Food and drink · County · Florida
Restaurants and cafes in Polk County, FL
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Polk County, FL, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #354 of 2,405 scored counties
#16 of 65 scored counties in Florida
- Listings
- 2,394
- 893 chain locations (37%)
- Official establishments
- 859
- +19.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1B
- On food away from home · $3,500 a household
- Spending per listing
- $423K
- 14% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 82.7
- 25% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 874,790
- +19.8% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Polk 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 Polk 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 2,394 restaurants and cafes in Polk County. Of those, 893 are chain locations, or 37%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 82.7, 25% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,500 per household (14% below the U.S. average), households in Polk County spend about $1B a year on food away from home. Spread across 2,394 restaurants and cafes, that is $423K per restaurant, 14% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 859 businesses with payroll in Polk County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 19.6% from 2019. That is one for every 337 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 522 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 38 SBA-backed loans worth $20.6M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Polk County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Polk County grew 19.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Polk County is 72 (upper middle), #354 of 2,405 scored counties and #16 of 65 scored counties in Florida. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Polk 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 | Polk County | Florida | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 82.7 | 112.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $423K | $342K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 337 | 223 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +19.6% | +11.6% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +19.8% | +8.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,500 | $3,841 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $65,978 | $74,568 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 72 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 718 → 859+19.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 19,042
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $396.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 522Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2,394893 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,732The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 38
- Amount
- $20.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Polk 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 Polk County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 874,790+19.8% since 2020
- Households
- 289,425
- Median age
- 40.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,799 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 440
- Median household income
- $65,978+30.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $87,487
- Median home value
- $266,500
- Jobs located here
- 284,856
- Daytime population
- 728,367Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Polk 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 Polk 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 Polk 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 |
| 16Polk County, FL | 72 | 2,394 | 82.7 | $423K | +19.8% | #354 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Polk County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes72
- Sit-down restaurants71
- Fast food and sandwich shops65
- Pizza74
- Coffee shops and cafes78
- Bakeries and dessert shops76
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 Polk County, FL?
There are 2,394 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Polk County as of September 2026. 893 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 859 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 19.6% from 2019. Another 522 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Polk County, FL spend on food away from home?
About $1B a year, or $3,500 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,394 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $423K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 289,425 households in Polk County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Polk County, FL compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Polk County has 82.7 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 25% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $423K, 14% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Polk County would have about 2,732, against 2,394 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 337 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 19.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Polk County, FL growing?
Population estimates put Polk County at 874,790 people in 2025, up 19.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 289,425 households. The median household income in Polk County is $65,978 a year, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.4% 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. Polk County scores 72 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #354 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Polk 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 Polk County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Polk 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 Polk 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.