Food and drink · County · Massachusetts
Restaurants and cafes in Worcester County, MA
The restaurants and cafes in Worcester County, MA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 69 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #428 of 2,405 scored counties
#1 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 3,064
- 871 chain locations (28%)
- Official establishments
- 1,463
- +2.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.5B
- On food away from home · $4,437 a household
- Spending per listing
- $486K
- 31% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 91.2
- 17% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 888,502
- +3.7% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Worcester 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 Worcester 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
Household spending on food away from home in Worcester County comes to about $1.5B a year: $4,437 per household, 9% above the U.S. average. That is about $486K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 31% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
Worcester County has 3,064 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 871 of them (28%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 91.2, 17% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 1,463 businesses with payroll in Worcester County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 2.0% from 2019. That is one for every 230 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 306 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 71 SBA-backed loans worth $25.4M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Worcester County.
Population estimates show Worcester County grew 3.7% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Worcester County has a Groundwork market score of 69 (upper middle): #428 of 2,405 scored counties and #1 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Worcester 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 | Worcester County | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 91.2 | 106.3 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $486K | $441K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 230 | 191 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.0% | +1.9% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.7% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,437 | $4,685 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $95,939 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 69 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,434 → 1,463+2.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 22,818
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $588.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 306Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3,064871 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 4,018The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 71
- Amount
- $25.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Worcester 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 Worcester County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 888,502+3.7% since 2020
- Households
- 335,826
- Median age
- 41.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,511 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 574
- Median household income
- $95,939+28.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $124,653
- Median home value
- $423,700
- Jobs located here
- 355,505
- Daytime population
- 797,239Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Worcester 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 Worcester 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 Worcester 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 Worcester County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes69
- Sit-down restaurants69
- Fast food and sandwich shops78
- Pizza60
- Coffee shops and cafes64
- Bakeries and dessert shops51
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 Worcester County, MA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 3,064 restaurants and cafes in Worcester County. 871 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 1,463 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 2.0% from 2019. Another 306 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Worcester County, MA spend on food away from home?
About $1.5B a year, or $4,437 per household. That is 9% above the U.S. average (an index of 109, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 3,064 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $486K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 335,826 households in Worcester County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Worcester County, MA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Worcester County has 91.2 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $486K, 31% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Worcester County would have about 4,018, against 3,064 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 230 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Worcester County, MA growing?
Population estimates put Worcester County at 888,502 people in 2025, up 3.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 335,826 households. Median household income in Worcester County is $95,939, 19% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.5%, 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. Worcester County scores 69 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #428 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Worcester 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 Worcester County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Worcester 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 Worcester 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.