Food and drink · County · Florida
Restaurants and cafes in St. Johns County, FL
The restaurants and cafes in St. Johns 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 #616 of 2,405 scored counties
#25 of 65 scored counties in Florida
- Listings
- 1,323
- 487 chain locations (37%)
- Official establishments
- 616
- +25.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $553.9M
- On food away from home · $4,783 a household
- Spending per listing
- $419K
- 13% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 114.3
- 4% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 346,328
- +25.0% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in St. Johns 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 St. Johns 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 1,323 restaurants and cafes in St. Johns County. Chain locations make up 37% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 114.3 for every 10,000 households, 4% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in St. Johns County comes to about $553.9M a year: $4,783 per household, 18% above the U.S. average. That works out to $419K per restaurant, 13% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 616 businesses with payroll in St. Johns County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 25.5% from 2019. That is one for every 188 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 85 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 57 SBA-backed loans worth $44.8M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in St. Johns County.
Population estimates put the population change in St. Johns County from 2020 to 2025 at +25.0%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in St. Johns County is 64 (upper middle), #616 of 2,405 scored counties and #25 of 65 scored counties in Florida.
How St. Johns 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 | St. Johns County | Florida | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 114.3 | 112.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $419K | $342K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 188 | 223 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +25.5% | +11.6% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +25.0% | +8.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,783 | $3,841 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $109,839 | $74,568 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 64 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 491 → 616+25.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 13,392
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $340.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 85Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,323487 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,494The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 57
- Amount
- $44.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in St. Johns 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 St. Johns County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 346,328+25.0% since 2020
- Households
- 115,794
- Median age
- 45.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 82%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 601 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 511
- Median household income
- $109,839+33.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $148,427
- Median home value
- $489,200
- Jobs located here
- 95,238
- Daytime population
- 271,916Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in St. Johns 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 St. Johns 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 St. Johns 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 |
| 25St. Johns County, FL | 64 | 1,323 | 114.3 | $419K | +25.0% | #616 of 2,405 |
Other business types in St. Johns 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 shops80
- Pizza76
- Coffee shops and cafes63
- Bakeries and dessert shops56
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 St. Johns County, FL?
There are 1,323 restaurants and cafes on map listings in St. Johns County as of September 2026. 487 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 616 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 25.5% from 2019. Another 85 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in St. Johns County, FL spend on food away from home?
About $553.9M a year, or $4,783 per household. That is 18% above the U.S. average (an index of 118, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,323 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $419K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 115,794 households in St. Johns County and national spending patterns by income.
How does St. Johns County, FL compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
St. Johns County has 114.3 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 4% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $419K, 13% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, St. Johns County would have about 1,494, against 1,323 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 188 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 25.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is St. Johns County, FL growing?
Population estimates put St. Johns County at 346,328 people in 2025, up 25.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 115,794 households. The median household income in St. Johns County is $109,839 a year, 36% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 33.5% 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. St. Johns County scores 64 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #616 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in St. Johns 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 St. Johns County
Screening a site or an acquisition in St. Johns 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 St. Johns 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.