Food and drink · Metro area · New York
Restaurants and cafes in the Rochester, NY metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in the Rochester, NY metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 53 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #168 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 13 scored metro areas based in New York
- Listings
- 4,287
- 1,197 chain locations (28%)
- Official establishments
- 1,929
- +0.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.7B
- On food away from home · $3,874 a household
- Spending per listing
- $403K
- 9% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 96.2
- 12% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,056,149
- −0.7% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Rochester 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 Rochester 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
Households in the Rochester metro area spend about $1.7B a year on food away from home, or $3,874 per household, 5% below the U.S. average. Spread across 4,287 restaurants and cafes, that is $403K per restaurant, 9% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 4,287 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Rochester metro area as of September 2026. 1,197 of them (28%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 96.2, 12% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Rochester metro area was 1,929 in 2023, up 0.5% from 2019. That is one for every 231 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 282 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 114 SBA-backed loans worth $26.1M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Rochester metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Rochester metro area declined 0.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For restaurants and cafes, the Rochester metro area has a Groundwork market score of 53 (upper middle): #168 of 387 scored metro areas and #2 of 13 scored metro areas based in New York.
How the Rochester 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 | Rochester metro area | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 96.2 | 127.6 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $403K | $335K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 231 | 172 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +0.5% | +0.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.7% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,874 | $4,270 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $76,284 | $85,974 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 53 | 24 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,929+0.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 32,463
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $742.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 282Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4,2871,197 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 4,658The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 114
- Amount
- $26.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Rochester 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 Rochester metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,056,149−0.7% since 2020
- Households
- 445,836
- Median age
- 42.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 2,928 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 362
- Median household income
- $76,284
- Average household income
- $100,943
- Median home value
- $204,600
- Jobs located here
- 501,944
- Daytime population
- 1,064,689Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Rochester 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 Rochester 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 Rochester 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 Rochester metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes53
- Sit-down restaurants52
- Fast food and sandwich shops62
- Pizza39
- Coffee shops and cafes46
- Bakeries and dessert shops39
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 Rochester, NY metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 4,287 restaurants and cafes in the Rochester metro area. 1,197 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 1,929 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 0.5% from 2019. Official counts list 282 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Rochester, NY metro area spend on food away from home?
About $1.7B a year, or $3,874 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 4,287 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $403K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 445,836 households in the Rochester metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Rochester, NY metro area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Rochester metro area has 96.2 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $403K, 9% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Rochester metro area would have about 4,658, against 4,287 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 rose 0.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Rochester, NY metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Rochester metro area at 1,056,149 people in 2025, down 0.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 445,836 households. Median household income in the Rochester metro area is $76,284, 6% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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 Rochester metro area scores 53 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #168 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 Rochester 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 Rochester metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Rochester 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 Rochester 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.