Groundwork

Market rankings · New Jersey

Restaurants and cafes in New Jersey

Markets across New Jersey ranked by the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings
44,231
10,853 chain locations (25%)
Official establishments
18,701
+5.8% since 2019
Household spending a year
$16.4B
On food away from home
Listings per 10k households
126.1
15% above the U.S.
Spending per listing
$371K
In line with the U.S.
Rank among states
#27 of 51
Market score 51 · Upper middle

A site report maps the restaurants and cafes on map listings around any address in New Jersey by name and distance, and the spending within reach.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Map listings as of September 2026 show 44,231 restaurants and cafes in New Jersey. 10,853 of them (25%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 126.1, 15% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Households in New Jersey spend about $16.4B a year on food away from home, or $4,680 per household, 15% above the U.S. average. That is about $371K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K.

Official counts show 18,701 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in New Jersey in 2023, up 5.8% from 2019. That is one for every 188 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 6.0% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 878 SBA-backed loans worth $487.6M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in New Jersey.

Among the 50 states and DC, New Jersey ranks #27 for restaurants and cafes, with a Groundwork market score of 51 (upper middle). Of the 6 scored metro areas in or partly in New Jersey, the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton metro area scores highest (62). Among 21 scored counties, Sussex County scores highest (72).

Every market in New Jersey for restaurants and cafes

Download the ranking (CSV)

Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in New Jersey, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.

Metro areas

Metro areas reaching New Jersey, ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ623,527103.8$396K+3.0%#116 of 387
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD6026,413107.0$407K+1.4%#128 of 387
1Trenton-Princeton, NJ541,756121.8$379K+3.3%#164 of 387
2Vineland, NJ51540100.4$361K+2.2%#189 of 387
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ34101,299137.0$336K+0.6%#305 of 387
3Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ223,257210.9$193K+0.8%#367 of 387

Counties

Counties in New Jersey, ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Sussex County, NJ7254494.2$519K+2.9%#337 of 2,405
2Burlington County, NJ721,69795.8$497K+4.3%#346 of 2,405
3Salem County, NJ7122691.0$434K+2.3%#383 of 2,405
4Somerset County, NJ661,445110.5$497K+3.5%#506 of 2,405
5Gloucester County, NJ661,12399.8$464K+3.3%#513 of 2,405
6Warren County, NJ65469103.3$427K+3.2%#573 of 2,405
7Hunterdon County, NJ60616121.1$452K+2.3%#755 of 2,405
8Ocean County, NJ592,597106.5$402K+5.6%#807 of 2,405
9Morris County, NJ572,462127.4$426K+3.2%#873 of 2,405
10Camden County, NJ572,170107.1$394K+2.4%#884 of 2,405
11Mercer County, NJ541,756121.8$379K+3.3%#1,025 of 2,405
12Middlesex County, NJ533,782122.9$393K+2.6%#1,061 of 2,405
13Essex County, NJ533,802118.9$357K+4.2%#1,071 of 2,405
14Union County, NJ512,659130.8$362K+5.0%#1,161 of 2,405
15Cumberland County, NJ50540100.4$361K+2.2%#1,195 of 2,405
16Hudson County, NJ483,716124.0$362K+1.8%#1,279 of 2,405
17Bergen County, NJ445,298149.2$346K+2.4%#1,467 of 2,405
18Monmouth County, NJ423,708147.3$349K+1.4%#1,539 of 2,405
19Passaic County, NJ392,364132.1$323K+1.6%#1,666 of 2,405
20Atlantic County, NJ301,759160.6$246K+1.6%#2,048 of 2,405
21Cape May County, NJ221,498333.7$129K−1.7%#2,261 of 2,405

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in New Jersey?

There are 44,231 restaurants and cafes on map listings in New Jersey as of September 2026. 10,853 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 18,701 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 5.8% from 2019. Another 5,764 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in New Jersey spend on food away from home?

About $16.4B a year, or $4,680 per household. That is 15% above the U.S. average (an index of 115, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 44,231 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $371K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 3,507,701 households in New Jersey and national spending patterns by income.

How does New Jersey compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

New Jersey has 126.1 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 15% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $371K, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, New Jersey would have about 44,275, against 44,231 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 188 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

Which market in New Jersey has the highest market score for restaurants and cafes?

Among 6 scored metro areas in or partly in New Jersey, the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton metro area scores highest, at 62 (upper middle). Among 21 scored counties in New Jersey, Sussex County scores highest, at 72 (upper middle). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.

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. New Jersey scores 51 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #27 of the 50 states and DC.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in New Jersey. 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.

Restaurants and cafes in other states

All 51 states

Top markets for restaurants and cafes across the U.S. · All business types in New Jersey

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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.