Food and drink · County · New Jersey
Restaurants and cafes in Ocean County, NJ
The restaurants and cafes in Ocean County, NJ, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 59 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #807 of 2,405 scored counties
#8 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey
- Listings
- 2,597
- 607 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 1,150
- +7.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1B
- On food away from home · $4,280 a household
- Spending per listing
- $402K
- 8% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 106.5
- 3% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 673,746
- +5.6% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Ocean 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 Ocean 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
At $4,280 per household (5% above the U.S. average), households in Ocean County spend about $1B a year on food away from home. That is about $402K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 8% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
Ocean County has 2,597 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 607 of them (23%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 106.5 for every 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Official counts show 1,150 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Ocean County in 2023, up 7.2% from 2019. That is one for every 212 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 236 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 46 SBA-backed loans worth $35.6M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Ocean County.
Population estimates put the population change in Ocean County from 2020 to 2025 at +5.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Ocean County is 59 (upper middle), #807 of 2,405 scored counties and #8 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey.
How Ocean 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 | Ocean County | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 106.5 | 126.1 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $402K | $371K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 212 | 188 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +7.2% | +5.8% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.6% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,280 | $4,680 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $89,863 | $103,556 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 59 | 51 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,073 → 1,150+7.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 16,033
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $445.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 236Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2,597607 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,814The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 46
- Amount
- $35.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Ocean 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 Ocean County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 673,746+5.6% since 2020
- Households
- 243,843
- Median age
- 41.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 81%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 628 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,042
- Median household income
- $89,863+26.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $118,774
- Median home value
- $398,400
- Jobs located here
- 183,196
- Daytime population
- 568,313Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Ocean 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 Ocean 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 Ocean 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 |
Other business types in Ocean County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes59
- Sit-down restaurants57
- Fast food and sandwich shops68
- Pizza57
- Coffee shops and cafes67
- Bakeries and dessert shops42
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 Ocean County, NJ?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 2,597 restaurants and cafes in Ocean County. 607 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 1,150 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 7.2% from 2019. Official counts list 236 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Ocean County, NJ spend on food away from home?
About $1B a year, or $4,280 per household. That is 5% above the U.S. average (an index of 105, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,597 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $402K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 243,843 households in Ocean County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Ocean County, NJ compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Ocean County has 106.5 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $402K, 8% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Ocean County would have about 2,814, against 2,597 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 212 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Ocean County, NJ growing?
Population estimates put Ocean County at 673,746 people in 2025, up 5.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 243,843 households. Median household income in Ocean County is $89,863, 11% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.7%, 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. Ocean County scores 59 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #807 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ocean 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 Ocean County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Ocean 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 Ocean 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.