Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Ohio

Restaurants and cafes in Mahoning County, OH

How Mahoning 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 29 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #2,059 of 2,405 scored counties
#84 of 88 scored counties in Ohio

Listings
980
361 chain locations (37%)
Official establishments
450
+6.6% since 2019
Household spending a year
$332.6M
On food away from home · $3,392 a household
Spending per listing
$339K
8% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
99.9
9% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
224,706
−1.4% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Mahoning 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 Mahoning 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

Mahoning County scores 29 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #2,059 of 2,405 scored counties and #84 of 88 scored counties in Ohio. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

At $3,392 per household (17% below the U.S. average), households in Mahoning County spend about $332.6M a year on food away from home. That works out to $339K per restaurant, 8% below the U.S. figure of $371K.

There are 980 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Mahoning County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 37% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 99.9, 9% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Official counts show 450 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Mahoning County in 2023, up 6.6% from 2019. That is one for every 218 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 30 SBA-backed loans worth $6M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Mahoning County. Population estimates put the population change in Mahoning County from 2020 to 2025 at −1.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Mahoning 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.

Restaurants and cafes in Mahoning County, OH compared with Ohio and the U.S.
MeasureMahoning CountyOhioU.S.
Listings per 10k households99.993.5109.8
Spending per listing$339K$410K$371K
Households per official establishment218235209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+6.6%+6.3%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.4%+0.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,392$3,829$4,070
Median household income$56,942$71,389$80,734
Groundwork market score2958

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
422 → 450+6.6% over the period
Employees, 2023
9,174
Annual payroll, 2023
$165.7M
One-person businesses, 2023
81Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
980361 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
897The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
30
Amount
$6M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
224,706−1.4% since 2020
Households
98,065
Median age
43.4
Homes lived in by their owners
70%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
412 sq. mi.
People per square mile
550
Median household income
$56,942+23.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$78,848
Median home value
$154,700
Jobs located here
92,953
Daytime population
224,481Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Restaurants 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 Mahoning County marked.

Top counties in Ohio

Counties in Ohio ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Union County, OH9217873.5$655K+16.5%#17 of 2,405
2Morrow County, OH876447.5$812K+3.7%#40 of 2,405
3Pickaway County, OH8314063.9$602K+7.4%#91 of 2,405
4Fairfield County, OH8144774.1$578K+6.5%#120 of 2,405
5Warren County, OH8069375.3$648K+5.7%#133 of 2,405
6Madison County, OH7914491.8$452K+7.1%#161 of 2,405
7Clermont County, OH7762473.5$568K+3.9%#196 of 2,405
8Brown County, OH7511466.5$545K+1.6%#241 of 2,405
9Holmes County, OH749973.9$541K+1.7%#263 of 2,405
10Medina County, OH7360682.9$535K+1.3%#303 of 2,405
84Mahoning County, OH2998099.9$339K−1.4%#2,059 of 2,405

Other business types in Mahoning County

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

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Mahoning County, OH?

As of September 2026, map listings count 980 restaurants and cafes in Mahoning County. 361 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 450 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 6.6% from 2019. Another 81 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Mahoning County, OH spend on food away from home?

About $332.6M a year, or $3,392 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 980 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $339K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 98,065 households in Mahoning County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Mahoning County, OH compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Mahoning County has 99.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $339K, 8% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Mahoning County would have about 897, against 980 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 218 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Mahoning County, OH growing?

Population estimates put Mahoning County at 224,706 people in 2025, down 1.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 98,065 households. Median household income in Mahoning County is $56,942, 29% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.7%, 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. Mahoning County scores 29 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #2,059 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Mahoning 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 Mahoning 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.