Food and drink · County · Maryland
Restaurants and cafes in Kent County, MD
How Kent County, MD compares with other counties and the U.S. for restaurants and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 38 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,721 of 2,405 scored counties
#19 of 24 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 119
- 15 chain locations (13%)
- Official establishments
- 38
- −7.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $33.2M
- On food away from home · $3,904 a household
- Spending per listing
- $279K
- 25% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 140.1
- 28% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 19,565
- +2.3% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Kent 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 Kent 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 119 restaurants and cafes in Kent County. 15 of them (13%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 140.1 for every 10,000 households, 28% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Kent County comes to about $33.2M a year: $3,904 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. That is about $279K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 25% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Kent County was 38 in 2023, down 7.3% from 2019. That is one for every 224 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 8 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $643K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Kent County.
Population estimates show Kent County grew 2.3% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Kent County is 38 (lower middle), #1,721 of 2,405 scored counties and #19 of 24 scored counties in Maryland.
How Kent 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 | Kent County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 140.1 | 95.7 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $279K | $481K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 224 | 226 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −7.3% | +2.8% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,904 | $4,604 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $80,147 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 38 | 74 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 41 → 38−7.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 517
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $12.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 8Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 11915 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 89The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $643K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Kent 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 Kent County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 19,565+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 8,493
- Median age
- 47.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 277 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 70
- Median household income
- $80,147+36.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $106,060
- Median home value
- $330,900
- Jobs located here
- 7,746
- Daytime population
- 19,068Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Kent 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 Kent 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 Kent 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 |
| 19Kent County, MD | 38 | 119 | 140.1 | $279K | +2.3% | #1,721 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Kent County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes38
- Sit-down restaurants33
- Fast food and sandwich shops81
- Pizza74
- Coffee shops and cafes37
- Bakeries and dessert shops33
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 Kent County, MD?
Kent County has 119 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 15 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 38 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 7.3% from 2019. Official counts also show 8 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Kent County, MD spend on food away from home?
About $33.2M a year, or $3,904 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 119 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $279K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 8,493 households in Kent County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Kent County, MD compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Kent County has 140.1 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 28% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $279K, 25% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Kent County would have about 89, against 119 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 224 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 7.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Kent County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Kent County at 19,565 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 8,493 households. The median household income in Kent County is $80,147 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 36.8% 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. Kent County scores 38 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,721 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kent 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 Kent County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Kent 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 Kent 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.