Food and drink · County · Massachusetts
Restaurants and cafes in Bristol County, MA
The restaurants and cafes in Bristol County, MA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 62 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #675 of 2,405 scored counties
#5 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 2,091
- 718 chain locations (34%)
- Official establishments
- 1,109
- +3.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $973.2M
- On food away from home · $4,162 a household
- Spending per listing
- $465K
- 26% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 89.4
- 19% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 593,640
- +2.9% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Bristol 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 Bristol 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
At $4,162 per household (2% above the U.S. average), households in Bristol County spend about $973.2M a year on food away from home. That works out to $465K per restaurant, 26% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
Bristol County has 2,091 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 34% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That is 89.4 per 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Official counts show 1,109 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Bristol County in 2023, up 3.7% from 2019. That is one for every 211 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 166 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 51 SBA-backed loans worth $16M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Bristol County.
Population estimates put the population change in Bristol County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.9%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). Bristol County scores 62 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #675 of 2,405 scored counties and #5 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts.
How Bristol County compares
The same measures for Massachusetts 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 | Bristol County | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 89.4 | 106.3 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $465K | $441K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 211 | 191 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.7% | +1.9% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.9% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,162 | $4,685 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $85,625 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 62 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,069 → 1,109+3.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 19,765
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $482.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 166Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2,091718 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,625The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 51
- Amount
- $16M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Bristol 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 Bristol County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 593,640+2.9% since 2020
- Households
- 233,825
- Median age
- 41.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 553 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,053
- Median household income
- $85,625+23.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $111,533
- Median home value
- $451,200
- Jobs located here
- 230,662
- Daytime population
- 523,584Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Bristol 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 Bristol 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 Massachusetts
Every Massachusetts market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Massachusetts for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Massachusetts, with Bristol County marked.
Top counties in Massachusetts
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Worcester County, MA | 69 | 3,064 | 91.2 | $486K | +3.7% | #428 of 2,405 |
| 2Plymouth County, MA | 67 | 1,924 | 94.7 | $515K | +3.5% | #475 of 2,405 |
| 3Norfolk County, MA | 65 | 2,766 | 97.6 | $540K | +2.2% | #542 of 2,405 |
| 4Middlesex County, MA | 65 | 6,402 | 100.9 | $521K | +2.8% | #546 of 2,405 |
| 5Bristol County, MA | 62 | 2,091 | 89.4 | $465K | +2.9% | #675 of 2,405 |
| 6Hampshire County, MA | 61 | 644 | 103.7 | $406K | +10.4% | #726 of 2,405 |
| 7Essex County, MA | 59 | 3,177 | 101.5 | $456K | +2.3% | #792 of 2,405 |
| 8Hampden County, MA | 55 | 1,665 | 90.3 | $418K | +0.2% | #959 of 2,405 |
| 9Franklin County, MA | 51 | 297 | 94.1 | $402K | −0.3% | #1,140 of 2,405 |
| 10Barnstable County, MA | 36 | 1,590 | 150.3 | $298K | +2.4% | #1,797 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Bristol County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes62
- Sit-down restaurants65
- Fast food and sandwich shops74
- Pizza59
- Coffee shops and cafes51
- Bakeries and dessert shops37
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 Bristol County, MA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 2,091 restaurants and cafes in Bristol County. 718 of them (34%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 1,109 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 3.7% from 2019. Official counts list 166 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Bristol County, MA spend on food away from home?
About $973.2M a year, or $4,162 per household. That is 2% above the U.S. average (an index of 102, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,091 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $465K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 233,825 households in Bristol County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Bristol County, MA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Bristol County has 89.4 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $465K, 26% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Bristol County would have about 2,625, against 2,091 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 211 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Bristol County, MA growing?
Population estimates put Bristol County at 593,640 people in 2025, up 2.9% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 233,825 households. Median household income in Bristol County is $85,625, 6% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.9%, 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. Bristol County scores 62 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #675 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Bristol 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 Bristol County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Bristol 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 Bristol 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.