Food and drink · County · Maryland
Restaurants and cafes in Talbot County, MD
The restaurants and cafes in Talbot County, MD, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 35 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,845 of 2,405 scored counties
#20 of 24 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 239
- 64 chain locations (27%)
- Official establishments
- 92
- −8.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $68.6M
- On food away from home · $4,173 a household
- Spending per listing
- $287K
- 23% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 145.4
- 32% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 38,238
- +2.0% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Talbot 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 Talbot 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
Talbot County scores 35 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,845 of 2,405 scored counties and #20 of 24 scored counties in Maryland. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 239 restaurants and cafes in Talbot County. Chain locations make up 27% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 145.4 for every 10,000 households, 32% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in Talbot County spend about $68.6M a year on food away from home, or $4,173 per household, 3% above the U.S. average. Spread across 239 restaurants and cafes, that is $287K per restaurant, 23% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 92 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Talbot County in 2023, down 8.0% from 2019. That is one for every 179 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $209K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Talbot County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Talbot County grew 2.0%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Talbot 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 | Talbot County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 145.4 | 95.7 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $287K | $481K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 179 | 226 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −8.0% | +2.8% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.0% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,173 | $4,604 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $84,811 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 35 | 74 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 100 → 92−8.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,597
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $42.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 10Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 23964 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 185The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $209K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Talbot 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 Talbot County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 38,238+2.0% since 2020
- Households
- 16,433
- Median age
- 50.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 269 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 141
- Median household income
- $84,811+15.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $126,276
- Median home value
- $409,700
- Jobs located here
- 17,017
- Daytime population
- 37,878Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Talbot 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 Talbot 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 Talbot 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 |
| 20Talbot County, MD | 35 | 239 | 145.4 | $287K | +2.0% | #1,845 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Talbot County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes35
- Sit-down restaurants34
- Fast food and sandwich shops63
- Pizza60
- Coffee shops and cafes37
- Bakeries and dessert shops40
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 Talbot County, MD?
There are 239 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Talbot County as of September 2026. 64 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 92 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 8.0% from 2019. Official counts list 10 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Talbot County, MD spend on food away from home?
About $68.6M a year, or $4,173 per household. That is 3% above the U.S. average (an index of 103, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 239 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $287K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 16,433 households in Talbot County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Talbot County, MD compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Talbot County has 145.4 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 32% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $287K, 23% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Talbot County would have about 185, against 239 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 179 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 8.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Talbot County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Talbot County at 38,238 people in 2025, up 2.0% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 16,433 households. The median household income in Talbot County is $84,811 a year, 5% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 15.3% 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. Talbot County scores 35 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,845 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Talbot 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 Talbot County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Talbot 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 Talbot 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.