Food and drink · Small-town market · Georgia
Restaurants and cafes in the Jefferson, GA area
The restaurants and cafes in the Jefferson, GA area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 86 out of 100: High
Ranked #10 of 538 scored small-town markets
#1 of 23 scored small-town markets based in Georgia
- Listings
- 285
- 147 chain locations (52%)
- Official establishments
- 100
- +33.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $117.8M
- On food away from home · $4,147 a household
- Spending per listing
- $413K
- 11% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 100.3
- 9% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 99,265
- +29.3% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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
For restaurants and cafes, the Jefferson area has a Groundwork market score of 86 (high): #10 of 538 scored small-town markets and #1 of 23 scored small-town markets based in Georgia. That puts it in the top 10% of small-town markets for restaurants and cafes.
Household spending on food away from home in the Jefferson area comes to about $117.8M a year: $4,147 per household, 2% above the U.S. average. That works out to $413K per restaurant, 11% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
The Jefferson area has 285 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 147 are chain locations, or 52%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 100.3 per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Official counts show 100 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Jefferson area in 2023, up 33.3% from 2019. That is one for every 284 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 15 SBA-backed loans worth $13.9M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Jefferson area. Population estimates show the Jefferson area grew 29.3% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Jefferson 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 | Jefferson area | Georgia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 100.3 | 109.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $413K | $356K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 284 | 203 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +33.3% | +10.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +29.3% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,147 | $3,917 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $89,544 | $77,353 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 86 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 100+33.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,481
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $32.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 44Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 285147 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 318The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 15
- Amount
- $13.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Jefferson 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 Jefferson area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 99,265+29.3% since 2020
- Households
- 28,402
- Median age
- 38.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 79%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 340 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 250
- Median household income
- $89,544+37.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $107,650
- Median home value
- $345,000
- Jobs located here
- 45,774
- Daytime population
- 93,828Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Jefferson area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Jefferson 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 small-town markets in Georgia for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Georgia, with the Jefferson area marked.
Top small-town markets in Georgia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Jefferson, GA | 86 | 285 | 100.3 | $413K | +29.3% | #10 of 538 |
| 2Calhoun, GA | 75 | 188 | 88.1 | $400K | +6.9% | #53 of 538 |
| 3Summerville, GA | 69 | 58 | 63.4 | $463K | +1.5% | #83 of 538 |
| 4Thomaston, GA | 66 | 78 | 73.6 | $439K | +2.7% | #109 of 538 |
| 5Kingsland, GA | 66 | 221 | 101.9 | $359K | +9.5% | #116 of 538 |
| 6Toccoa, GA | 62 | 85 | 80.8 | $379K | +3.8% | #155 of 538 |
| 7Cornelia, GA | 59 | 178 | 106.2 | $334K | +9.3% | #181 of 538 |
| 8Thomasville, GA | 52 | 261 | 90.7 | $368K | +1.3% | #244 of 538 |
| 9Cedartown, GA | 51 | 147 | 92.4 | $354K | +6.0% | #254 of 538 |
| 10Statesboro, GA | 45 | 354 | 101.3 | $324K | +8.0% | #322 of 538 |
Other business types in the Jefferson area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes86
- Sit-down restaurants80
- Fast food and sandwich shops65
- Pizza69
- Coffee shops and cafes77
- Bakeries and dessert shops81
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 Jefferson, GA area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 285 restaurants and cafes in the Jefferson area. 147 of them (52%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 100 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 33.3% from 2019. Official counts list 44 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Jefferson, GA area spend on food away from home?
About $117.8M a year, or $4,147 per household. That is 2% above the U.S. average (an index of 102, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 285 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $413K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 28,402 households in the Jefferson area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Jefferson, GA area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Jefferson area has 100.3 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $413K, 11% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Jefferson area would have about 318, against 285 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 284 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 33.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Jefferson, GA area growing?
Population estimates put the Jefferson area at 99,265 people in 2025, up 29.3% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 28,402 households. Median household income in the Jefferson area is $89,544, 11% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 37.0%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Jefferson area scores 86 for restaurants and cafes (high), #10 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Jefferson 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 Jefferson area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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.