Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Maryland

Restaurants and cafes in Garrett County, MD

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Garrett County, MD, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 24 out of 100: Low

Ranked #2,212 of 2,405 scored counties
#23 of 24 scored counties in Maryland

Listings
156
39 chain locations (25%)
Official establishments
65
−5.8% since 2019
Household spending a year
$45.6M
On food away from home · $3,623 a household
Spending per listing
$292K
21% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
124.0
13% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
28,370
−1.5% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Garrett 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 Garrett County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Garrett County scores 24 (low) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #2,212 of 2,405 scored counties and #23 of 24 scored counties in Maryland. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Map listings as of September 2026 show 156 restaurants and cafes in Garrett County. Chain locations make up 25% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That is 124.0 per 10,000 households, 13% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.

At $3,623 per household (11% below the U.S. average), households in Garrett County spend about $45.6M a year on food away from home. That is about $292K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 21% below the U.S. figure of $371K.

In 2023, official counts showed 65 businesses with payroll in Garrett County classed as restaurants and other eating places, down 5.8% from 2019. That is one for every 194 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $730K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Garrett County. Population estimates show Garrett County declined 1.5% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Garrett County compares

The same measures for Maryland 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.

Restaurants and cafes in Garrett County, MD compared with Maryland and the U.S.
MeasureGarrett CountyMarylandU.S.
Listings per 10k households124.095.7109.8
Spending per listing$292K$481K$371K
Households per official establishment194226209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−5.8%+2.8%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.5%+1.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,623$4,604$4,070
Median household income$67,688$103,678$80,734
Groundwork market score2474

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
69 → 65−5.8% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,231
Annual payroll, 2023
$29.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
5Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
15639 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
123The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
5
Amount
$730K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Garrett 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 Garrett County

Population, 2025 estimate
28,370−1.5% since 2020
Households
12,578
Median age
47.3
Homes lived in by their owners
80%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
649 sq. mi.
People per square mile
44
Median household income
$67,688+28.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$97,358
Median home value
$235,300
Jobs located here
11,219
Daytime population
28,374Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Garrett 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 Garrett County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Restaurants and cafes across Maryland

Every Maryland market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Maryland for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Maryland, with Garrett County marked.

Top counties in Maryland

Counties in Maryland ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Charles County, MD8246376.1$654K+5.9%#105 of 2,405
2Harford County, MD7871069.7$677K+2.0%#168 of 2,405
3Frederick County, MD771,01096.5$522K+11.0%#204 of 2,405
4Caroline County, MD767761.6$576K+2.5%#219 of 2,405
5Cecil County, MD7635387.0$483K+3.2%#223 of 2,405
6Queen Anne’s County, MD76206103.5$463K+8.8%#227 of 2,405
7Calvert County, MD7527883.1$632K+1.7%#230 of 2,405
8St. Mary’s County, MD7534581.3$606K+2.4%#234 of 2,405
9Carroll County, MD7352882.1$598K+2.2%#295 of 2,405
10Prince George’s County, MD722,72478.3$576K+0.5%#334 of 2,405
23Garrett County, MD24156124.0$292K−1.5%#2,212 of 2,405

Other business types in Garrett County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Garrett County, MD?

There are 156 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Garrett County as of September 2026. 39 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 65 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 5.8% from 2019. Official counts also show 5 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Garrett County, MD spend on food away from home?

About $45.6M a year, or $3,623 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 156 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $292K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 12,578 households in Garrett County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Garrett County, MD compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Garrett County has 124.0 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 13% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $292K, 21% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Garrett County would have about 123, against 156 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 194 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Garrett County, MD growing?

Population estimates put Garrett County at 28,370 people in 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 12,578 households. The median household income in Garrett County is $67,688 a year, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.6% 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. Garrett County scores 24 for restaurants and cafes (low), #2,212 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Garrett 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 Garrett County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Garrett 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 Garrett 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.