Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Ohio

Restaurants and cafes in Summit County, OH

The restaurants and cafes in Summit County, OH, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 49 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,224 of 2,405 scored counties
#60 of 88 scored counties in Ohio

Listings
2,222
819 chain locations (37%)
Official establishments
1,009
+4.7% since 2019
Household spending a year
$889.2M
On food away from home · $3,845 a household
Spending per listing
$400K
8% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
96.1
12% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
538,376
−0.3% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Summit 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 Summit 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

As of September 2026, map listings count 2,222 restaurants and cafes in Summit County. Of those, 819 are chain locations, or 37%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 96.1 per 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Household spending on food away from home in Summit County comes to about $889.2M a year: $3,845 per household, 6% below the U.S. average. That is about $400K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 8% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

In 2023, official counts showed 1,009 businesses with payroll in Summit County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 4.7% from 2019. That is one for every 229 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 185 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 60 SBA-backed loans worth $18.8M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Summit County.

Population estimates put the population change in Summit County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Summit County scores 49 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,224 of 2,405 scored counties and #60 of 88 scored counties in Ohio.

How Summit 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 Summit County, OH compared with Ohio and the U.S.
MeasureSummit CountyOhioU.S.
Listings per 10k households96.193.5109.8
Spending per listing$400K$410K$371K
Households per official establishment229235209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+4.7%+6.3%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.3%+0.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,845$3,829$4,070
Median household income$71,622$71,389$80,734
Groundwork market score4958

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
964 → 1,009+4.7% over the period
Employees, 2023
20,637
Annual payroll, 2023
$417.2M
One-person businesses, 2023
185Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
2,222819 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
2,398The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
60
Amount
$18.8M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
538,376−0.3% since 2020
Households
231,267
Median age
42.5
Homes lived in by their owners
68%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
413 sq. mi.
People per square mile
1,303
Median household income
$71,622+25.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$99,082
Median home value
$208,700
Jobs located here
269,669
Daytime population
554,948Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

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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 Summit 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
60Summit County, OH492,22296.1$400K−0.3%#1,224 of 2,405

Other business types in Summit County

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

Questions

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

Summit County has 2,222 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 819 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 1,009 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 4.7% from 2019. Another 185 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

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

About $889.2M a year, or $3,845 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,222 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $400K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 231,267 households in Summit County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Summit County has 96.1 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $400K, 8% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Summit County would have about 2,398, against 2,222 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 229 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Summit County, OH growing?

Population estimates put Summit County at 538,376 people in 2025, down 0.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 231,267 households. The median household income in Summit County is $71,622 a year, 11% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.3% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Summit County scores 49 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,224 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Summit 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 Summit 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.