Food and drink · County · New York
Restaurants and cafes in Essex County, NY
The restaurants and cafes in Essex County, NY, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 19 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,309 of 2,405 scored counties
#60 of 61 scored counties in New York
- Listings
- 243
- 26 chain locations (11%)
- Official establishments
- 113
- −5.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $60.9M
- On food away from home · $3,727 a household
- Spending per listing
- $251K
- 32% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 148.7
- 35% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 36,438
- −2.2% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Essex 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 Essex 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
For restaurants and cafes, Essex County has a Groundwork market score of 19 (low): #2,309 of 2,405 scored counties and #60 of 61 scored counties in New York. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 243 restaurants and cafes in Essex County. 26 of them (11%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 148.7 per 10,000 households, 35% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Essex County comes to about $60.9M a year: $3,727 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. That works out to $251K per restaurant, 32% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 113 businesses with payroll in Essex County classed as restaurants and other eating places, down 5.0% from 2019. That is one for every 145 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $418K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Essex County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Essex County declined 2.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Essex 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 | Essex County | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 148.7 | 127.6 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $251K | $335K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 145 | 172 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −5.0% | +0.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.2% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,727 | $4,270 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $71,661 | $85,974 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 19 | 24 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 119 → 113−5.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 979
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $31.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 11Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 24326 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 164The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $418K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Essex 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 Essex County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 36,438−2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 16,342
- Median age
- 49.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 1,794 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 21
- Median household income
- $71,661+26.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $95,488
- Median home value
- $211,900
- Jobs located here
- 14,557
- Daytime population
- 35,396Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Essex 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 Essex 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 Essex 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 |
| 60Essex County, NY | 19 | 243 | 148.7 | $251K | −2.2% | #2,309 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Essex County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes19
- Sit-down restaurants20
- Fast food and sandwich shops44
- Pizza43
- Coffee shops and cafes26
- Bakeries and dessert shops18
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 Essex County, NY?
Essex County has 243 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 26 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 113 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 5.0% from 2019. Official counts list 11 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Essex County, NY spend on food away from home?
About $60.9M a year, or $3,727 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 243 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $251K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 16,342 households in Essex County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Essex County, NY compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Essex County has 148.7 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 35% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $251K, 32% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Essex County would have about 164, against 243 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 145 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Essex County, NY growing?
Population estimates put Essex County at 36,438 people in 2025, down 2.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 16,342 households. The median household income in Essex County is $71,661 a year, 11% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.3% 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. Essex County scores 19 for restaurants and cafes (low), #2,309 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Essex 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 Essex County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Essex 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 Essex 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.