Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Florida

Restaurants and cafes in Jefferson County, FL

How Jefferson County, FL compares with other counties and the U.S. for restaurants and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 70 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #414 of 2,405 scored counties
#20 of 65 scored counties in Florida

Listings
47
9 chain locations (19%)
Official establishments
17
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$19.9M
On food away from home · $3,463 a household
Spending per listing
$424K
14% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
81.7
26% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
16,007
+11.1% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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

At $3,463 per household (15% below the U.S. average), households in Jefferson County spend about $19.9M a year on food away from home. Spread across 47 restaurants and cafes, that is $424K per restaurant, 14% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

Jefferson County has 47 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 19% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 81.7, 26% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Official counts show 17 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Jefferson County in 2023. That is one for every 338 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 3 one-person businesses without payroll.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Jefferson County grew 11.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Jefferson County scores 70 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #414 of 2,405 scored counties and #20 of 65 scored counties in Florida. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Jefferson 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 Jefferson County, FL compared with Florida and the U.S.
MeasureJefferson CountyFloridaU.S.
Listings per 10k households81.7112.4109.8
Spending per listing$424K$342K$371K
Households per official establishment338223209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+11.6%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+11.1%+8.7%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,463$3,841$4,070
Median household income$61,212$74,568$80,734
Groundwork market score7046

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
14 → 17
Employees, 2023
195
Annual payroll, 2023
$3.7M
One-person businesses, 2023
3Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
479 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
54The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
0
Amount
$0

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

Population, 2025 estimate
16,007+11.1% since 2020
Households
5,751
Median age
46.2
Homes lived in by their owners
76%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
598 sq. mi.
People per square mile
25
Median household income
$61,212+29.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$80,395
Median home value
$232,600
Jobs located here
2,786
Daytime population
11,793Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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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 Jefferson 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
20Jefferson County, FL704781.7$424K+11.1%#414 of 2,405

Other business types in Jefferson County

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

Questions

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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 47 restaurants and cafes in Jefferson County. 9 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 17 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023. Official counts also show 3 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $19.9M a year, or $3,463 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 47 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $424K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 5,751 households in Jefferson County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Jefferson County has 81.7 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $424K, 14% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Jefferson County would have about 54, against 47 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 338 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.

How fast is Jefferson County, FL growing?

Population estimates put Jefferson County at 16,007 people in 2025, up 11.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 5,751 households. Median household income in Jefferson County is $61,212, 24% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.6%, 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. Jefferson County scores 70 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #414 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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.