Food and drink · County · New Hampshire
Restaurants and cafes in Merrimack County, NH
The restaurants and cafes in Merrimack County, NH, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 64 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #596 of 2,405 scored counties
#3 of 10 scored counties in New Hampshire
- Listings
- 538
- 162 chain locations (30%)
- Official establishments
- 289
- +4.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $266M
- On food away from home · $4,368 a household
- Spending per listing
- $494K
- 33% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 88.3
- 20% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 158,078
- +2.6% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Merrimack 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 Merrimack 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
Households in Merrimack County spend about $266M a year on food away from home, or $4,368 per household, 7% above the U.S. average. That is about $494K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 33% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 538 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Merrimack County as of September 2026. 162 of them (30%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 88.3 per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 289 businesses with payroll in Merrimack County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 4.0% from 2019. That is one for every 211 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 55 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 15 SBA-backed loans worth $4.5M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Merrimack County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Merrimack County grew 2.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Merrimack County is 64 (upper middle), #596 of 2,405 scored counties and #3 of 10 scored counties in New Hampshire. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Merrimack County compares
The same measures for New Hampshire 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 | Merrimack County | New Hampshire | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 88.3 | 108.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $494K | $413K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 211 | 186 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.0% | +3.0% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.6% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,368 | $4,493 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $97,004 | $99,031 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 64 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 278 → 289+4.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,926
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $125.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 55Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 538162 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 717The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 15
- Amount
- $4.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Merrimack 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 Merrimack County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 158,078+2.6% since 2020
- Households
- 60,901
- Median age
- 43.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 933 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 167
- Median household income
- $97,004+28.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $123,673
- Median home value
- $367,600
- Jobs located here
- 83,058
- Daytime population
- 159,180Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Merrimack 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 Merrimack 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 New Hampshire
Every New Hampshire market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in New Hampshire for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in New Hampshire, with Merrimack County marked.
Top counties in New Hampshire
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sullivan County, NH | 74 | 133 | 80.0 | $493K | +2.1% | #270 of 2,405 |
| 2Strafford County, NH | 65 | 463 | 88.9 | $482K | +3.0% | #557 of 2,405 |
| 3Merrimack County, NH | 64 | 538 | 88.3 | $494K | +2.6% | #596 of 2,405 |
| 4Hillsborough County, NH | 64 | 1,597 | 94.6 | $489K | +2.5% | #597 of 2,405 |
| 5Cheshire County, NH | 58 | 310 | 101.2 | $397K | +2.3% | #845 of 2,405 |
| 6Rockingham County, NH | 53 | 1,598 | 125.3 | $396K | +3.0% | #1,057 of 2,405 |
| 7Belknap County, NH | 41 | 329 | 124.9 | $340K | +2.1% | #1,579 of 2,405 |
| 8Carroll County, NH | 35 | 376 | 172.1 | $240K | +5.0% | #1,850 of 2,405 |
| 9Grafton County, NH | 34 | 549 | 148.0 | $286K | +2.2% | #1,888 of 2,405 |
| 10Coos County, NH | 29 | 158 | 112.8 | $294K | +0.4% | #2,074 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Merrimack County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes64
- Sit-down restaurants67
- Fast food and sandwich shops76
- Pizza64
- Coffee shops and cafes46
- Bakeries and dessert shops50
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 Merrimack County, NH?
As of September 2026, map listings count 538 restaurants and cafes in Merrimack County. 162 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 289 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 4.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 55 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Merrimack County, NH spend on food away from home?
About $266M a year, or $4,368 per household. That is 7% above the U.S. average (an index of 107, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 538 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $494K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 60,901 households in Merrimack County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Merrimack County, NH compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Merrimack County has 88.3 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $494K, 33% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Merrimack County would have about 717, against 538 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 4.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Merrimack County, NH growing?
Population estimates put Merrimack County at 158,078 people in 2025, up 2.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 60,901 households. Median household income in Merrimack County is $97,004, 20% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.1%, 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. Merrimack County scores 64 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #596 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Merrimack 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 Merrimack County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Merrimack 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 Merrimack 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.