Food and drink · County · New Jersey
Restaurants and cafes in Union County, NJ
How Union County, NJ compares with other counties and the U.S. for restaurants and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 51 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,161 of 2,405 scored counties
#14 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey
- Listings
- 2,659
- 692 chain locations (26%)
- Official establishments
- 1,157
- +9.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $962.3M
- On food away from home · $4,734 a household
- Spending per listing
- $362K
- 2% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 130.8
- 19% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 601,863
- +5.0% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Union 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 Union 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 2,659 restaurants and cafes in Union County. Chain locations make up 26% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 130.8 for every 10,000 households, 19% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $4,734 per household (16% above the U.S. average), households in Union County spend about $962.3M a year on food away from home. Spread across 2,659 restaurants and cafes, that is $362K per restaurant, 2% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Union County was 1,157 in 2023, up 9.5% from 2019. That is one for every 176 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 485 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 44 SBA-backed loans worth $16M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Union County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Union County grew 5.0%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Union County is 51 (upper middle), #1,161 of 2,405 scored counties and #14 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey.
How Union 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 | Union County | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 130.8 | 126.1 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $362K | $371K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 176 | 188 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +9.5% | +5.8% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.0% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,734 | $4,680 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $103,202 | $103,556 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 51 | 51 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,057 → 1,157+9.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 13,647
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $348.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 485Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2,659692 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,595The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 44
- Amount
- $16M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Union 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 Union County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 601,863+5.0% since 2020
- Households
- 203,277
- Median age
- 39.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 57%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 103 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 5,637
- Median household income
- $103,202+28.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $149,596
- Median home value
- $529,200
- Jobs located here
- 247,379
- Daytime population
- 551,422Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Union 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 Union 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 Union 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 |
| 14Union County, NJ | 51 | 2,659 | 130.8 | $362K | +5.0% | #1,161 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Union County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes51
- Sit-down restaurants45
- Fast food and sandwich shops59
- Pizza67
- Coffee shops and cafes65
- Bakeries and dessert shops46
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 Union County, NJ?
There are 2,659 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Union County as of September 2026. 692 of them (26%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 1,157 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 9.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 485 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Union County, NJ spend on food away from home?
About $962.3M a year, or $4,734 per household. That is 16% above the U.S. average (an index of 116, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,659 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $362K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 203,277 households in Union County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Union County, NJ compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Union County has 130.8 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 19% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $362K, 2% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Union County would have about 2,595, against 2,659 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 176 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Union County, NJ growing?
Population estimates put Union County at 601,863 people in 2025, up 5.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 203,277 households. The median household income in Union County is $103,202 a year, 28% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.7% 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. Union County scores 51 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #1,161 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Union 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 Union County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Union 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 Union 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.