Food and drink · County · Ohio
Restaurants and cafes in Lorain County, OH
How Lorain County, OH 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 73 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #313 of 2,405 scored counties
#11 of 88 scored counties in Ohio
- Listings
- 993
- 390 chain locations (39%)
- Official establishments
- 451
- +7.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $497.3M
- On food away from home · $3,899 a household
- Spending per listing
- $501K
- 35% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 77.9
- 29% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 323,219
- +3.1% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Lorain 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 Lorain County. 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
Household spending on food away from home in Lorain County comes to about $497.3M a year: $3,899 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. That is about $501K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 35% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
Lorain County has 993 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 390 of them (39%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 77.9 for every 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 451 businesses with payroll in Lorain County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 7.6% from 2019. That is one for every 283 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 92 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 36 SBA-backed loans worth $15.6M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Lorain County.
Population estimates show Lorain County grew 3.1% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Lorain County is 73 (upper middle), #313 of 2,405 scored counties and #11 of 88 scored counties in Ohio. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Lorain County compares
The same measures for Ohio 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 | Lorain County | Ohio | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 77.9 | 93.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $501K | $410K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 283 | 235 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +7.6% | +6.3% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.1% | +0.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,899 | $3,829 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $73,347 | $71,389 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 73 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 419 → 451+7.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 8,920
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $169.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 92Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 993390 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,341The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 36
- Amount
- $15.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Lorain 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 Lorain County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 323,219+3.1% since 2020
- Households
- 127,544
- Median age
- 42.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 491 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 646
- Median household income
- $73,347+25.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $98,714
- Median home value
- $223,200
- Jobs located here
- 99,992
- Daytime population
- 270,084Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lorain 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 Lorain County. 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 Ohio
Every Ohio market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Ohio for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Ohio, with Lorain County marked.
Top counties in Ohio
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Union County, OH | 92 | 178 | 73.5 | $655K | +16.5% | #17 of 2,405 |
| 2Morrow County, OH | 87 | 64 | 47.5 | $812K | +3.7% | #40 of 2,405 |
| 3Pickaway County, OH | 83 | 140 | 63.9 | $602K | +7.4% | #91 of 2,405 |
| 4Fairfield County, OH | 81 | 447 | 74.1 | $578K | +6.5% | #120 of 2,405 |
| 5Warren County, OH | 80 | 693 | 75.3 | $648K | +5.7% | #133 of 2,405 |
| 6Madison County, OH | 79 | 144 | 91.8 | $452K | +7.1% | #161 of 2,405 |
| 7Clermont County, OH | 77 | 624 | 73.5 | $568K | +3.9% | #196 of 2,405 |
| 8Brown County, OH | 75 | 114 | 66.5 | $545K | +1.6% | #241 of 2,405 |
| 9Holmes County, OH | 74 | 99 | 73.9 | $541K | +1.7% | #263 of 2,405 |
| 10Medina County, OH | 73 | 606 | 82.9 | $535K | +1.3% | #303 of 2,405 |
| 11Lorain County, OH | 73 | 993 | 77.9 | $501K | +3.1% | #313 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Lorain County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes73
- Sit-down restaurants78
- Fast food and sandwich shops62
- Pizza60
- Coffee shops and cafes77
- Bakeries and dessert shops67
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 Lorain County, OH?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 993 restaurants and cafes in Lorain County. 390 of them (39%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 451 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 7.6% from 2019. Another 92 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Lorain County, OH spend on food away from home?
About $497.3M a year, or $3,899 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 993 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $501K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 127,544 households in Lorain County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lorain County, OH compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Lorain County has 77.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $501K, 35% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Lorain County would have about 1,341, against 993 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 283 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Lorain County, OH growing?
Population estimates put Lorain County at 323,219 people in 2025, up 3.1% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 127,544 households. Median household income in Lorain County is $73,347, 9% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.5%, 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. Lorain County scores 73 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #313 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lorain 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 Lorain County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lorain 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 Lorain 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.