Food and drink · County · Massachusetts
Restaurants and cafes in Nantucket County, MA
How Nantucket County, MA 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 34 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,892 of 2,405 scored counties
#11 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 158
- 8 chain locations (5%)
- Official establishments
- 80
- −8.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $29.3M
- On food away from home · $5,575 a household
- Spending per listing
- $185K
- 50% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 300.8
- 2.7 times the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 14,758
- +3.6% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Nantucket 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 Nantucket 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
Nantucket County scores 34 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,892 of 2,405 scored counties and #11 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 158 restaurants and cafes in Nantucket County. 8 of them (5%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 300.8, 2.7 times the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $5,575 per household (37% above the U.S. average), households in Nantucket County spend about $29.3M a year on food away from home. That is about $185K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 50% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 80 businesses with payroll in Nantucket County classed as restaurants and other eating places, down 8.0% from 2019. That is one for every 66 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $3.1M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Nantucket County. Population estimates show Nantucket County grew 3.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Nantucket 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 | Nantucket County | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 300.8 | 106.3 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $185K | $441K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 66 | 191 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −8.0% | +1.9% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.6% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $5,575 | $4,685 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $139,688 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 34 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 87 → 80−8.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 486
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $63.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 13Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1588 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 79The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $3.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Nantucket 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 Nantucket County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 14,758+3.6% since 2020
- Households
- 5,252
- Median age
- 42.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 46 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 314
- Median household income
- $139,688+29.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $205,560
- Median home value
- $1,593,800
- Jobs located here
- 6,570
- Daytime population
- 13,667Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Nantucket 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 Nantucket 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 Nantucket 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 |
| 11Nantucket County, MA | 34 | 158 | 300.8 | $185K | +3.6% | #1,892 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Nantucket County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes34
- Sit-down restaurants34
- Fast food and sandwich shops65
- Pizza52
- Coffee shops and cafes36
- Bakeries and dessert shops34
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 Nantucket County, MA?
There are 158 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Nantucket County as of September 2026. 8 of them (5%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 80 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 8.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 13 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Nantucket County, MA spend on food away from home?
About $29.3M a year, or $5,575 per household. That is 37% above the U.S. average (an index of 137, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 158 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $185K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 5,252 households in Nantucket County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Nantucket County, MA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Nantucket County has 300.8 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 2.7 times the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $185K, 50% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Nantucket County would have about 79, against 158 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 66 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 Nantucket County, MA growing?
Population estimates put Nantucket County at 14,758 people in 2025, up 3.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 5,252 households. The median household income in Nantucket County is $139,688 a year, 73% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.7% 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. Nantucket County scores 34 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,892 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Nantucket 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 Nantucket County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Nantucket 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 Nantucket 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.