Food and drink · County · Maryland
Restaurants and cafes in Howard County, MD
The restaurants and cafes in Howard County, MD, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #469 of 2,405 scored counties
#12 of 24 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 1,111
- 445 chain locations (40%)
- Official establishments
- 602
- +12.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $673.6M
- On food away from home · $5,564 a household
- Spending per listing
- $606K
- 64% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 91.8
- 16% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 339,183
- +1.9% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Howard 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 Howard 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,111 restaurants and cafes in Howard County. Of those, 445 are chain locations, or 40%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 91.8, 16% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $5,564 per household (37% above the U.S. average), households in Howard County spend about $673.6M a year on food away from home. That works out to $606K per restaurant, 64% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 602 businesses with payroll in Howard County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 12.1% from 2019. That is one for every 201 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 156 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 32 SBA-backed loans worth $12.2M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Howard County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Howard County grew 1.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Howard County is 67 (upper middle), #469 of 2,405 scored counties and #12 of 24 scored counties in Maryland. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Howard 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.
| Measure | Howard County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 91.8 | 95.7 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $606K | $481K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 201 | 226 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +12.1% | +2.8% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.9% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $5,564 | $4,604 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $149,763 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 74 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 537 → 602+12.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 11,638
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $286M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 156Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,111445 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,817The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 32
- Amount
- $12.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Howard 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 Howard County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 339,183+1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 121,065
- Median age
- 40.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 251 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,340
- Median household income
- $149,763+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $184,243
- Median home value
- $597,900
- Jobs located here
- 185,575
- Daytime population
- 363,145Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Howard 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 Howard 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 Maryland
Every Maryland market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maryland for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Maryland, with Howard County marked.
Top counties in Maryland
| 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 |
| 12Howard County, MD | 67 | 1,111 | 91.8 | $606K | +1.9% | #469 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Howard County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes67
- Sit-down restaurants70
- Fast food and sandwich shops66
- Pizza67
- Coffee shops and cafes74
- Bakeries and dessert shops67
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 Howard County, MD?
There are 1,111 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Howard County as of September 2026. 445 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 602 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 12.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 156 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Howard County, MD spend on food away from home?
About $673.6M a year, or $5,564 per household. That is 37% above the U.S. average (an index of 137, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,111 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $606K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 121,065 households in Howard County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Howard County, MD compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Howard County has 91.8 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $606K, 64% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Howard County would have about 1,817, against 1,111 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 201 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 12.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Howard County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Howard County at 339,183 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 121,065 households. The median household income in Howard County is $149,763 a year, 86% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.6% 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. Howard County scores 67 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #469 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Howard 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 Howard County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Howard 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 Howard 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.