Food and drink · County · Georgia
Restaurants and cafes in Dawson County, GA
The restaurants and cafes in Dawson County, GA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,473 of 2,405 scored counties
#75 of 124 scored counties in Georgia
- Listings
- 165
- 96 chain locations (58%)
- Official establishments
- 86
- +36.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $49.4M
- On food away from home · $4,272 a household
- Spending per listing
- $300K
- 19% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 142.6
- 30% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 35,365
- +30.7% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Dawson 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 Dawson 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 165 restaurants and cafes in Dawson County. Of those, 96 are chain locations, or 58%, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 142.6 for every 10,000 households, 30% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in Dawson County spend about $49.4M a year on food away from home, or $4,272 per household, 5% above the U.S. average. That is about $300K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 19% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Dawson County was 86 in 2023, up 36.5% from 2019. That is one for every 135 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 14 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $4.7M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Dawson County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Dawson County grew 30.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Dawson County has a Groundwork market score of 44 (lower middle): #1,473 of 2,405 scored counties and #75 of 124 scored counties in Georgia.
How Dawson County 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 | Dawson County | Georgia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 142.6 | 109.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $300K | $356K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 135 | 203 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +36.5% | +10.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +30.7% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,272 | $3,917 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $92,991 | $77,353 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 44 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 63 → 86+36.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,089
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $41M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 14Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 16596 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 133The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $4.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Dawson 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 Dawson County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 35,365+30.7% since 2020
- Households
- 11,573
- Median age
- 42.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 79%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.3
- Land area
- 211 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 143
- Median household income
- $92,991+40.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $116,762
- Median home value
- $406,700
- Jobs located here
- 9,727
- Daytime population
- 25,801Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dawson 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 Dawson 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 Georgia
Every Georgia market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Georgia for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Georgia, with Dawson County marked.
Top counties in Georgia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Paulding County, GA | 92 | 351 | 58.5 | $737K | +12.7% | #15 of 2,405 |
| 2Harris County, GA | 92 | 80 | 61.4 | $713K | +6.8% | #16 of 2,405 |
| 3Oglethorpe County, GA | 90 | 24 | 44.4 | $827K | +10.4% | #21 of 2,405 |
| 4Pike County, GA | 90 | 37 | 55.1 | $726K | +10.5% | #24 of 2,405 |
| 5Effingham County, GA | 90 | 150 | 61.8 | $661K | +14.1% | #27 of 2,405 |
| 6Lee County, GA | 87 | 54 | 43.9 | $901K | +2.9% | #39 of 2,405 |
| 7Monroe County, GA | 86 | 86 | 81.5 | $496K | +14.1% | #55 of 2,405 |
| 8Long County, GA | 85 | 21 | 34.1 | $958K | +32.6% | #57 of 2,405 |
| 9Jones County, GA | 83 | 44 | 40.8 | $908K | +2.8% | #79 of 2,405 |
| 10Jasper County, GA | 83 | 31 | 52.0 | $677K | +20.2% | #83 of 2,405 |
| 75Dawson County, GA | 44 | 165 | 142.6 | $300K | +30.7% | #1,473 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Dawson County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes44
- Sit-down restaurants46
- Fast food and sandwich shops39
- Pizza57
- Coffee shops and cafes49
- Bakeries and dessert shops54
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 Dawson County, GA?
Dawson County has 165 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 96 of them (58%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 86 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 36.5% from 2019. Another 14 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Dawson County, GA spend on food away from home?
About $49.4M a year, or $4,272 per household. That is 5% above the U.S. average (an index of 105, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 165 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $300K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 11,573 households in Dawson County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dawson County, GA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Dawson County has 142.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 30% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $300K, 19% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Dawson County would have about 133, against 165 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 135 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 36.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Dawson County, GA growing?
Population estimates put Dawson County at 35,365 people in 2025, up 30.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 11,573 households. The median household income in Dawson County is $92,991 a year, 15% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 40.3% 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. Dawson County scores 44 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,473 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dawson 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 Dawson County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dawson 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 Dawson 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.