Food and drink · County · Oklahoma
Restaurants and cafes in Carter County, OK
How Carter County, OK 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 24 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,215 of 2,405 scored counties
#50 of 57 scored counties in Oklahoma
- Listings
- 240
- 118 chain locations (49%)
- Official establishments
- 95
- +9.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $64M
- On food away from home · $3,361 a household
- Spending per listing
- $267K
- 28% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 126.0
- 15% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 48,910
- +1.8% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Carter 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 Carter 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
The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Carter County is 24 (low), #2,215 of 2,405 scored counties and #50 of 57 scored counties in Oklahoma. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on food away from home in Carter County comes to about $64M a year: $3,361 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. Spread across 240 restaurants and cafes, that is $267K per restaurant, 28% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 240 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Carter County as of September 2026. Of those, 118 are chain locations, or 49%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 126.0, 15% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Carter County was 95 in 2023, up 9.2% from 2019. That is one for every 200 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $2.7M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Carter County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Carter County grew 1.8%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Carter County compares
The same measures for Oklahoma 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 | Carter County | Oklahoma | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 126.0 | 107.6 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $267K | $327K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 200 | 227 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +9.2% | +5.3% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.8% | +4.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,361 | $3,519 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $60,723 | $65,039 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 24 | 36 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 87 → 95+9.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,595
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $49.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 16Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 240118 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 173The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $2.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Carter 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 Carter County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 48,910+1.8% since 2020
- Households
- 19,046
- Median age
- 38.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 822 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 59
- Median household income
- $60,723+18.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $83,415
- Median home value
- $168,500
- Jobs located here
- 23,303
- Daytime population
- 50,671Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Carter 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 Carter 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 Oklahoma
Every Oklahoma market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Oklahoma for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Oklahoma, with Carter County marked.
Top counties in Oklahoma
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Rogers County, OK | 87 | 215 | 58.6 | $663K | +7.1% | #43 of 2,405 |
| 2Wagoner County, OK | 87 | 229 | 73.0 | $529K | +14.6% | #47 of 2,405 |
| 3Logan County, OK | 86 | 149 | 83.5 | $482K | +11.5% | #56 of 2,405 |
| 4Grady County, OK | 79 | 148 | 71.5 | $520K | +7.7% | #154 of 2,405 |
| 5Canadian County, OK | 79 | 470 | 80.7 | $501K | +20.4% | #155 of 2,405 |
| 6Washita County, OK | 71 | 20 | 48.4 | $683K | −0.2% | #357 of 2,405 |
| 7Creek County, OK | 71 | 199 | 70.5 | $485K | +4.4% | #375 of 2,405 |
| 8Osage County, OK | 71 | 125 | 71.9 | $485K | +2.2% | #376 of 2,405 |
| 9Lincoln County, OK | 65 | 104 | 79.1 | $425K | +5.3% | #574 of 2,405 |
| 10McClain County, OK | 61 | 167 | 101.7 | $390K | +18.4% | #733 of 2,405 |
| 50Carter County, OK | 24 | 240 | 126.0 | $267K | +1.8% | #2,215 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Carter County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes24
- Sit-down restaurants23
- Fast food and sandwich shops27
- Pizza28
- Coffee shops and cafes45
- Bakeries and dessert shops41
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 Carter County, OK?
As of September 2026, map listings count 240 restaurants and cafes in Carter County. 118 of them (49%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 95 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 9.2% from 2019. Official counts also show 16 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Carter County, OK spend on food away from home?
About $64M a year, or $3,361 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 240 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $267K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 19,046 households in Carter County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Carter County, OK compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Carter County has 126.0 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 15% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $267K, 28% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Carter County would have about 173, against 240 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 200 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Carter County, OK growing?
Population estimates put Carter County at 48,910 people in 2025, up 1.8% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 19,046 households. Median household income in Carter County is $60,723, 25% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 18.1%, 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. Carter County scores 24 for restaurants and cafes (low), #2,215 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Carter 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 Carter County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Carter 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 Carter 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.