Food and drink · County · New Jersey
Restaurants and cafes in Salem County, NJ
The restaurants and cafes in Salem County, NJ, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 71 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #383 of 2,405 scored counties
#3 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey
- Listings
- 226
- 54 chain locations (24%)
- Official establishments
- 71
- +2.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $98.1M
- On food away from home · $3,947 a household
- Spending per listing
- $434K
- 17% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 91.0
- 17% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 66,280
- +2.3% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Salem 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 Salem 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 226 restaurants and cafes in Salem County. 54 of them (24%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 91.0 per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Salem County comes to about $98.1M a year: $3,947 per household, 3% below the U.S. average. Spread across 226 restaurants and cafes, that is $434K per restaurant, 17% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 71 businesses with payroll in Salem County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 2.9% from 2019. That is one for every 350 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 22 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $149K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Salem County.
Population estimates show Salem County grew 2.3% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Salem County is 71 (upper middle), #383 of 2,405 scored counties and #3 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Salem 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 | Salem County | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 91.0 | 126.1 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $434K | $371K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 350 | 188 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.9% | +5.8% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,947 | $4,680 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $79,960 | $103,556 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 71 | 51 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 69 → 71+2.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 887
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $18.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 22Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 22654 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 265The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $149K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Salem 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 Salem County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 66,280+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 24,846
- Median age
- 41.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 332 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 197
- Median household income
- $79,960+19.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $101,600
- Median home value
- $239,500
- Jobs located here
- 21,251
- Daytime population
- 51,699Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Salem 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 Salem 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 Salem 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 Salem County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes71
- Sit-down restaurants71
- Fast food and sandwich shops75
- Pizza58
- Coffee shops and cafes71
- Bakeries and dessert shops52
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 Salem County, NJ?
Salem County has 226 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 54 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 71 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 2.9% from 2019. Another 22 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Salem County, NJ spend on food away from home?
About $98.1M a year, or $3,947 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 226 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $434K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 24,846 households in Salem County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Salem County, NJ compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Salem County has 91.0 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $434K, 17% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Salem County would have about 265, against 226 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 350 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Salem County, NJ growing?
Population estimates put Salem County at 66,280 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 24,846 households. The median household income in Salem County is $79,960 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 19.6% 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. Salem County scores 71 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #383 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Salem 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 Salem County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Salem 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 Salem 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.