Food and drink · Small-town market · Georgia
Restaurants and cafes in the Waycross, GA area
The restaurants and cafes in the Waycross, GA area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 37 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #397 of 538 scored small-town markets
#16 of 23 scored small-town markets based in Georgia
- Listings
- 187
- 90 chain locations (48%)
- Official establishments
- 98
- +14.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $62.8M
- On food away from home · $3,054 a household
- Spending per listing
- $336K
- 9% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 90.9
- 17% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 57,670
- +3.0% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Waycross 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 Waycross 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
At $3,054 per household (25% below the U.S. average), households in the Waycross area spend about $62.8M a year on food away from home. Spread across 187 restaurants and cafes, that is $336K per restaurant, 9% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The Waycross area has 187 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 90 are chain locations, or 48%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 90.9 per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Waycross area was 98 in 2023, up 14.0% from 2019. That is one for every 210 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 20 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $2.9M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Waycross area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Waycross area from 2020 to 2025 at +3.0%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in the Waycross area is 37 (lower middle), #397 of 538 scored small-town markets and #16 of 23 scored small-town markets based in Georgia.
How the Waycross 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 | Waycross area | Georgia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 90.9 | 109.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $336K | $356K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 210 | 203 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +14.0% | +10.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.0% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,054 | $3,917 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $51,821 | $77,353 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 37 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 98+14.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,094
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $32.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 20Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 18790 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 169The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $2.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Waycross 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 Waycross area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 57,670+3.0% since 2020
- Households
- 20,562
- Median age
- 38.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 1,240 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 45
- Median household income
- $51,821+34.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $70,222
- Median home value
- $126,600
- Jobs located here
- 19,660
- Daytime population
- 54,001Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Waycross 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 Waycross 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 Waycross 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 |
| 16Waycross, GA | 37 | 187 | 90.9 | $336K | +3.0% | #397 of 538 |
Other business types in the Waycross area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes37
- Sit-down restaurants49
- Fast food and sandwich shops22
- Pizza33
- Coffee shops and cafes36
- Bakeries and dessert shops52
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 Waycross, GA area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 187 restaurants and cafes in the Waycross area. 90 of them (48%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 98 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 14.0% from 2019. Official counts list 20 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Waycross, GA area spend on food away from home?
About $62.8M 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 187 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $336K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 20,562 households in the Waycross area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Waycross, GA area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Waycross area has 90.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $336K, 9% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Waycross area would have about 169, against 187 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 210 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 14.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Waycross, GA area growing?
Population estimates put the Waycross area at 57,670 people in 2025, up 3.0% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 20,562 households. Median household income in the Waycross area is $51,821, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 34.7%, 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 Waycross area scores 37 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #397 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 Waycross 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 Waycross area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Waycross 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 Waycross 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.