Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Florida

Restaurants and cafes in Charlotte County, FL

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Charlotte County, FL, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 77 out of 100: High

Ranked #209 of 2,405 scored counties
#10 of 65 scored counties in Florida

Listings
703
232 chain locations (33%)
Official establishments
264
+9.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$325.7M
On food away from home · $3,597 a household
Spending per listing
$463K
25% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
77.6
29% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
217,212
+15.5% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Charlotte County

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 Charlotte County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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

What this means

The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Charlotte County is 77 (high), #209 of 2,405 scored counties and #10 of 65 scored counties in Florida. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for restaurants and cafes.

As of September 2026, map listings count 703 restaurants and cafes in Charlotte County. 232 of them (33%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 77.6 per 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Households in Charlotte County spend about $325.7M a year on food away from home, or $3,597 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. That works out to $463K per restaurant, 25% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

Official counts show 264 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Charlotte County in 2023, up 9.1% from 2019. That is one for every 343 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 10 SBA-backed loans worth $6M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Charlotte County. Population estimates put the population change in Charlotte County from 2020 to 2025 at +15.5%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Charlotte County compares

The same measures for Florida 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.

Restaurants and cafes in Charlotte County, FL compared with Florida and the U.S.
MeasureCharlotte CountyFloridaU.S.
Listings per 10k households77.6112.4109.8
Spending per listing$463K$342K$371K
Households per official establishment343223209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+9.1%+11.6%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+15.5%+8.7%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,597$3,841$4,070
Median household income$69,952$74,568$80,734
Groundwork market score7746

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
242 → 264+9.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
5,826
Annual payroll, 2023
$140.7M
One-person businesses, 2023
54Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
703232 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
878The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
10
Amount
$6M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Charlotte County, 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 Charlotte County

Population, 2025 estimate
217,212+15.5% since 2020
Households
90,542
Median age
58.2
Homes lived in by their owners
84%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
681 sq. mi.
People per square mile
295
Median household income
$69,952+35.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$92,474
Median home value
$328,900
Jobs located here
57,938
Daytime population
192,438Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Charlotte County?

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 Charlotte County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Restaurants and cafes across Florida

Every Florida market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Florida for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Florida, with Charlotte County marked.

Top counties in Florida

Counties in Florida ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Sumter County, FL9033747.9$782K+21.1%#22 of 2,405
2Santa Rosa County, FL8655276.0$548K+11.7%#53 of 2,405
3Gilchrist County, FL824360.1$581K+14.5%#106 of 2,405
4Flagler County, FL8239074.2$523K+21.0%#112 of 2,405
5Wakulla County, FL8210078.5$486K+12.3%#113 of 2,405
6Union County, FL802251.0$664K+5.2%#132 of 2,405
7Clay County, FL7967780.9$499K+9.4%#157 of 2,405
8Pasco County, FL781,85078.3$477K+19.1%#184 of 2,405
9Glades County, FL772453.3$572K+9.9%#195 of 2,405
10Charlotte County, FL7770377.6$463K+15.5%#209 of 2,405

Other business types in Charlotte County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Charlotte County, FL?

Charlotte County has 703 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 232 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 264 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 9.1% from 2019. Official counts list 54 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Charlotte County, FL spend on food away from home?

About $325.7M a year, or $3,597 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 703 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $463K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 90,542 households in Charlotte County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Charlotte County, FL compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Charlotte County has 77.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $463K, 25% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Charlotte County would have about 878, against 703 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 343 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Charlotte County, FL growing?

Population estimates put Charlotte County at 217,212 people in 2025, up 15.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 90,542 households. The median household income in Charlotte County is $69,952 a year, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 35.8% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.

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. Charlotte County scores 77 for restaurants and cafes (high), #209 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Charlotte County. 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 Charlotte County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Charlotte County?

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 Charlotte County. 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.