Groundwork

Food and drink · County · New York

Restaurants and cafes in Kings County, NY

The restaurants and cafes in Kings County, NY, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 34 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,865 of 2,405 scored counties
#50 of 61 scored counties in New York

Listings
12,042
1,999 chain locations (17%)
Official establishments
5,611
+3.3% since 2019
Household spending a year
$4.2B
On food away from home · $4,164 a household
Spending per listing
$349K
6% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
119.2
9% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
2,653,963
−2.5% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Kings 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 Kings County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey 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, Kings County has a Groundwork market score of 34 (lower middle): #1,865 of 2,405 scored counties and #50 of 61 scored counties in New York. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Households in Kings County spend about $4.2B a year on food away from home, or $4,164 per household, 2% above the U.S. average. That is about $349K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 6% below the U.S. figure of $371K.

There are 12,042 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Kings County as of September 2026. 1,999 of them (17%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 119.2 per 10,000 households, 9% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Official counts show 5,611 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Kings County in 2023, up 3.3% from 2019. That is one for every 180 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 134 SBA-backed loans worth $51.9M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Kings County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Kings County declined 2.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Kings 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.

Restaurants and cafes in Kings County, NY compared with New York and the U.S.
MeasureKings CountyNew YorkU.S.
Listings per 10k households119.2127.6109.8
Spending per listing$349K$335K$371K
Households per official establishment180172209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+3.3%+0.5%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−2.5%−0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$4,164$4,270$4,070
Median household income$80,263$85,974$80,734
Groundwork market score3424

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
5,431 → 5,611+3.3% over the period
Employees, 2023
50,058
Annual payroll, 2023
$1.5B
One-person businesses, 2023
1,901Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
12,0421,999 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
11,341The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
134
Amount
$51.9M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Kings 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 Kings County

Population, 2025 estimate
2,653,963−2.5% since 2020
Households
1,009,927
Median age
37.7
Homes lived in by their owners
30%
Vehicles per household
0.6
Land area
69 sq. mi.
People per square mile
37,927
Median household income
$80,263+33.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$123,376
Median home value
$905,000
Jobs located here
883,599
Daytime population
2,304,140Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Kings 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 Kings County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Restaurants 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 Kings County marked.

Top counties in New York

Counties in New York ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Wayne County, NY6727371.1$521K+0.1%#474 of 2,405
2Saratoga County, NY6793391.6$497K+2.3%#479 of 2,405
3Orleans County, NY6510665.4$531K−0.5%#545 of 2,405
4Tioga County, NY6515073.7$509K−1.9%#549 of 2,405
5Schenectady County, NY6559488.8$448K+3.0%#568 of 2,405
6Schoharie County, NY6411085.5$428K+1.4%#612 of 2,405
7Wyoming County, NY6211569.9$508K−1.3%#661 of 2,405
8Putnam County, NY60372104.7$487K+1.4%#748 of 2,405
9Rensselaer County, NY5959388.9$462K−0.2%#790 of 2,405
10Oswego County, NY5740084.7$428K+1.0%#872 of 2,405
50Kings County, NY3412,042119.2$349K−2.5%#1,865 of 2,405

Other business types in Kings County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Kings County, NY?

As of September 2026, map listings count 12,042 restaurants and cafes in Kings County. 1,999 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 5,611 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 3.3% from 2019. Official counts list 1,901 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Kings County, NY spend on food away from home?

About $4.2B a year, or $4,164 per household. That is 2% above the U.S. average (an index of 102, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 12,042 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $349K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,009,927 households in Kings County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Kings County, NY compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Kings County has 119.2 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 9% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $349K, 6% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Kings County would have about 11,341, against 12,042 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 180 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 Kings County, NY growing?

Population estimates put Kings County at 2,653,963 people in 2025, down 2.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 1,009,927 households. Median household income in Kings County is $80,263, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 33.3%, 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. Kings County scores 34 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,865 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kings 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 Kings County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Kings 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 Kings 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.