Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Florida

Restaurants and cafes in Wakulla County, FL

How Wakulla 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 82 out of 100: High

Ranked #113 of 2,405 scored counties
#5 of 65 scored counties in Florida

Listings
100
33 chain locations (33%)
Official establishments
37
+15.6% since 2019
Household spending a year
$48.6M
On food away from home · $3,816 a household
Spending per listing
$486K
31% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
78.5
29% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
38,089
+12.3% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Wakulla 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 Wakulla County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Wakulla County is 82 (high), #113 of 2,405 scored counties and #5 of 65 scored counties in Florida. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for restaurants and cafes.

As of September 2026, map listings count 100 restaurants and cafes in Wakulla County. 33 of them (33%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 78.5 per 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Households in Wakulla County spend about $48.6M a year on food away from home, or $3,816 per household, 6% below the U.S. average. That works out to $486K per restaurant, 31% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

Official counts show 37 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Wakulla County in 2023, up 15.6% from 2019. That is one for every 344 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $549K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Wakulla County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Wakulla County grew 12.3%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Wakulla 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 Wakulla County, FL compared with Florida and the U.S.
MeasureWakulla CountyFloridaU.S.
Listings per 10k households78.5112.4109.8
Spending per listing$486K$342K$371K
Households per official establishment344223209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+15.6%+11.6%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+12.3%+8.7%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,816$3,841$4,070
Median household income$81,895$74,568$80,734
Groundwork market score8246

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
32 → 37+15.6% over the period
Employees, 2023
624
Annual payroll, 2023
$10.2M
One-person businesses, 2023
10Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
10033 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
131The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
2
Amount
$549K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
38,089+12.3% since 2020
Households
12,745
Median age
42.7
Homes lived in by their owners
82%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
606 sq. mi.
People per square mile
58
Median household income
$81,895+33.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$95,556
Median home value
$258,300
Jobs located here
6,266
Daytime population
26,009Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Wakulla 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 Wakulla 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 Wakulla 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

Other business types in Wakulla County

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

Questions

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

Wakulla County has 100 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 33 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 37 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 15.6% from 2019. Official counts list 10 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $48.6M a year, or $3,816 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 100 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $486K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 12,745 households in Wakulla County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Wakulla County has 78.5 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $486K, 31% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Wakulla County would have about 131, against 100 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 344 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 15.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Wakulla County, FL growing?

Population estimates put Wakulla County at 38,089 people in 2025, up 12.3% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 12,745 households. The median household income in Wakulla County is $81,895 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 33.4% 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. Wakulla County scores 82 for restaurants and cafes (high), #113 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Wakulla 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 Wakulla 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.