Food and drink · County · Hawaii
Restaurants and cafes in Hawaii County, HI
How Hawaii County, HI 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 37 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,761 of 2,405 scored counties
#1 of 4 scored counties in Hawaii
- Listings
- 1,109
- 160 chain locations (14%)
- Official establishments
- 407
- +11.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $294.8M
- On food away from home · $3,980 a household
- Spending per listing
- $266K
- 28% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 149.7
- 36% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 210,043
- +4.6% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Hawaii 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 Hawaii County. 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,109 restaurants and cafes in Hawaii County. 160 of them (14%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 149.7 for every 10,000 households, 36% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Hawaii County comes to about $294.8M a year: $3,980 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. Spread across 1,109 restaurants and cafes, that is $266K per restaurant, 28% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Hawaii County was 407 in 2023, up 11.2% from 2019. That is one for every 182 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 115 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 11 SBA-backed loans worth $2.7M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Hawaii County.
Population estimates put the population change in Hawaii County from 2020 to 2025 at +4.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Hawaii County is 37 (lower middle), #1,761 of 2,405 scored counties and #1 of 4 scored counties in Hawaii.
How Hawaii County compares
The same measures for Hawaii 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 | Hawaii County | Hawaii | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 149.7 | 161.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $266K | $281K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 182 | 154 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +11.2% | +2.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.6% | −1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,980 | $4,533 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $78,639 | $100,389 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 37 | 18 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 366 → 407+11.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 6,330
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $192.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 115Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,109160 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 795The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 11
- Amount
- $2.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Hawaii 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 Hawaii County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 210,043+4.6% since 2020
- Households
- 74,072
- Median age
- 44.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 4,028 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 51
- Median household income
- $78,639+26.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $106,737
- Median home value
- $519,300
- Jobs located here
- 69,607
- Daytime population
- 224,838Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Hawaii 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 Hawaii County. 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 Hawaii
Every Hawaii market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Hawaii for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Hawaii, with Hawaii County marked.
Top counties in Hawaii
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hawaii County, HI | 37 | 1,109 | 149.7 | $266K | +4.6% | #1,761 of 2,405 |
| 2Honolulu County, HI | 31 | 4,941 | 145.8 | $320K | −2.3% | #1,979 of 2,405 |
| 3Kauai County, HI | 26 | 631 | 267.0 | $165K | +0.3% | #2,174 of 2,405 |
| 4Maui County, HI | 22 | 1,266 | 226.7 | $198K | −2.5% | #2,259 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Hawaii County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes37
- Sit-down restaurants38
- Fast food and sandwich shops69
- Pizza65
- Coffee shops and cafes34
- Bakeries and dessert shops35
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 Hawaii County, HI?
There are 1,109 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Hawaii County as of September 2026. 160 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 407 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 11.2% from 2019. Another 115 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Hawaii County, HI spend on food away from home?
About $294.8M a year, or $3,980 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,109 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $266K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 74,072 households in Hawaii County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Hawaii County, HI compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Hawaii County has 149.7 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 36% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $266K, 28% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Hawaii County would have about 795, against 1,109 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 182 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 11.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Hawaii County, HI growing?
Population estimates put Hawaii County at 210,043 people in 2025, up 4.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 74,072 households. The median household income in Hawaii County is $78,639 a year, 3% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.0% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Hawaii County scores 37 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,761 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Hawaii 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 Hawaii County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Hawaii 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 Hawaii 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.