Groundwork

Food and drink · County · New York

Restaurants and cafes in Rockland County, NY

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Rockland County, NY, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 52 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #1,107 of 2,405 scored counties
#17 of 61 scored counties in New York

Listings
1,341
282 chain locations (21%)
Official establishments
710
+2.9% since 2019
Household spending a year
$502.5M
On food away from home · $4,838 a household
Spending per listing
$375K
In line with the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
129.1
18% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
357,397
+5.9% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Rockland 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 Rockland 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

Household spending on food away from home in Rockland County comes to about $502.5M a year: $4,838 per household, 19% above the U.S. average. That is about $375K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K.

There are 1,341 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Rockland County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 21% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That is 129.1 per 10,000 households, 18% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Rockland County was 710 in 2023, up 2.9% from 2019. That is one for every 146 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 134 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 32 SBA-backed loans worth $13.2M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Rockland County.

Population estimates put the population change in Rockland County from 2020 to 2025 at +5.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Rockland County scores 52 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,107 of 2,405 scored counties and #17 of 61 scored counties in New York.

How Rockland 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 Rockland County, NY compared with New York and the U.S.
MeasureRockland CountyNew YorkU.S.
Listings per 10k households129.1127.6109.8
Spending per listing$375K$335K$371K
Households per official establishment146172209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+2.9%+0.5%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+5.9%−0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$4,838$4,270$4,070
Median household income$109,959$85,974$80,734
Groundwork market score5224

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
690 → 710+2.9% over the period
Employees, 2023
7,563
Annual payroll, 2023
$203.7M
One-person businesses, 2023
134Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
1,341282 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
1,355The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
32
Amount
$13.2M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
357,397+5.9% since 2020
Households
103,879
Median age
36.1
Homes lived in by their owners
68%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
174 sq. mi.
People per square mile
1,968
Median household income
$109,959+18.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$148,075
Median home value
$596,900
Jobs located here
131,530
Daytime population
323,209Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Rockland 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 Rockland 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 Rockland 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
17Rockland County, NY521,341129.1$375K+5.9%#1,107 of 2,405

Other business types in Rockland County

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

Questions

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

As of September 2026, map listings count 1,341 restaurants and cafes in Rockland County. 282 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 710 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 2.9% from 2019. Official counts also show 134 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $502.5M a year, or $4,838 per household. That is 19% above the U.S. average (an index of 119, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,341 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $375K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 103,879 households in Rockland County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Rockland County has 129.1 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 18% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $375K, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Rockland County would have about 1,355, against 1,341 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 146 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Rockland County, NY growing?

Population estimates put Rockland County at 357,397 people in 2025, up 5.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 103,879 households. Median household income in Rockland County is $109,959, 36% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 18.2%, 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. Rockland County scores 52 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #1,107 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Rockland 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 Rockland 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.