Food and drink · County · New Jersey
Restaurants and cafes in Essex County, NJ
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Essex County, NJ, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 53 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,071 of 2,405 scored counties
#13 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey
- Listings
- 3,802
- 757 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 1,460
- +5.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.4B
- On food away from home · $4,245 a household
- Spending per listing
- $357K
- 4% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 118.9
- 8% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 896,379
- +4.2% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Essex 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 Essex 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 3,802 restaurants and cafes in Essex County. 757 of them (20%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 118.9 per 10,000 households, 8% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Essex County comes to about $1.4B a year: $4,245 per household, 4% above the U.S. average. That is about $357K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 4% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 1,460 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Essex County in 2023, up 5.6% from 2019. That is one for every 219 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 559 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 78 SBA-backed loans worth $32.5M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Essex County.
Population estimates put the population change in Essex County from 2020 to 2025 at +4.2%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Essex County has a Groundwork market score of 53 (upper middle): #1,071 of 2,405 scored counties and #13 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey.
How Essex County compares
The same measures for New Jersey 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 | Essex County | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 118.9 | 126.1 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $357K | $371K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 219 | 188 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.6% | +5.8% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.2% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,245 | $4,680 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $80,789 | $103,556 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 53 | 51 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,383 → 1,460+5.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 17,661
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $483.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 559Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3,802757 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 3,661The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 78
- Amount
- $32.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Essex 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 Essex County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 896,379+4.2% since 2020
- Households
- 319,788
- Median age
- 38.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 45%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.3
- Land area
- 126 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 6,845
- Median household income
- $80,789+31.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $131,554
- Median home value
- $524,100
- Jobs located here
- 362,597
- Daytime population
- 843,719Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Essex 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 Essex 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 Jersey
Every New Jersey market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in New Jersey for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in New Jersey, with Essex County marked.
Top counties in New Jersey
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sussex County, NJ | 72 | 544 | 94.2 | $519K | +2.9% | #337 of 2,405 |
| 2Burlington County, NJ | 72 | 1,697 | 95.8 | $497K | +4.3% | #346 of 2,405 |
| 3Salem County, NJ | 71 | 226 | 91.0 | $434K | +2.3% | #383 of 2,405 |
| 4Somerset County, NJ | 66 | 1,445 | 110.5 | $497K | +3.5% | #506 of 2,405 |
| 5Gloucester County, NJ | 66 | 1,123 | 99.8 | $464K | +3.3% | #513 of 2,405 |
| 6Warren County, NJ | 65 | 469 | 103.3 | $427K | +3.2% | #573 of 2,405 |
| 7Hunterdon County, NJ | 60 | 616 | 121.1 | $452K | +2.3% | #755 of 2,405 |
| 8Ocean County, NJ | 59 | 2,597 | 106.5 | $402K | +5.6% | #807 of 2,405 |
| 9Morris County, NJ | 57 | 2,462 | 127.4 | $426K | +3.2% | #873 of 2,405 |
| 10Camden County, NJ | 57 | 2,170 | 107.1 | $394K | +2.4% | #884 of 2,405 |
| 13Essex County, NJ | 53 | 3,802 | 118.9 | $357K | +4.2% | #1,071 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Essex County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes53
- Sit-down restaurants47
- Fast food and sandwich shops67
- Pizza69
- Coffee shops and cafes62
- 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 Essex County, NJ?
There are 3,802 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Essex County as of September 2026. 757 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 1,460 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 5.6% from 2019. Another 559 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Essex County, NJ spend on food away from home?
About $1.4B a year, or $4,245 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 3,802 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $357K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 319,788 households in Essex County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Essex County, NJ compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Essex County has 118.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 8% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $357K, 4% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Essex County would have about 3,661, against 3,802 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 219 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Essex County, NJ growing?
Population estimates put Essex County at 896,379 people in 2025, up 4.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 319,788 households. The median household income in Essex County is $80,789 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.3% 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. Essex County scores 53 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #1,071 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Essex 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 Essex County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Essex 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 Essex 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.