Food and drink · County · Florida
Restaurants and cafes in Highlands County, FL
The restaurants and cafes in Highlands County, FL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 64 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #619 of 2,405 scored counties
#26 of 65 scored counties in Florida
- Listings
- 355
- 122 chain locations (34%)
- Official establishments
- 129
- +9.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $147.4M
- On food away from home · $3,143 a household
- Spending per listing
- $415K
- 12% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 75.7
- 31% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 111,122
- +9.7% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Highlands 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 Highlands County. 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 355 restaurants and cafes in Highlands County. Of those, 122 are chain locations, or 34%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 75.7, 31% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,143 per household (23% below the U.S. average), households in Highlands County spend about $147.4M a year on food away from home. Spread across 355 restaurants and cafes, that is $415K per restaurant, 12% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 129 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Highlands County in 2023, up 9.3% from 2019. That is one for every 363 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 40 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $6M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Highlands County.
Population estimates put the population change in Highlands County from 2020 to 2025 at +9.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Highlands County is 64 (upper middle), #619 of 2,405 scored counties and #26 of 65 scored counties in Florida.
How Highlands 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.
| Measure | Highlands County | Florida | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 75.7 | 112.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $415K | $342K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 363 | 223 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +9.3% | +11.6% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +9.7% | +8.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,143 | $3,841 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $54,897 | $74,568 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 64 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 118 → 129+9.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,698
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $54M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 40Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 355122 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 397The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Highlands 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 Highlands County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 111,122+9.7% since 2020
- Households
- 46,879
- Median age
- 52.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 79%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 1,018 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 104
- Median household income
- $54,897+34.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $71,953
- Median home value
- $187,900
- Jobs located here
- 28,038
- Daytime population
- 94,243Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Highlands 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 Highlands County. 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 Florida
Every Florida market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Florida for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Florida, with Highlands County marked.
Top counties in Florida
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sumter County, FL | 90 | 337 | 47.9 | $782K | +21.1% | #22 of 2,405 |
| 2Santa Rosa County, FL | 86 | 552 | 76.0 | $548K | +11.7% | #53 of 2,405 |
| 3Gilchrist County, FL | 82 | 43 | 60.1 | $581K | +14.5% | #106 of 2,405 |
| 4Flagler County, FL | 82 | 390 | 74.2 | $523K | +21.0% | #112 of 2,405 |
| 5Wakulla County, FL | 82 | 100 | 78.5 | $486K | +12.3% | #113 of 2,405 |
| 6Union County, FL | 80 | 22 | 51.0 | $664K | +5.2% | #132 of 2,405 |
| 7Clay County, FL | 79 | 677 | 80.9 | $499K | +9.4% | #157 of 2,405 |
| 8Pasco County, FL | 78 | 1,850 | 78.3 | $477K | +19.1% | #184 of 2,405 |
| 9Glades County, FL | 77 | 24 | 53.3 | $572K | +9.9% | #195 of 2,405 |
| 10Charlotte County, FL | 77 | 703 | 77.6 | $463K | +15.5% | #209 of 2,405 |
| 26Highlands County, FL | 64 | 355 | 75.7 | $415K | +9.7% | #619 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Highlands County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes64
- Sit-down restaurants63
- Fast food and sandwich shops65
- Pizza73
- Coffee shops and cafes69
- Bakeries and dessert shops69
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 Highlands County, FL?
Highlands County has 355 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 122 of them (34%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 129 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 9.3% from 2019. Official counts list 40 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Highlands County, FL spend on food away from home?
About $147.4M a year, or $3,143 per household. That is 23% below the U.S. average (an index of 77, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 355 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $415K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 46,879 households in Highlands County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Highlands County, FL compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Highlands County has 75.7 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 31% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $415K, 12% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Highlands County would have about 397, against 355 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 363 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Highlands County, FL growing?
Population estimates put Highlands County at 111,122 people in 2025, up 9.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 46,879 households. The median household income in Highlands County is $54,897 a year, 32% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 34.1% 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. Highlands County scores 64 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #619 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Highlands 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 Highlands County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Highlands 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 Highlands 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.