Groundwork

Food and drink · County · New York

Restaurants and cafes in Lewis County, NY

How Lewis County, NY compares with other counties and the U.S. for restaurants and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 54 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #998 of 2,405 scored counties
#13 of 61 scored counties in New York

Listings
87
14 chain locations (16%)
Official establishments
41
−8.9% since 2019
Household spending a year
$38.5M
On food away from home · $3,469 a household
Spending per listing
$443K
19% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
78.3
29% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
26,479
−0.3% since 2020

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

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Households in Lewis County spend about $38.5M a year on food away from home, or $3,469 per household, 15% below the U.S. average. That is about $443K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 19% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

Lewis County has 87 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 16% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 78.3, 29% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Official counts show 41 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Lewis County in 2023, down 8.9% from 2019. That is one for every 271 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 6 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $158K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Lewis County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Lewis County declined 0.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Lewis County is 54 (upper middle), #998 of 2,405 scored counties and #13 of 61 scored counties in New York.

How Lewis 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 Lewis County, NY compared with New York and the U.S.
MeasureLewis CountyNew YorkU.S.
Listings per 10k households78.3127.6109.8
Spending per listing$443K$335K$371K
Households per official establishment271172209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−8.9%+0.5%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.3%−0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,469$4,270$4,070
Median household income$68,182$85,974$80,734
Groundwork market score5424

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
45 → 41−8.9% over the period
Employees, 2023
384
Annual payroll, 2023
$7.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
6Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
8714 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
104The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
2
Amount
$158K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
26,479−0.3% since 2020
Households
11,110
Median age
42.2
Homes lived in by their owners
80%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
1,276 sq. mi.
People per square mile
21
Median household income
$68,182+25.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$80,901
Median home value
$166,100
Jobs located here
6,520
Daytime population
23,754Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Lewis 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 Lewis 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 Lewis 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
13Lewis County, NY548778.3$443K−0.3%#998 of 2,405

Other business types in Lewis County

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

Questions

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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 87 restaurants and cafes in Lewis County. 14 of them (16%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 41 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 8.9% from 2019. Official counts list 6 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $38.5M a year, or $3,469 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 87 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $443K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 11,110 households in Lewis County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Lewis County has 78.3 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $443K, 19% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Lewis County would have about 104, against 87 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 271 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 8.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Lewis County, NY growing?

Population estimates put Lewis County at 26,479 people in 2025, down 0.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 11,110 households. Median household income in Lewis County is $68,182, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.1%, 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. Lewis County scores 54 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #998 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Lewis 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 Lewis 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.