Food and drink · County · New York
Restaurants and cafes in Erie County, NY
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Erie County, NY, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,350 of 2,405 scored counties
#27 of 61 scored counties in New York
- Listings
- 4,054
- 1,120 chain locations (28%)
- Official establishments
- 1,777
- −2.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.6B
- On food away from home · $3,811 a household
- Spending per listing
- $385K
- 4% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 99.0
- 10% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 946,741
- −0.6% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Erie 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 Erie 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
Household spending on food away from home in Erie County comes to about $1.6B a year: $3,811 per household, 6% below the U.S. average. Spread across 4,054 restaurants and cafes, that is $385K per restaurant, 4% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 4,054 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Erie County as of September 2026. 1,120 of them (28%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 99.0, 10% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Erie County was 1,777 in 2023, down 2.1% from 2019. That is one for every 231 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 275 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 112 SBA-backed loans worth $28.8M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Erie County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Erie County declined 0.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Erie County scores 46 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,350 of 2,405 scored counties and #27 of 61 scored counties in New York.
How Erie County 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 | Erie County | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 99.0 | 127.6 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $385K | $335K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 231 | 172 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.1% | +0.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.6% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,811 | $4,270 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $72,839 | $85,974 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 46 | 24 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,815 → 1,777−2.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 33,317
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $780.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 275Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4,0541,120 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 4,211The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 112
- Amount
- $28.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Erie 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 Erie County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 946,741−0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 409,665
- Median age
- 41.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.5
- Land area
- 1,043 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 912
- Median household income
- $72,839+25.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $97,750
- Median home value
- $233,800
- Jobs located here
- 478,475
- Daytime population
- 994,716Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Erie 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 Erie 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 York
Every New York market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in New York for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in New York, with Erie County marked.
Top counties in New York
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Wayne County, NY | 67 | 273 | 71.1 | $521K | +0.1% | #474 of 2,405 |
| 2Saratoga County, NY | 67 | 933 | 91.6 | $497K | +2.3% | #479 of 2,405 |
| 3Orleans County, NY | 65 | 106 | 65.4 | $531K | −0.5% | #545 of 2,405 |
| 4Tioga County, NY | 65 | 150 | 73.7 | $509K | −1.9% | #549 of 2,405 |
| 5Schenectady County, NY | 65 | 594 | 88.8 | $448K | +3.0% | #568 of 2,405 |
| 6Schoharie County, NY | 64 | 110 | 85.5 | $428K | +1.4% | #612 of 2,405 |
| 7Wyoming County, NY | 62 | 115 | 69.9 | $508K | −1.3% | #661 of 2,405 |
| 8Putnam County, NY | 60 | 372 | 104.7 | $487K | +1.4% | #748 of 2,405 |
| 9Rensselaer County, NY | 59 | 593 | 88.9 | $462K | −0.2% | #790 of 2,405 |
| 10Oswego County, NY | 57 | 400 | 84.7 | $428K | +1.0% | #872 of 2,405 |
| 27Erie County, NY | 46 | 4,054 | 99.0 | $385K | −0.6% | #1,350 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Erie County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes46
- Sit-down restaurants45
- Fast food and sandwich shops59
- Pizza48
- Coffee shops and cafes46
- 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 Erie County, NY?
As of September 2026, map listings count 4,054 restaurants and cafes in Erie County. 1,120 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 1,777 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 2.1% from 2019. Another 275 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Erie County, NY spend on food away from home?
About $1.6B a year, or $3,811 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 4,054 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $385K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 409,665 households in Erie County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Erie County, NY compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Erie County has 99.0 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $385K, 4% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Erie County would have about 4,211, against 4,054 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 231 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Erie County, NY growing?
Population estimates put Erie County at 946,741 people in 2025, down 0.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 409,665 households. Median household income in Erie County is $72,839, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.3%, 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. Erie County scores 46 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,350 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Erie 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 Erie County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Erie 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 Erie 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.