Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Maryland

Restaurants and cafes in Wicomico County, MD

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 52 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #1,105 of 2,405 scored counties
#15 of 24 scored counties in Maryland

Listings
403
161 chain locations (40%)
Official establishments
179
+1.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$153.7M
On food away from home · $3,797 a household
Spending per listing
$381K
3% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
99.6
9% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
106,899
+3.2% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Wicomico 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 Wicomico 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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 403 restaurants and cafes in Wicomico County. Of those, 161 are chain locations, or 40%, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 99.6 for every 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Household spending on food away from home in Wicomico County comes to about $153.7M a year: $3,797 per household, 7% below the U.S. average. That is about $381K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 3% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

In 2023, official counts showed 179 businesses with payroll in Wicomico County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 1.1% from 2019. That is one for every 226 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 37 one-person businesses without payroll.

Population estimates put the population change in Wicomico County from 2020 to 2025 at +3.2%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). Wicomico County scores 52 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,105 of 2,405 scored counties and #15 of 24 scored counties in Maryland.

How Wicomico 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 Wicomico County, MD compared with Maryland and the U.S.
MeasureWicomico CountyMarylandU.S.
Listings per 10k households99.695.7109.8
Spending per listing$381K$481K$371K
Households per official establishment226226209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+1.1%+2.8%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+3.2%+1.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,797$4,604$4,070
Median household income$76,210$103,678$80,734
Groundwork market score5274

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
177 → 179+1.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
3,525
Annual payroll, 2023
$73.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
37Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
403161 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
414The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
0
Amount
$0

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

Population, 2025 estimate
106,899+3.2% since 2020
Households
40,470
Median age
37.2
Homes lived in by their owners
62%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
374 sq. mi.
People per square mile
280
Median household income
$76,210+33.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$99,023
Median home value
$254,700
Jobs located here
43,883
Daytime population
101,796Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Wicomico 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 Wicomico 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 Wicomico 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
15Wicomico County, MD5240399.6$381K+3.2%#1,105 of 2,405

Other business types in Wicomico County

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

Questions

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

There are 403 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Wicomico County as of September 2026. 161 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 179 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 1.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 37 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $153.7M a year, or $3,797 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 403 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $381K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 40,470 households in Wicomico County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Wicomico County has 99.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $381K, 3% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Wicomico County would have about 414, against 403 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 1.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Wicomico County, MD growing?

Population estimates put Wicomico County at 106,899 people in 2025, up 3.2% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 40,470 households. The median household income in Wicomico County is $76,210 a year, 6% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 33.8% 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. Wicomico County scores 52 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #1,105 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Wicomico 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 Wicomico 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.