Food and drink · Metro area · Georgia
Restaurants and cafes in the Columbus, GA-AL metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in the Columbus, GA-AL metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 21 out of 100: Low
Ranked #369 of 387 scored metro areas
#14 of 14 scored metro areas based in Georgia
- Listings
- 1,273
- 611 chain locations (48%)
- Official establishments
- 586
- +9.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $427.6M
- On food away from home · $3,354 a household
- Spending per listing
- $336K
- 9% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 99.8
- 9% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 324,830
- −1.3% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Columbus 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 Columbus 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
The Columbus metro area scores 21 (low) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #369 of 387 scored metro areas and #14 of 14 scored metro areas based in Georgia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
Household spending on food away from home in the Columbus metro area comes to about $427.6M a year: $3,354 per household, 18% below the U.S. average. That is about $336K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 9% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The Columbus metro area has 1,273 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 611 are chain locations, or 48%, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 99.8 for every 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Official counts show 586 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Columbus metro area in 2023, up 9.4% from 2019. That is one for every 218 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 13 SBA-backed loans worth $8.7M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Columbus metro area. Population estimates put the population change in the Columbus metro area from 2020 to 2025 at −1.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Columbus metro area compares
The same measures for Georgia 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 | Columbus metro area | Georgia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 99.8 | 109.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $336K | $356K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 218 | 203 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +9.4% | +10.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.3% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,354 | $3,917 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $59,336 | $77,353 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 21 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 586+9.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 10,832
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $204.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 114Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,273611 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,153The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 13
- Amount
- $8.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Columbus 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 Columbus metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 324,830−1.3% since 2020
- Households
- 127,512
- Median age
- 37.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 58%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 2,786 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 117
- Median household income
- $59,336+24.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $81,434
- Median home value
- $197,300
- Jobs located here
- 110,573
- Daytime population
- 319,730Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Columbus 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 Columbus 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 Georgia
Every Georgia market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Georgia for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Georgia (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Columbus metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Georgia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hinesville, GA | 68 | 239 | 79.2 | $411K | +12.6% | #75 of 387 |
| 2Gainesville, GA | 63 | 744 | 101.2 | $394K | +11.4% | #109 of 387 |
| 3Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | 61 | 2,116 | 91.3 | $400K | +4.7% | #123 of 387 |
| 4Warner Robins, GA | 53 | 743 | 99.8 | $382K | +8.2% | #171 of 387 |
| 5Dalton, GA | 51 | 472 | 90.6 | $381K | +3.5% | #187 of 387 |
| 6Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 51 | 26,883 | 116.2 | $366K | +5.9% | #188 of 387 |
| Chattanooga, TN-GA | 49 | 2,401 | 103.8 | $361K | +5.3% | #199 of 387 |
| 7Rome, GA | 39 | 370 | 100.4 | $350K | +2.8% | #267 of 387 |
| 8Athens-Clarke County, GA | 37 | 919 | 106.7 | $339K | +3.9% | #283 of 387 |
| 9Savannah, GA | 33 | 2,143 | 132.9 | $290K | +8.1% | #313 of 387 |
| 14Columbus, GA-AL | 21 | 1,273 | 99.8 | $336K | −1.3% | #369 of 387 |
Other business types in the Columbus metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes21
- Sit-down restaurants24
- Fast food and sandwich shops9
- Pizza15
- Coffee shops and cafes57
- Bakeries and dessert shops57
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 Columbus, GA-AL metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,273 restaurants and cafes in the Columbus metro area. 611 of them (48%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 586 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 9.4% from 2019. Another 114 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Columbus, GA-AL metro area spend on food away from home?
About $427.6M a year, or $3,354 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,273 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $336K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 127,512 households in the Columbus metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Columbus, GA-AL metro area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Columbus metro area has 99.8 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $336K, 9% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Columbus metro area would have about 1,153, against 1,273 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 218 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Columbus, GA-AL metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Columbus metro area at 324,830 people in 2025, down 1.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 127,512 households. Median household income in the Columbus metro area is $59,336, 27% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.7%, 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 Columbus metro area scores 21 for restaurants and cafes (low), #369 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 Columbus 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 Columbus metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Columbus 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 Columbus 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.