Food and drink · Metro area · Maine
Restaurants and cafes in the Portland-South Portland, ME metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in the Portland-South Portland, ME metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 39 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #269 of 387 scored metro areas
#3 of 3 scored metro areas based in Maine
- Listings
- 3,161
- 667 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 1,429
- +1.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1B
- On food away from home · $4,282 a household
- Spending per listing
- $325K
- 12% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 131.7
- 20% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 577,635
- +4.5% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Portland-South Portland metro area
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 the Portland-South Portland metro area. 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
At $4,282 per household (5% above the U.S. average), households in the Portland-South Portland metro area spend about $1B a year on food away from home. That works out to $325K per restaurant, 12% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The Portland-South Portland metro area has 3,161 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 21% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That is 131.7 per 10,000 households, 20% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Official counts show 1,429 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Portland-South Portland metro area in 2023, up 1.0% from 2019. That is one for every 168 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 161 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 143 SBA-backed loans worth $45.9M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Portland-South Portland metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Portland-South Portland metro area grew 4.5%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in the Portland-South Portland metro area is 39 (lower middle), #269 of 387 scored metro areas and #3 of 3 scored metro areas based in Maine.
How the Portland-South Portland metro area 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 | Portland-South Portland metro area | Maine | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 131.7 | 111.6 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $325K | $344K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 168 | 197 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.0% | +2.1% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.5% | +3.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,282 | $3,835 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $92,175 | $74,733 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 39 | 35 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,429+1.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 21,061
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $691.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 161Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3,161667 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,772The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 143
- Amount
- $45.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Portland-South Portland metro area, 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 the Portland-South Portland metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 577,635+4.5% since 2020
- Households
- 240,027
- Median age
- 44.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 2,081 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 270
- Median household income
- $92,175+31.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $119,924
- Median home value
- $420,000
- Jobs located here
- 284,437
- Daytime population
- 573,648Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Portland-South Portland metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Portland-South Portland metro area. 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 metro areas in Maine for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Maine, with the Portland-South Portland metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Maine
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Bangor, ME | 69 | 555 | 85.1 | $423K | +3.8% | #66 of 387 |
| 2Lewiston-Auburn, ME | 66 | 380 | 80.9 | $439K | +4.8% | #84 of 387 |
| 3Portland-South Portland, ME | 39 | 3,161 | 131.7 | $325K | +4.5% | #269 of 387 |
Other business types in the Portland-South Portland metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes39
- Sit-down restaurants42
- Fast food and sandwich shops76
- Pizza68
- Coffee shops and cafes37
- Bakeries and dessert shops35
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 the Portland-South Portland, ME metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 3,161 restaurants and cafes in the Portland-South Portland metro area. 667 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 1,429 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 1.0% from 2019. Another 161 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Portland-South Portland, ME metro area spend on food away from home?
About $1B a year, or $4,282 per household. That is 5% above the U.S. average (an index of 105, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 3,161 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $325K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 240,027 households in the Portland-South Portland metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Portland-South Portland, ME metro area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Portland-South Portland metro area has 131.7 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 20% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $325K, 12% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Portland-South Portland metro area would have about 2,772, against 3,161 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 168 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Portland-South Portland, ME metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Portland-South Portland metro area at 577,635 people in 2025, up 4.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 240,027 households. Median household income in the Portland-South Portland metro area is $92,175, 14% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.2%, 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. The Portland-South Portland metro area scores 39 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #269 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Portland-South Portland metro area. 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 the Portland-South Portland metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Portland-South Portland metro area?
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 the Portland-South Portland metro area. 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.