Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Georgia

Restaurants and cafes in Early County, GA

How Early County, GA 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 31 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,977 of 2,405 scored counties
#95 of 124 scored counties in Georgia

Listings
39
16 chain locations (41%)
Official establishments
13
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$12.6M
On food away from home · $3,054 a household
Spending per listing
$322K
13% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
94.8
14% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
10,455
−3.1% since 2020

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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 Early County is 31 (lower middle), #1,977 of 2,405 scored counties and #95 of 124 scored counties in Georgia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Households in Early County spend about $12.6M a year on food away from home, or $3,054 per household, 25% below the U.S. average. That works out to $322K per restaurant, 13% below the U.S. figure of $371K.

There are 39 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Early County as of September 2026. Of those, 16 are chain locations, or 41%, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 94.8 for every 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

In 2023, official counts showed 13 businesses with payroll in Early County classed as restaurants and other eating places. That is one for every 316 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Population estimates show Early County declined 3.1% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Early 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 Early County, GA compared with Georgia and the U.S.
MeasureEarly CountyGeorgiaU.S.
Listings per 10k households94.8109.9109.8
Spending per listing$322K$356K$371K
Households per official establishment316203209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+10.2%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−3.1%+5.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,054$3,917$4,070
Median household income$54,083$77,353$80,734
Groundwork market score3145

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
17 → 13
Employees, 2023
150
Annual payroll, 2023
$2.2M
One-person businesses, 2023
7Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
3916 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
34The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
0
Amount
$0

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

Population, 2025 estimate
10,455−3.1% since 2020
Households
4,114
Median age
42.4
Homes lived in by their owners
67%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
513 sq. mi.
People per square mile
21
Median household income
$54,083+76.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$70,964
Median home value
$131,300
Jobs located here
2,989
Daytime population
9,205Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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 Early 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
95Early County, GA313994.8$322K−3.1%#1,977 of 2,405

Other business types in Early County

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

Questions

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

As of September 2026, map listings count 39 restaurants and cafes in Early County. 16 of them (41%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 13 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023. Official counts list 7 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $12.6M a year, or $3,054 per household. That is 25% below the U.S. average (an index of 75, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 39 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $322K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 4,114 households in Early County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Early County has 94.8 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $322K, 13% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Early County would have about 34, against 39 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 316 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.

How fast is Early County, GA growing?

Population estimates put Early County at 10,455 people in 2025, down 3.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 4,114 households. Median household income in Early County is $54,083, 33% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 76.5%, 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. Early County scores 31 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,977 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Early 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 Early 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.