Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Maine

Restaurants and cafes in Cumberland County, ME

The restaurants and cafes in Cumberland County, ME, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 41 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,592 of 2,405 scored counties
#11 of 16 scored counties in Maine

Listings
1,915
431 chain locations (23%)
Official establishments
838
+2.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$583.3M
On food away from home · $4,413 a household
Spending per listing
$305K
18% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
144.9
32% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
317,222
+4.5% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Cumberland 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 Cumberland County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Households in Cumberland County spend about $583.3M a year on food away from home, or $4,413 per household, 8% above the U.S. average. That works out to $305K per restaurant, 18% below the U.S. figure of $371K.

There are 1,915 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Cumberland County as of September 2026. Of those, 431 are chain locations, or 23%, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 144.9 for every 10,000 households, 32% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.

In 2023, official counts showed 838 businesses with payroll in Cumberland County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 2.0% from 2019. That is one for every 158 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 87 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 93 SBA-backed loans worth $26.6M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Cumberland County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Cumberland County grew 4.5%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Cumberland County has a Groundwork market score of 41 (lower middle): #1,592 of 2,405 scored counties and #11 of 16 scored counties in Maine.

How Cumberland County compares

The same measures for Maine 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.

Restaurants and cafes in Cumberland County, ME compared with Maine and the U.S.
MeasureCumberland CountyMaineU.S.
Listings per 10k households144.9111.6109.8
Spending per listing$305K$344K$371K
Households per official establishment158197209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+2.0%+2.1%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+4.5%+3.7%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$4,413$3,835$4,070
Median household income$95,677$74,733$80,734
Groundwork market score4135

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
822 → 838+2.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
13,516
Annual payroll, 2023
$425.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
87Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
1,915431 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
1,573The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
93
Amount
$26.6M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Cumberland 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 Cumberland County

Population, 2025 estimate
317,222+4.5% since 2020
Households
132,168
Median age
43.2
Homes lived in by their owners
70%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
836 sq. mi.
People per square mile
369
Median household income
$95,677+30.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$128,060
Median home value
$451,200
Jobs located here
199,197
Daytime population
355,731Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Cumberland 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 Cumberland County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Restaurants and cafes across Maine

Every Maine market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Maine for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Maine, with Cumberland County marked.

Top counties in Maine

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

Other business types in Cumberland County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Cumberland County, ME?

As of September 2026, map listings count 1,915 restaurants and cafes in Cumberland County. 431 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 838 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 2.0% from 2019. Another 87 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Cumberland County, ME spend on food away from home?

About $583.3M a year, or $4,413 per household. That is 8% above the U.S. average (an index of 108, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,915 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $305K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 132,168 households in Cumberland County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Cumberland County, ME compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Cumberland County has 144.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 32% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $305K, 18% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Cumberland County would have about 1,573, against 1,915 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 158 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Cumberland County, ME growing?

Population estimates put Cumberland County at 317,222 people in 2025, up 4.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 132,168 households. Median household income in Cumberland County is $95,677, 19% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 30.9%, 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. Cumberland County scores 41 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,592 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cumberland 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 Cumberland County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Cumberland 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 Cumberland 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.