Food and drink · Small-town market · New York
Restaurants and cafes in the Cortland, NY area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in the Cortland, NY area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 38 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #389 of 538 scored small-town markets
#11 of 14 scored small-town markets based in New York
- Listings
- 197
- 60 chain locations (30%)
- Official establishments
- 95
- +3.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $68.3M
- On food away from home · $3,595 a household
- Spending per listing
- $347K
- 7% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 103.7
- 6% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 45,850
- −1.9% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Cortland area
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 the Cortland area. 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
Household spending on food away from home in the Cortland area comes to about $68.3M a year: $3,595 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. Spread across 197 restaurants and cafes, that is $347K per restaurant, 7% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The Cortland area has 197 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 60 are chain locations, or 30%, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 103.7 for every 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 95 businesses with payroll in the Cortland area classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 3.3% from 2019. That is one for every 200 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 16 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $1.7M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Cortland area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Cortland area declined 1.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For restaurants and cafes, the Cortland area has a Groundwork market score of 38 (lower middle): #389 of 538 scored small-town markets and #11 of 14 scored small-town markets based in New York.
How the Cortland area compares
The same measures for New York 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 | Cortland area | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 103.7 | 127.6 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $347K | $335K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 200 | 172 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.3% | +0.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.9% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,595 | $4,270 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $70,418 | $85,974 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 38 | 24 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 95+3.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,416
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $29.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 16Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 19760 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 184The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $1.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Cortland area, 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 the Cortland area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 45,850−1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 18,999
- Median age
- 39.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 499 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 93
- Median household income
- $70,418+25.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $85,337
- Median home value
- $162,100
- Jobs located here
- 17,001
- Daytime population
- 43,892Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Cortland area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Cortland area. 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 York
Every New York market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in New York for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in New York, with the Cortland area marked.
Top small-town markets in New York
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Auburn, NY | 60 | 255 | 80.9 | $442K | −2.3% | #165 of 538 |
| 2Batavia, NY | 60 | 232 | 93.3 | $394K | +0.2% | #168 of 538 |
| 3Corning, NY | 59 | 341 | 86.9 | $409K | −1.6% | #175 of 538 |
| 4Plattsburgh, NY | 58 | 291 | 86.7 | $422K | −2.0% | #185 of 538 |
| 5Gloversville, NY | 56 | 186 | 81.3 | $430K | −1.6% | #196 of 538 |
| 6Massena-Ogdensburg, NY | 55 | 342 | 82.1 | $418K | −2.5% | #210 of 538 |
| 7Amsterdam, NY | 55 | 184 | 93.9 | $374K | +1.1% | #213 of 538 |
| 8Monticello, NY | 46 | 384 | 122.2 | $316K | +2.7% | #314 of 538 |
| 9Hudson, NY | 45 | 305 | 114.5 | $364K | −2.1% | #316 of 538 |
| 10Oneonta, NY | 41 | 307 | 132.4 | $273K | +3.8% | #371 of 538 |
| 11Cortland, NY | 38 | 197 | 103.7 | $347K | −1.9% | #389 of 538 |
Other business types in the Cortland area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes38
- Sit-down restaurants48
- Fast food and sandwich shops52
- Pizza47
- Coffee shops and cafes40
- Bakeries and dessert shops24
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 the Cortland, NY area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 197 restaurants and cafes in the Cortland area. 60 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 95 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 3.3% from 2019. Official counts list 16 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Cortland, NY area spend on food away from home?
About $68.3M a year, or $3,595 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 197 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $347K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 18,999 households in the Cortland area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Cortland, NY area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Cortland area has 103.7 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $347K, 7% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Cortland area would have about 184, against 197 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 200 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Cortland, NY area growing?
Population estimates put the Cortland area at 45,850 people in 2025, down 1.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 18,999 households. Median household income in the Cortland area is $70,418, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.7%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Cortland area scores 38 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #389 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Cortland area. 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 the Cortland area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Cortland area?
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 the Cortland area. 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.