Food and drink · Metro area · Florida
Restaurants and cafes in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 60 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #132 of 387 scored metro areas
#14 of 22 scored metro areas based in Florida
- Listings
- 14,369
- 4,967 chain locations (35%)
- Official establishments
- 5,436
- +11.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $5.1B
- On food away from home · $3,862 a household
- Spending per listing
- $358K
- 4% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 108.0
- 2% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 3,418,895
- +7.3% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area
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 the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area. 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 14,369 restaurants and cafes in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area. 4,967 of them (35%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 108.0 for every 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,862 per household (5% below the U.S. average), households in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area spend about $5.1B a year on food away from home. That works out to $358K per restaurant, 4% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 5,436 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area in 2023, up 11.7% from 2019. That is one for every 245 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 1,828 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 331 SBA-backed loans worth $210M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area.
Population estimates show the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area grew 7.3% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area has a Groundwork market score of 60 (upper middle): #132 of 387 scored metro areas and #14 of 22 scored metro areas based in Florida.
How the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area 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 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area | Florida | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 108.0 | 112.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $358K | $342K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 245 | 223 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +11.7% | +11.6% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.3% | +8.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,862 | $3,841 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $74,392 | $74,568 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 60 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5,436+11.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 107,182
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.6B
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,828Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 14,3694,967 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 13,855The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 331
- Amount
- $210M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area, 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 the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 3,418,895+7.3% since 2020
- Households
- 1,330,303
- Median age
- 43.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 2,516 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,314
- Median household income
- $74,392+34.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $105,527
- Median home value
- $345,100
- Jobs located here
- 1,535,800
- Daytime population
- 3,350,045Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area. 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 metro areas in Florida for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Florida, with the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Florida
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Wildwood-The Villages, FL | 89 | 337 | 47.9 | $782K | +21.1% | #2 of 387 |
| 2Punta Gorda, FL | 84 | 703 | 77.6 | $463K | +15.5% | #9 of 387 |
| 3Homosassa Springs, FL | 78 | 480 | 67.3 | $486K | +11.1% | #21 of 387 |
| 4Ocala, FL | 78 | 1,226 | 74.4 | $446K | +17.3% | #25 of 387 |
| 5Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL | 78 | 2,394 | 82.7 | $423K | +19.8% | #26 of 387 |
| 6Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL | 77 | 643 | 90.8 | $422K | +7.7% | #32 of 387 |
| 7Port St. Lucie, FL | 76 | 1,847 | 90.0 | $422K | +16.0% | #36 of 387 |
| 8North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL | 74 | 3,949 | 101.5 | $396K | +13.2% | #40 of 387 |
| 9Sebring, FL | 69 | 355 | 75.7 | $415K | +9.7% | #69 of 387 |
| 10Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL | 66 | 2,635 | 102.3 | $383K | +9.1% | #88 of 387 |
| 14Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 60 | 14,369 | 108.0 | $358K | +7.3% | #132 of 387 |
Other business types in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes60
- Sit-down restaurants51
- Fast food and sandwich shops73
- Pizza69
- Coffee shops and cafes61
- Bakeries and dessert shops61
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 the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area?
The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area has 14,369 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 4,967 of them (35%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 5,436 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 11.7% from 2019. Official counts list 1,828 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area spend on food away from home?
About $5.1B a year, or $3,862 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 14,369 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $358K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,330,303 households in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area has 108.0 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $358K, 4% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area would have about 13,855, against 14,369 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 245 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 11.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area at 3,418,895 people in 2025, up 7.3% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 1,330,303 households. The median household income in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area is $74,392 a year, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 34.6% 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. The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area scores 60 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #132 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area. 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 the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area?
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 the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area. 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.