Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Georgia

Restaurants and cafes in Effingham County, GA

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Effingham County, GA, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 90 out of 100: Very high

Ranked #27 of 2,405 scored counties
#5 of 124 scored counties in Georgia

Listings
150
80 chain locations (53%)
Official establishments
73
+35.2% since 2019
Household spending a year
$99.2M
On food away from home · $4,084 a household
Spending per listing
$661K
78% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
61.8
44% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
74,397
+14.1% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Effingham 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 Effingham 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 Effingham County is 90 (very high), #27 of 2,405 scored counties and #5 of 124 scored counties in Georgia. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for restaurants and cafes.

Household spending on food away from home in Effingham County comes to about $99.2M a year: $4,084 per household, in line with the U.S. average. Spread across 150 restaurants and cafes, that is $661K per restaurant, 78% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

There are 150 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Effingham County as of September 2026. 80 of them (53%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 61.8 per 10,000 households, 44% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Official counts show 73 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Effingham County in 2023, up 35.2% from 2019. That is one for every 333 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $657K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Effingham County. Population estimates show Effingham County grew 14.1% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Effingham 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 Effingham County, GA compared with Georgia and the U.S.
MeasureEffingham CountyGeorgiaU.S.
Listings per 10k households61.8109.9109.8
Spending per listing$661K$356K$371K
Households per official establishment333203209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+35.2%+10.2%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+14.1%+5.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$4,084$3,917$4,070
Median household income$88,438$77,353$80,734
Groundwork market score9045

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
54 → 73+35.2% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,078
Annual payroll, 2023
$21.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
22Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
15080 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
268The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$657K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
74,397+14.1% since 2020
Households
24,287
Median age
37.4
Homes lived in by their owners
78%
Vehicles per household
2.2
Land area
479 sq. mi.
People per square mile
144
Median household income
$88,438+32.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$106,856
Median home value
$276,000
Jobs located here
12,262
Daytime population
50,320Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Effingham 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 Effingham 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 Effingham 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

Other business types in Effingham County

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

Questions

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

As of September 2026, map listings count 150 restaurants and cafes in Effingham County. 80 of them (53%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 73 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 35.2% from 2019. Another 22 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

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

About $99.2M a year, or $4,084 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 150 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $661K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 24,287 households in Effingham County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Effingham County has 61.8 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 44% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $661K, 78% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Effingham County would have about 268, against 150 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 333 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 35.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Effingham County, GA growing?

Population estimates put Effingham County at 74,397 people in 2025, up 14.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 24,287 households. Median household income in Effingham County is $88,438, 10% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 32.4%, 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. Effingham County scores 90 for restaurants and cafes (very high), #27 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Effingham 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 Effingham 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.