Food and drink · Metro area · New York
Restaurants and cafes in the Ithaca, NY metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in the Ithaca, NY metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 35 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #297 of 387 scored metro areas
#8 of 13 scored metro areas based in New York
- Listings
- 496
- 97 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 192
- −14.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $169.6M
- On food away from home · $3,919 a household
- Spending per listing
- $342K
- 8% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 114.6
- 4% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 104,047
- −1.4% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Ithaca metro 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 Ithaca metro 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
The Ithaca metro area scores 35 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #297 of 387 scored metro areas and #8 of 13 scored metro areas based in New York. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
At $3,919 per household (4% below the U.S. average), households in the Ithaca metro area spend about $169.6M a year on food away from home. That works out to $342K per restaurant, 8% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The Ithaca metro area has 496 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 97 are chain locations, or 20%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 114.6, 4% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 192 businesses with payroll in the Ithaca metro area classed as restaurants and other eating places, down 14.3% from 2019. That is one for every 225 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $501K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Ithaca metro area. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Ithaca metro area declined 1.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Ithaca metro 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 | Ithaca metro area | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 114.6 | 127.6 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $342K | $335K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 225 | 172 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −14.3% | +0.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.4% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,919 | $4,270 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $74,024 | $85,974 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 35 | 24 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 192−14.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,000
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $75.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 19Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 49697 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 457The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $501K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Ithaca metro 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 Ithaca metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 104,047−1.4% since 2020
- Households
- 43,263
- Median age
- 36.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 54%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 475 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 220
- Median household income
- $74,024+22.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $102,718
- Median home value
- $290,900
- Jobs located here
- 46,926
- Daytime population
- 111,478Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Ithaca metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Ithaca metro 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 metro areas in New York for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in New York, with the Ithaca metro area marked.
Top metro areas in New York
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | 59 | 3,829 | 100.0 | $420K | +1.9% | #133 of 387 |
| 2Rochester, NY | 53 | 4,287 | 96.2 | $403K | −0.7% | #168 of 387 |
| 3Syracuse, NY | 49 | 2,694 | 99.3 | $388K | −1.3% | #196 of 387 |
| 4Binghamton, NY | 47 | 901 | 88.0 | $405K | −1.3% | #205 of 387 |
| 5Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | 46 | 4,969 | 99.1 | $382K | −0.8% | #215 of 387 |
| 6Elmira, NY | 43 | 314 | 89.0 | $391K | −3.9% | #236 of 387 |
| 7Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY | 43 | 3,205 | 125.7 | $357K | +3.0% | #241 of 387 |
| 8Ithaca, NY | 35 | 496 | 114.6 | $342K | −1.4% | #297 of 387 |
| 9Utica-Rome, NY | 34 | 1,190 | 98.4 | $368K | −2.0% | #302 of 387 |
| 10New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 34 | 101,299 | 137.0 | $336K | +0.6% | #305 of 387 |
Other business types in the Ithaca metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes35
- Sit-down restaurants29
- Fast food and sandwich shops73
- Pizza52
- Coffee shops and cafes21
- Bakeries and dessert shops26
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 Ithaca, NY metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 496 restaurants and cafes in the Ithaca metro area. 97 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 192 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 14.3% from 2019. Official counts also show 19 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Ithaca, NY metro area spend on food away from home?
About $169.6M a year, or $3,919 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 496 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $342K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 43,263 households in the Ithaca metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Ithaca, NY metro area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Ithaca metro area has 114.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 4% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $342K, 8% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Ithaca metro area would have about 457, against 496 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 225 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 14.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Ithaca, NY metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Ithaca metro area at 104,047 people in 2025, down 1.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 43,263 households. Median household income in the Ithaca metro area is $74,024, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.9%, 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. The Ithaca metro area scores 35 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #297 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Ithaca metro 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 Ithaca metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Ithaca metro 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 Ithaca metro 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.