Food and drink · County · Maine
Restaurants and cafes in Waldo County, ME
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Waldo County, ME, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 66 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #517 of 2,405 scored counties
#2 of 16 scored counties in Maine
- Listings
- 140
- 19 chain locations (14%)
- Official establishments
- 60
- −3.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $63.2M
- On food away from home · $3,620 a household
- Spending per listing
- $452K
- 22% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 80.1
- 27% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 40,693
- +2.6% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Waldo 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 Waldo 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
Households in Waldo County spend about $63.2M a year on food away from home, or $3,620 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. Spread across 140 restaurants and cafes, that is $452K per restaurant, 22% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 140 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Waldo County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 14% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 80.1 for every 10,000 households, 27% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Waldo County was 60 in 2023, down 3.2% from 2019. That is one for every 291 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 6 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $887K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Waldo County.
Population estimates show Waldo County grew 2.6% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Waldo County is 66 (upper middle), #517 of 2,405 scored counties and #2 of 16 scored counties in Maine. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Waldo 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 | Waldo County | Maine | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 80.1 | 111.6 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $452K | $344K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 291 | 197 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −3.2% | +2.1% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.6% | +3.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,620 | $3,835 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $72,782 | $74,733 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 66 | 35 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 62 → 60−3.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 518
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $17.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 14019 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 171The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $887K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Waldo 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 Waldo County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 40,693+2.6% since 2020
- Households
- 17,470
- Median age
- 46.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 82%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 730 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 55
- Median household income
- $72,782+40.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $91,541
- Median home value
- $257,700
- Jobs located here
- 11,338
- Daytime population
- 35,620Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Waldo 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 Waldo 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 Waldo 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 Waldo County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes66
- Sit-down restaurants69
- Fast food and sandwich shops80
- Pizza69
- Coffee shops and cafes40
- Bakeries and dessert shops32
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 Waldo County, ME?
As of September 2026, map listings count 140 restaurants and cafes in Waldo County. 19 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 60 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 3.2% from 2019. Another 6 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Waldo County, ME spend on food away from home?
About $63.2M a year, or $3,620 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 140 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $452K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 17,470 households in Waldo County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Waldo County, ME compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Waldo County has 80.1 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 27% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $452K, 22% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Waldo County would have about 171, against 140 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 291 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Waldo County, ME growing?
Population estimates put Waldo County at 40,693 people in 2025, up 2.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 17,470 households. Median household income in Waldo County is $72,782, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 40.2%, 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. Waldo County scores 66 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #517 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Waldo 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 Waldo County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Waldo 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 Waldo 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.