Market rankings · Maryland
Restaurants and cafes in Maryland
Every metro area, small-town market and county in Maryland, ranked by the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 22,605
- 8,170 chain locations (36%)
- Official establishments
- 10,438
- +2.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $10.9B
- On food away from home
- Listings per 10k households
- 95.7
- 13% below the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $481K
- 30% above the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #3 of 51
- Market score 74 · Upper middle
A site report maps the restaurants and cafes on map listings around any address in Maryland by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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
Maryland has 22,605 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 8,170 of them (36%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 95.7, 13% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in Maryland spend about $10.9B a year on food away from home, or $4,604 per household, 13% above the U.S. average. That is about $481K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 30% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Maryland was 10,438 in 2023, up 2.8% from 2019. That is one for every 226 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 6.0% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 466 SBA-backed loans worth $208.6M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Maryland.
Among the 50 states and DC, Maryland ranks #3 for restaurants and cafes, with a Groundwork market score of 74 (upper middle). Of the 6 scored metro areas in or partly in Maryland, the Lexington Park metro area scores highest (84). Of the 4 scored small-town markets in or partly in Maryland, the Cambridge area scores highest (60).
Every market in Maryland for restaurants and cafes
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Maryland, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lexington Park, MD | 84 | 623 | 82.1 | $618K | +2.1% | #6 of 387 |
| 2Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | 80 | 1,043 | 88.3 | $434K | +7.1% | #15 of 387 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 71 | 25,241 | 106.4 | $483K | +3.3% | #50 of 387 |
| 3Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 67 | 10,954 | 97.8 | $460K | +0.4% | #76 of 387 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 60 | 26,413 | 107.0 | $407K | +1.4% | #128 of 387 |
| 4Salisbury, MD | 54 | 488 | 100.0 | $371K | +2.9% | #166 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Cambridge, MD | 60 | 139 | 102.6 | $339K | +3.4% | #172 of 538 |
| 2Cumberland, MD-WV | 48 | 350 | 90.9 | $363K | −1.3% | #277 of 538 |
| 3Easton, MD | 40 | 239 | 145.4 | $287K | +2.0% | #379 of 538 |
| 4Ocean Pines, MD | 35 | 839 | 347.6 | $117K | +3.7% | #424 of 538 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Charles County, MD | 82 | 463 | 76.1 | $654K | +5.9% | #105 of 2,405 |
| 2Harford County, MD | 78 | 710 | 69.7 | $677K | +2.0% | #168 of 2,405 |
| 3Frederick County, MD | 77 | 1,010 | 96.5 | $522K | +11.0% | #204 of 2,405 |
| 4Caroline County, MD | 76 | 77 | 61.6 | $576K | +2.5% | #219 of 2,405 |
| 5Cecil County, MD | 76 | 353 | 87.0 | $483K | +3.2% | #223 of 2,405 |
| 6Queen Anne’s County, MD | 76 | 206 | 103.5 | $463K | +8.8% | #227 of 2,405 |
| 7Calvert County, MD | 75 | 278 | 83.1 | $632K | +1.7% | #230 of 2,405 |
| 8St. Mary’s County, MD | 75 | 345 | 81.3 | $606K | +2.4% | #234 of 2,405 |
| 9Carroll County, MD | 73 | 528 | 82.1 | $598K | +2.2% | #295 of 2,405 |
| 10Prince George’s County, MD | 72 | 2,724 | 78.3 | $576K | +0.5% | #334 of 2,405 |
| 11Montgomery County, MD | 69 | 3,531 | 90.7 | $579K | +1.3% | #418 of 2,405 |
| 12Howard County, MD | 67 | 1,111 | 91.8 | $606K | +1.9% | #469 of 2,405 |
| 13Anne Arundel County, MD | 64 | 2,193 | 97.6 | $520K | +1.7% | #590 of 2,405 |
| 14Baltimore County, MD | 60 | 2,951 | 88.7 | $485K | −0.7% | #749 of 2,405 |
| 15Wicomico County, MD | 52 | 403 | 99.6 | $381K | +3.2% | #1,105 of 2,405 |
| 16Washington County, MD | 50 | 621 | 103.8 | $372K | +2.0% | #1,190 of 2,405 |
| 17Dorchester County, MD | 48 | 139 | 102.6 | $339K | +3.4% | #1,289 of 2,405 |
| 18Somerset County, MD | 48 | 85 | 101.8 | $325K | +1.7% | #1,293 of 2,405 |
| 19Kent County, MD | 38 | 119 | 140.1 | $279K | +2.3% | #1,721 of 2,405 |
| 20Talbot County, MD | 35 | 239 | 145.4 | $287K | +2.0% | #1,845 of 2,405 |
| 21Worcester County, MD | 31 | 839 | 347.6 | $117K | +3.7% | #2,008 of 2,405 |
| 22Allegany County, MD | 29 | 269 | 98.2 | $329K | −1.6% | #2,063 of 2,405 |
| 23Garrett County, MD | 24 | 156 | 124.0 | $292K | −1.5% | #2,212 of 2,405 |
| 24Baltimore city, MD | 23 | 3,255 | 127.3 | $278K | −2.3% | #2,228 of 2,405 |
Questions
How many restaurants and cafes are in Maryland?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 22,605 restaurants and cafes in Maryland. 8,170 of them (36%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 10,438 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 2.8% from 2019. Official counts list 3,003 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Maryland spend on food away from home?
About $10.9B a year, or $4,604 per household. That is 13% above the U.S. average (an index of 113, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 22,605 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $481K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 2,362,928 households in Maryland and national spending patterns by income.
How does Maryland compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Maryland has 95.7 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $481K, 30% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Maryland would have about 29,340, against 22,605 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 226 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
Which market in Maryland has the highest market score for restaurants and cafes?
Among 6 scored metro areas in or partly in Maryland, the Lexington Park metro area scores highest, at 84 (high). Among 4 scored small-town markets in or partly in Maryland, the Cambridge area scores highest, at 60 (upper middle). Among 24 scored counties in Maryland, Charles County scores highest, at 82 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. Maryland scores 74 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #3 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Maryland. 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.
Restaurants and cafes in other states
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Top markets for restaurants and cafes across the U.S. · All business types in Maryland
Related business types in Maryland
- Sit-down restaurants13,270 listings
- Fast food and sandwich shops2,853 listings
- Pizza1,746 listings
- Coffee shops and cafes1,792 listings
- Bakeries and dessert shops2,241 listings
Screening a site or an acquisition in Maryland?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.