
55% above the U.S.
Spending per listing
$284K
23% below the U.S.
Rank among states
#42 of 51
Market score 34 · Lower middle

A site report maps the restaurants and cafes on map listings around any address in the District of Columbia by name and distance, and the spending within reach.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

The District of Columbia has 5,505 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 1,325 of them (24%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 169.7, 55% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.

At $4,813 per household (18% above the U.S. average), households in the District of Columbia spend about $1.6B a year on food away from home. Spread across 5,505 restaurants and cafes, that is $284K per restaurant, 23% below the U.S. figure of $371K.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the District of Columbia was 2,110 in 2023, up 1.0% from 2019. That is one for every 154 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 $46.1M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the District of Columbia.

Among the 50 states and DC, the District of Columbia ranks #42 for restaurants and cafes, with a Groundwork market score of 34 (lower middle). The one scored metro area in or partly in the District of Columbia, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area, scores 71.

Every market in the District of Columbia for restaurants and cafes

Download the ranking (CSV)

Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in the District of Columbia, 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

Metro areas reaching the District of Columbia, ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV7125,241106.4$483K+3.3%#50 of 387

Counties

Counties in the District of Columbia, ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
District of ColumbiaNot scored5,505169.7$284K+3.4%

Markets with fewer than 5 restaurants and cafes on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in the District of Columbia?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 5,505 restaurants and cafes in the District of Columbia. 1,325 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 2,110 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 1.0% from 2019. Another 330 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in the District of Columbia spend on food away from home?

About $1.6B a year, or $4,813 per household. That is 18% above the U.S. average (an index of 118, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 5,505 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $284K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 324,491 households in the District of Columbia and national spending patterns by income.

How does the District of Columbia compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

The District of Columbia has 169.7 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 55% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $284K, 23% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the District of Columbia would have about 4,212, against 5,505 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 154 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

Which market in the District of Columbia has the highest market score for restaurants and cafes?

The one scored metro area in or partly in the District of Columbia is the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area, at 71 (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. The District of Columbia scores 34 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #42 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 the District of Columbia. 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

All 51 states

Top markets for restaurants and cafes across the U.S. · All business types in the District of Columbia

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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.