Groundwork

Market rankings · Maine

Restaurants and cafes in Maine

Markets across Maine ranked by the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings
6,666
1,408 chain locations (21%)
Official establishments
3,025
+2.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$2.3B
On food away from home
Listings per 10k households
111.6
2% above the U.S.
Spending per listing
$344K
7% below the U.S.
Rank among states
#40 of 51
Market score 35 · Lower middle

A site report maps the restaurants and cafes on map listings around any address in Maine by name and distance, and the spending within reach.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey 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 6,666 restaurants and cafes in Maine. 1,408 of them (21%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 111.6 per 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Household spending on food away from home in Maine comes to about $2.3B a year: $3,835 per household, 6% below the U.S. average. That is about $344K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 7% below the U.S. figure of $371K.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Maine was 3,025 in 2023, up 2.1% from 2019. That is one for every 197 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 6.0% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 201 SBA-backed loans worth $65.5M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Maine.

Among the 50 states and DC, Maine ranks #40 for restaurants and cafes, with a Groundwork market score of 35 (lower middle). Of the 3 scored metro areas in or partly in Maine, the Bangor metro area scores highest (69). The one scored small-town market in or partly in Maine, the Augusta-Waterville area, scores 68.

Every market in Maine for restaurants and cafes

Download the ranking (CSV)

Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Maine, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.

Metro areas

Metro areas reaching Maine, ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Bangor, ME6955585.1$423K+3.8%#66 of 387
2Lewiston-Auburn, ME6638080.9$439K+4.8%#84 of 387
3Portland-South Portland, ME393,161131.7$325K+4.5%#269 of 387

Small-town markets

Small-town markets reaching Maine, ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Augusta-Waterville, ME6847286.9$415K+3.5%#90 of 538

Counties

Counties in Maine, ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Sagadahoc County, ME7212374.8$540K+3.4%#336 of 2,405
2Waldo County, ME6614080.1$452K+2.6%#517 of 2,405
3Penobscot County, ME6155585.1$423K+3.8%#722 of 2,405
4Androscoggin County, ME5938080.9$439K+4.8%#800 of 2,405
5Somerset County, ME5816671.5$454K+2.3%#825 of 2,405
6Oxford County, ME5720785.7$398K+4.2%#882 of 2,405
7Kennebec County, ME5647286.9$415K+3.5%#920 of 2,405
8Aroostook County, ME5121872.8$449K−0.7%#1,121 of 2,405
9Piscataquis County, ME487387.1$381K+3.5%#1,275 of 2,405
10York County, ME451,123122.8$337K+4.8%#1,419 of 2,405
11Cumberland County, ME411,915144.9$305K+4.5%#1,592 of 2,405
12Washington County, ME34150105.7$307K+0.8%#1,881 of 2,405
13Lincoln County, ME33239144.0$266K+3.8%#1,931 of 2,405
14Knox County, ME28288155.8$247K+1.1%#2,109 of 2,405
15Franklin County, ME27158124.7$269K+4.6%#2,137 of 2,405
16Hancock County, ME27459179.5$208K+3.0%#2,144 of 2,405

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Maine?

There are 6,666 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Maine as of September 2026. 1,408 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 3,025 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 2.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 373 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Maine spend on food away from home?

About $2.3B a year, or $3,835 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 6,666 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $344K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 597,159 households in Maine and national spending patterns by income.

How does Maine compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Maine has 111.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $344K, 7% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Maine would have about 6,176, against 6,666 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 197 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

Which market in Maine has the highest market score for restaurants and cafes?

Among 3 scored metro areas in or partly in Maine, the Bangor metro area scores highest, at 69 (upper middle). The one scored small-town market in or partly in Maine is the Augusta-Waterville area, at 68 (upper middle). Among 16 scored counties in Maine, Sagadahoc County scores highest, at 72 (upper middle). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.

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. Maine scores 35 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #40 of the 50 states and DC.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Maine. 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.

Restaurants and cafes in other states

All 51 states

Top markets for restaurants and cafes across the U.S. · All business types in Maine

Screening a site or an acquisition in Maine?

A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.

Run a site report See plans
Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Screening many markets at once? Talk to us

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.