Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Georgia

Restaurants and cafes in Union County, GA

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 58 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #852 of 2,405 scored counties
#49 of 124 scored counties in Georgia

Listings
113
34 chain locations (30%)
Official establishments
41
+7.9% since 2019
Household spending a year
$40.4M
On food away from home · $3,513 a household
Spending per listing
$357K
4% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
98.3
10% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
27,859
+12.3% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Union 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 Union 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

Household spending on food away from home in Union County comes to about $40.4M a year: $3,513 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. That works out to $357K per restaurant, 4% below the U.S. figure of $371K.

Union County has 113 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 30% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That is 98.3 per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

In 2023, official counts showed 41 businesses with payroll in Union County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 7.9% from 2019. That is one for every 280 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 18 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $355K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Union County.

Population estimates put the population change in Union County from 2020 to 2025 at +12.3%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Union County has a Groundwork market score of 58 (upper middle): #852 of 2,405 scored counties and #49 of 124 scored counties in Georgia.

How Union 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 Union County, GA compared with Georgia and the U.S.
MeasureUnion CountyGeorgiaU.S.
Listings per 10k households98.3109.9109.8
Spending per listing$357K$356K$371K
Households per official establishment280203209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+7.9%+10.2%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+12.3%+5.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,513$3,917$4,070
Median household income$66,176$77,353$80,734
Groundwork market score5845

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
38 → 41+7.9% over the period
Employees, 2023
808
Annual payroll, 2023
$17.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
18Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
11334 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
109The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$355K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
27,859+12.3% since 2020
Households
11,490
Median age
54.9
Homes lived in by their owners
84%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
324 sq. mi.
People per square mile
81
Median household income
$66,176+32.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$94,627
Median home value
$307,400
Jobs located here
7,649
Daytime population
24,337Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Union 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 Union 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 Union 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
49Union County, GA5811398.3$357K+12.3%#852 of 2,405

Other business types in Union County

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

Questions

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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 113 restaurants and cafes in Union County. 34 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 41 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 7.9% from 2019. Official counts also show 18 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $40.4M a year, or $3,513 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 113 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $357K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 11,490 households in Union County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Union County has 98.3 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $357K, 4% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Union County would have about 109, against 113 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 280 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Union County, GA growing?

Population estimates put Union County at 27,859 people in 2025, up 12.3% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 11,490 households. Median household income in Union County is $66,176, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 32.3%, 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. Union County scores 58 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #852 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Union 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 Union 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.