Food and drink · County · Idaho
Restaurants and cafes in Gem County, ID
The restaurants and cafes in Gem County, ID, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 76 out of 100: High
Ranked #224 of 2,405 scored counties
#6 of 30 scored counties in Idaho
- Listings
- 57
- 22 chain locations (39%)
- Official establishments
- 23
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $27.3M
- On food away from home · $3,568 a household
- Spending per listing
- $478K
- 29% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 74.6
- 32% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 21,773
- +13.0% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Gem 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 Gem 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
For restaurants and cafes, Gem County has a Groundwork market score of 76 (high): #224 of 2,405 scored counties and #6 of 30 scored counties in Idaho. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for restaurants and cafes.
Households in Gem County spend about $27.3M a year on food away from home, or $3,568 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. Spread across 57 restaurants and cafes, that is $478K per restaurant, 29% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 57 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Gem County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 39% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That is 74.6 per 10,000 households, 32% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 23 businesses with payroll in Gem County classed as restaurants and other eating places, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 332 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $919K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Gem County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Gem County grew 13.0%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Gem 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 | Gem County | Idaho | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 74.6 | 105.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $478K | $366K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 332 | 214 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | +13.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +13.0% | +9.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,568 | $3,857 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $64,605 | $77,800 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 76 | 53 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 23 → 230.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 353
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5722 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 74The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $919K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Gem 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 Gem County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 21,773+13.0% since 2020
- Households
- 7,643
- Median age
- 44.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.4
- Land area
- 560 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 37
- Median household income
- $64,605+42.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $86,642
- Median home value
- $428,700
- Jobs located here
- 4,657
- Daytime population
- 16,682Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Gem 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 Gem 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 Gem 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 Gem County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes76
- Sit-down restaurants75
- Fast food and sandwich shops67
- Pizza71
- Coffee shops and cafes50
- Bakeries and dessert shops72
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 Gem County, ID?
As of September 2026, map listings count 57 restaurants and cafes in Gem County. 22 of them (39%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 23 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Official counts also show 5 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Gem County, ID spend on food away from home?
About $27.3M a year, or $3,568 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 57 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $478K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,643 households in Gem County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Gem County, ID compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Gem County has 74.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 32% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $478K, 29% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Gem County would have about 74, against 57 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 332 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Gem County, ID growing?
Population estimates put Gem County at 21,773 people in 2025, up 13.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 7,643 households. Median household income in Gem County is $64,605, 20% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 42.0%, 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. Gem County scores 76 for restaurants and cafes (high), #224 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Gem 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 Gem County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Gem 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 Gem 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.