Food and drink · County · Maine
Restaurants and cafes in Franklin County, ME
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Franklin County, ME, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 27 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,137 of 2,405 scored counties
#15 of 16 scored counties in Maine
- Listings
- 158
- 25 chain locations (16%)
- Official establishments
- 75
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $42.4M
- On food away from home · $3,348 a household
- Spending per listing
- $269K
- 28% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 124.7
- 14% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 30,824
- +4.6% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Franklin 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 Franklin 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
Franklin County scores 27 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #2,137 of 2,405 scored counties and #15 of 16 scored counties in Maine. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $3,348 per household (18% below the U.S. average), households in Franklin County spend about $42.4M a year on food away from home. That is about $269K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 28% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Franklin County has 158 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 25 of them (16%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 124.7 per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Official counts show 75 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Franklin County in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 169 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Population estimates show Franklin County grew 4.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Franklin 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.
| Measure | Franklin County | Maine | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 124.7 | 111.6 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $269K | $344K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 169 | 197 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | +2.1% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.6% | +3.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,348 | $3,835 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $58,675 | $74,733 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 27 | 35 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 75 → 750.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 952
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $22.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 15825 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 114The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Franklin 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 Franklin County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 30,824+4.6% since 2020
- Households
- 12,675
- Median age
- 44.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,697 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 18
- Median household income
- $58,675+14.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,999
- Median home value
- $194,700
- Jobs located here
- 10,591
- Daytime population
- 27,726Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Franklin 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 Franklin 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 Maine
Every Maine market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maine for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Maine, with Franklin County marked.
Top counties in Maine
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sagadahoc County, ME | 72 | 123 | 74.8 | $540K | +3.4% | #336 of 2,405 |
| 2Waldo County, ME | 66 | 140 | 80.1 | $452K | +2.6% | #517 of 2,405 |
| 3Penobscot County, ME | 61 | 555 | 85.1 | $423K | +3.8% | #722 of 2,405 |
| 4Androscoggin County, ME | 59 | 380 | 80.9 | $439K | +4.8% | #800 of 2,405 |
| 5Somerset County, ME | 58 | 166 | 71.5 | $454K | +2.3% | #825 of 2,405 |
| 6Oxford County, ME | 57 | 207 | 85.7 | $398K | +4.2% | #882 of 2,405 |
| 7Kennebec County, ME | 56 | 472 | 86.9 | $415K | +3.5% | #920 of 2,405 |
| 8Aroostook County, ME | 51 | 218 | 72.8 | $449K | −0.7% | #1,121 of 2,405 |
| 9Piscataquis County, ME | 48 | 73 | 87.1 | $381K | +3.5% | #1,275 of 2,405 |
| 10York County, ME | 45 | 1,123 | 122.8 | $337K | +4.8% | #1,419 of 2,405 |
| 15Franklin County, ME | 27 | 158 | 124.7 | $269K | +4.6% | #2,137 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Franklin County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes27
- Sit-down restaurants28
- Fast food and sandwich shops61
- Pizza46
- Coffee shops and cafes28
- Bakeries and dessert shops28
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 Franklin County, ME?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 158 restaurants and cafes in Franklin County. 25 of them (16%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 75 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Another 7 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Franklin County, ME spend on food away from home?
About $42.4M a year, or $3,348 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 158 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $269K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 12,675 households in Franklin County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Franklin County, ME compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Franklin County has 124.7 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $269K, 28% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Franklin County would have about 114, against 158 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 169 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 Franklin County, ME growing?
Population estimates put Franklin County at 30,824 people in 2025, up 4.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 12,675 households. Median household income in Franklin County is $58,675, 27% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 14.1%, 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. Franklin County scores 27 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #2,137 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Franklin 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 Franklin County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Franklin 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 Franklin 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.