Food and drink · County · Massachusetts
Restaurants and cafes in Suffolk County, MA
How Suffolk 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 33 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,921 of 2,405 scored counties
#12 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 4,817
- 1,149 chain locations (24%)
- Official establishments
- 2,126
- −0.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.5B
- On food away from home · $4,495 a household
- Spending per listing
- $305K
- 18% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 147.2
- 34% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 791,891
- +0.1% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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
Suffolk County scores 33 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,921 of 2,405 scored counties and #12 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $4,495 per household (10% above the U.S. average), households in Suffolk County spend about $1.5B a year on food away from home. Spread across 4,817 restaurants and cafes, that is $305K per restaurant, 18% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 4,817 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Suffolk County as of September 2026. 1,149 of them (24%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 147.2 for every 10,000 households, 34% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 2,126 businesses with payroll in Suffolk County classed as restaurants and other eating places, down 0.2% from 2019. That is one for every 154 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 106 SBA-backed loans worth $45.4M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Suffolk County. Population estimates show Suffolk County grew 0.1% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Suffolk 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 | Suffolk County | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 147.2 | 106.3 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $305K | $441K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 154 | 191 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −0.2% | +1.9% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.1% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,495 | $4,685 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $95,631 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 33 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 2,130 → 2,126−0.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 42,271
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.5B
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 322Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4,8171,149 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 3,966The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 106
- Amount
- $45.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Suffolk 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 Suffolk County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 791,891+0.1% since 2020
- Households
- 327,167
- Median age
- 36.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 36%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.0
- Land area
- 58 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 13,478
- Median household income
- $95,631+37.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $139,221
- Median home value
- $705,800
- Jobs located here
- 748,596
- Daytime population
- 1,129,553Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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 |
| 12Suffolk County, MA | 33 | 4,817 | 147.2 | $305K | +0.1% | #1,921 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Suffolk County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes33
- Sit-down restaurants31
- Fast food and sandwich shops60
- Pizza49
- Coffee shops and cafes31
- 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 Suffolk County, MA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 4,817 restaurants and cafes in Suffolk County. 1,149 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 2,126 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 0.2% from 2019. Another 322 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Suffolk County, MA spend on food away from home?
About $1.5B a year, or $4,495 per household. That is 10% above the U.S. average (an index of 110, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 4,817 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $305K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 327,167 households in Suffolk County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Suffolk County, MA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Suffolk County has 147.2 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 34% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $305K, 18% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Suffolk County would have about 3,966, against 4,817 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 154 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 0.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Suffolk County, MA growing?
Population estimates put Suffolk County at 791,891 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 327,167 households. Median household income in Suffolk County is $95,631, 18% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 37.3%, 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. Suffolk County scores 33 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,921 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Suffolk 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 Suffolk County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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.