Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Georgia

Restaurants and cafes in Dougherty County, GA

The restaurants and cafes in Dougherty County, GA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 9 out of 100: Very low

Ranked #2,396 of 2,405 scored counties
#124 of 124 scored counties in Georgia

Listings
409
200 chain locations (49%)
Official establishments
176
+2.3% since 2019
Household spending a year
$101.2M
On food away from home · $2,951 a household
Spending per listing
$247K
33% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
119.3
9% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
82,616
−3.0% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Dougherty 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 Dougherty 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

For restaurants and cafes, Dougherty County has a Groundwork market score of 9 (very low): #2,396 of 2,405 scored counties and #124 of 124 scored counties in Georgia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Household spending on food away from home in Dougherty County comes to about $101.2M a year: $2,951 per household, 27% below the U.S. average. That is about $247K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 33% below the U.S. figure of $371K.

There are 409 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Dougherty County as of September 2026. 200 of them (49%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 119.3 per 10,000 households, 9% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Dougherty County was 176 in 2023, up 2.3% from 2019. That is one for every 195 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $7.1M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Dougherty County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Dougherty County declined 3.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Dougherty 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.

Restaurants and cafes in Dougherty County, GA compared with Georgia and the U.S.
MeasureDougherty CountyGeorgiaU.S.
Listings per 10k households119.3109.9109.8
Spending per listing$247K$356K$371K
Households per official establishment195203209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+2.3%+10.2%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−3.0%+5.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$2,951$3,917$4,070
Median household income$49,044$77,353$80,734
Groundwork market score945

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
172 → 176+2.3% over the period
Employees, 2023
3,716
Annual payroll, 2023
$65.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
51Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
409200 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
273The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
7
Amount
$7.1M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
82,616−3.0% since 2020
Households
34,280
Median age
38.0
Homes lived in by their owners
45%
Vehicles per household
1.6
Land area
329 sq. mi.
People per square mile
253
Median household income
$49,044+23.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$64,820
Median home value
$134,400
Jobs located here
43,701
Daytime population
96,519Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Dougherty 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 Dougherty County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Restaurants 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 Dougherty County marked.

Top counties in Georgia

Counties in Georgia ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Paulding County, GA9235158.5$737K+12.7%#15 of 2,405
2Harris County, GA928061.4$713K+6.8%#16 of 2,405
3Oglethorpe County, GA902444.4$827K+10.4%#21 of 2,405
4Pike County, GA903755.1$726K+10.5%#24 of 2,405
5Effingham County, GA9015061.8$661K+14.1%#27 of 2,405
6Lee County, GA875443.9$901K+2.9%#39 of 2,405
7Monroe County, GA868681.5$496K+14.1%#55 of 2,405
8Long County, GA852134.1$958K+32.6%#57 of 2,405
9Jones County, GA834440.8$908K+2.8%#79 of 2,405
10Jasper County, GA833152.0$677K+20.2%#83 of 2,405
124Dougherty County, GA9409119.3$247K−3.0%#2,396 of 2,405

Other business types in Dougherty County

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

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Dougherty County, GA?

As of September 2026, map listings count 409 restaurants and cafes in Dougherty County. 200 of them (49%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 176 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 2.3% from 2019. Official counts also show 51 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Dougherty County, GA spend on food away from home?

About $101.2M a year, or $2,951 per household. That is 27% below the U.S. average (an index of 73, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 409 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $247K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 34,280 households in Dougherty County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Dougherty County, GA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Dougherty County has 119.3 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 9% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $247K, 33% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Dougherty County would have about 273, against 409 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 195 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Dougherty County, GA growing?

Population estimates put Dougherty County at 82,616 people in 2025, down 3.0% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 34,280 households. Median household income in Dougherty County is $49,044, 39% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.9%, 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. Dougherty County scores 9 for restaurants and cafes (very low), #2,396 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Dougherty 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 Dougherty 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.