Food and drink · County · Idaho
Restaurants and cafes in Ada County, ID
How Ada County, ID 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 60 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #771 of 2,405 scored counties
#10 of 30 scored counties in Idaho
- Listings
- 2,195
- 944 chain locations (43%)
- Official establishments
- 994
- +17.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $871.3M
- On food away from home · $4,302 a household
- Spending per listing
- $397K
- 7% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 108.4
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 546,141
- +9.6% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Ada 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 Ada 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
Households in Ada County spend about $871.3M a year on food away from home, or $4,302 per household, 6% above the U.S. average. That works out to $397K per restaurant, 7% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 2,195 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Ada County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 43% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 108.4 for every 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Official counts show 994 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Ada County in 2023, up 17.8% from 2019. That is one for every 204 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 127 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 77 SBA-backed loans worth $48M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Ada County.
Population estimates show Ada County grew 9.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Ada County is 60 (upper middle), #771 of 2,405 scored counties and #10 of 30 scored counties in Idaho.
How Ada County compares
The same measures for Idaho 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 | Ada County | Idaho | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 108.4 | 105.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $397K | $366K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 204 | 214 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +17.8% | +13.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +9.6% | +9.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,302 | $3,857 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $91,502 | $77,800 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 60 | 53 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 844 → 994+17.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 21,646
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $491.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 127Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2,195944 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,350The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 77
- Amount
- $48M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Ada 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 Ada County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 546,141+9.6% since 2020
- Households
- 202,543
- Median age
- 39.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,052 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 493
- Median household income
- $91,502+38.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $124,631
- Median home value
- $512,300
- Jobs located here
- 294,737
- Daytime population
- 566,160Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Ada 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 Ada 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 Idaho
Every Idaho market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Idaho for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Idaho, with Ada County marked.
Top counties in Idaho
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Jefferson County, ID | 89 | 63 | 61.8 | $640K | +13.6% | #31 of 2,405 |
| 2Franklin County, ID | 85 | 25 | 50.7 | $754K | +11.2% | #58 of 2,405 |
| 3Bingham County, ID | 81 | 115 | 71.3 | $530K | +6.4% | #123 of 2,405 |
| 4Payette County, ID | 79 | 59 | 60.9 | $578K | +8.8% | #149 of 2,405 |
| 5Canyon County, ID | 78 | 669 | 77.7 | $481K | +18.1% | #182 of 2,405 |
| 6Gem County, ID | 76 | 57 | 74.6 | $478K | +13.0% | #224 of 2,405 |
| 7Boundary County, ID | 66 | 46 | 91.2 | $382K | +15.3% | #528 of 2,405 |
| 8Jerome County, ID | 64 | 84 | 101.5 | $360K | +8.6% | #622 of 2,405 |
| 9Minidoka County, ID | 61 | 81 | 99.9 | $352K | +5.7% | #737 of 2,405 |
| 10Ada County, ID | 60 | 2,195 | 108.4 | $397K | +9.6% | #771 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Ada County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes60
- Sit-down restaurants70
- Fast food and sandwich shops61
- Pizza66
- Coffee shops and cafes46
- Bakeries and dessert shops60
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 Ada County, ID?
As of September 2026, map listings count 2,195 restaurants and cafes in Ada County. 944 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 994 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 17.8% from 2019. Official counts list 127 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Ada County, ID spend on food away from home?
About $871.3M a year, or $4,302 per household. That is 6% above the U.S. average (an index of 106, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,195 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $397K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 202,543 households in Ada County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Ada County, ID compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Ada County has 108.4 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $397K, 7% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Ada County would have about 2,350, against 2,195 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 204 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 17.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Ada County, ID growing?
Population estimates put Ada County at 546,141 people in 2025, up 9.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 202,543 households. Median household income in Ada County is $91,502, 13% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 38.0%, 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. 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. Ada County scores 60 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #771 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ada 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 Ada County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Ada 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 Ada 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.