Food and drink · County · Maine
Restaurants and cafes in Penobscot County, ME
The restaurants and cafes in Penobscot County, ME, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 61 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #722 of 2,405 scored counties
#3 of 16 scored counties in Maine
- Listings
- 555
- 183 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 252
- +3.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $234.6M
- On food away from home · $3,597 a household
- Spending per listing
- $423K
- 14% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 85.1
- 22% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 157,967
- +3.8% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Penobscot 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 Penobscot 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 555 restaurants and cafes in Penobscot County. 183 of them (33%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 85.1 per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Penobscot County comes to about $234.6M a year: $3,597 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. That is about $423K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 14% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 252 businesses with payroll in Penobscot County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 3.7% from 2019. That is one for every 259 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 37 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $1.9M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Penobscot County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Penobscot County grew 3.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Penobscot County is 61 (upper middle), #722 of 2,405 scored counties and #3 of 16 scored counties in Maine.
How Penobscot 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 | Penobscot County | Maine | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 85.1 | 111.6 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $423K | $344K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 259 | 197 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.7% | +2.1% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.8% | +3.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,597 | $3,835 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $66,356 | $74,733 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 61 | 35 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 243 → 252+3.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,622
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $109.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 37Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 555183 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 633The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $1.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Penobscot 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 Penobscot County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 157,967+3.8% since 2020
- Households
- 65,221
- Median age
- 43.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 3,397 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 46
- Median household income
- $66,356+30.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $88,290
- Median home value
- $214,100
- Jobs located here
- 73,466
- Daytime population
- 158,403Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Penobscot 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 Penobscot 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 Penobscot 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 |
Other business types in Penobscot County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes61
- Sit-down restaurants61
- Fast food and sandwich shops69
- Pizza69
- Coffee shops and cafes48
- Bakeries and dessert shops43
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 Penobscot County, ME?
Penobscot County has 555 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 183 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 252 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 3.7% from 2019. Official counts also show 37 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Penobscot County, ME spend on food away from home?
About $234.6M a year, or $3,597 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 555 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $423K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 65,221 households in Penobscot County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Penobscot County, ME compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Penobscot County has 85.1 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $423K, 14% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Penobscot County would have about 633, against 555 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 259 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Penobscot County, ME growing?
Population estimates put Penobscot County at 157,967 people in 2025, up 3.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 65,221 households. The median household income in Penobscot County is $66,356 a year, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.6% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Penobscot County scores 61 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #722 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Penobscot 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 Penobscot County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Penobscot 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 Penobscot 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.