Food and drink · County · Nevada
Restaurants and cafes in Carson City, NV
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Carson City, NV, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 26 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,161 of 2,405 scored counties
#9 of 9 scored counties in Nevada
- Listings
- 307
- 130 chain locations (42%)
- Official establishments
- 129
- +5.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $88.3M
- On food away from home · $3,725 a household
- Spending per listing
- $287K
- 22% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 129.6
- 18% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 58,571
- −0.2% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Carson City
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 Carson City. 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
The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Carson City is 26 (lower middle), #2,161 of 2,405 scored counties and #9 of 9 scored counties in Nevada. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 307 restaurants and cafes in Carson City. 130 of them (42%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 129.6 per 10,000 households, 18% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Carson City comes to about $88.3M a year: $3,725 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. Spread across 307 restaurants and cafes, that is $287K per restaurant, 22% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Carson City was 129 in 2023, up 5.7% from 2019. That is one for every 184 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $1.6M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Carson City. Population estimates put the population change in Carson City from 2020 to 2025 at −0.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Carson City compares
The same measures for Nevada 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 | Carson City | Nevada | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 129.6 | 130.3 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $287K | $302K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 184 | 194 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.7% | +15.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.2% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,725 | $3,930 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $72,355 | $78,260 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 26 | 32 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 122 → 129+5.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,326
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $57.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 20Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 307130 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 238The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $1.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Carson City, 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 Carson City
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 58,571−0.2% since 2020
- Households
- 23,692
- Median age
- 43.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 145 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 404
- Median household income
- $72,355+29.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $97,042
- Median home value
- $453,000
- Jobs located here
- 29,300
- Daytime population
- 60,751Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Carson City?
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 Carson City. 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 Nevada
Every Nevada market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Nevada for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Nevada, with Carson City marked.
Top counties in Nevada
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lyon County, NV | 84 | 167 | 70.3 | $547K | +9.5% | #75 of 2,405 |
| 2Nye County, NV | 66 | 193 | 87.0 | $395K | +10.3% | #526 of 2,405 |
| 3Washoe County, NV | 55 | 2,175 | 109.1 | $385K | +4.4% | #980 of 2,405 |
| 4Churchill County, NV | 51 | 91 | 95.6 | $396K | +1.1% | #1,142 of 2,405 |
| 5Douglas County, NV | 47 | 255 | 119.6 | $360K | +1.2% | #1,321 of 2,405 |
| 6Elko County, NV | 46 | 228 | 116.2 | $342K | +2.1% | #1,365 of 2,405 |
| 7Clark County, NV | 38 | 11,972 | 138.8 | $280K | +5.8% | #1,720 of 2,405 |
| 8Humboldt County, NV | 31 | 81 | 117.2 | $322K | 0.0% | #1,978 of 2,405 |
| 9Carson City, NV | 26 | 307 | 129.6 | $287K | −0.2% | #2,161 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Carson City
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes26
- Sit-down restaurants27
- Fast food and sandwich shops31
- Pizza47
- Coffee shops and cafes35
- Bakeries and dessert shops35
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 Carson City, NV?
There are 307 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Carson City as of September 2026. 130 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 129 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 5.7% from 2019. Another 20 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Carson City, NV spend on food away from home?
About $88.3M a year, or $3,725 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 307 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $287K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 23,692 households in Carson City and national spending patterns by income.
How does Carson City, NV compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Carson City has 129.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 18% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $287K, 22% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Carson City would have about 238, against 307 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 184 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Carson City, NV growing?
Population estimates put Carson City at 58,571 people in 2025, down 0.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 23,692 households. The median household income in Carson City is $72,355 a year, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.9% 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. Carson City scores 26 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #2,161 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Carson City. 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 Carson City
Screening a site or an acquisition in Carson City?
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 Carson City. 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.