Food and drink · Small-town market · Oklahoma
Restaurants and cafes in the Tahlequah, OK area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in the Tahlequah, OK area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #284 of 538 scored small-town markets
#5 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Oklahoma
- Listings
- 186
- 63 chain locations (34%)
- Official establishments
- 70
- +11.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $59M
- On food away from home · $3,156 a household
- Spending per listing
- $317K
- 14% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 99.5
- 9% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 49,196
- +4.5% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Tahlequah area
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 the Tahlequah area. 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 186 restaurants and cafes in the Tahlequah area. Of those, 63 are chain locations, or 34%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 99.5 per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in the Tahlequah area spend about $59M a year on food away from home, or $3,156 per household, 22% below the U.S. average. That works out to $317K per restaurant, 14% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Tahlequah area was 70 in 2023, up 11.1% from 2019. That is one for every 267 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 12 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $825K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Tahlequah area.
Population estimates show the Tahlequah area grew 4.5% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, the Tahlequah area has a Groundwork market score of 48 (lower middle): #284 of 538 scored small-town markets and #5 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Oklahoma.
How the Tahlequah area 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 | Tahlequah area | Oklahoma | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 99.5 | 107.6 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $317K | $327K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 267 | 227 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +11.1% | +5.3% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.5% | +4.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,156 | $3,519 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $53,218 | $65,039 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 36 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 70+11.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,271
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $27.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 12Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 18663 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 159The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $825K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Tahlequah area, 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 the Tahlequah area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 49,196+4.5% since 2020
- Households
- 18,698
- Median age
- 38.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 749 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 64
- Median household income
- $53,218+24.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $72,290
- Median home value
- $168,500
- Jobs located here
- 13,276
- Daytime population
- 42,397Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Tahlequah area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Tahlequah area. 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 small-town markets in Oklahoma for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Oklahoma, with the Tahlequah area marked.
Top small-town markets in Oklahoma
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Duncan, OK | 68 | 151 | 86.0 | $393K | +3.4% | #97 of 538 |
| 2Ada, OK | 57 | 133 | 87.9 | $383K | +1.2% | #190 of 538 |
| 3Bartlesville, OK | 57 | 206 | 98.3 | $352K | +2.7% | #192 of 538 |
| 4Shawnee, OK | 48 | 262 | 97.3 | $338K | +3.5% | #279 of 538 |
| 5Tahlequah, OK | 48 | 186 | 99.5 | $317K | +4.5% | #284 of 538 |
| 6Durant, OK | 47 | 222 | 120.7 | $268K | +10.9% | #301 of 538 |
| 7Miami, OK | 46 | 109 | 91.4 | $319K | +0.7% | #313 of 538 |
| 8Altus, OK | 35 | 114 | 116.6 | $292K | +0.1% | #416 of 538 |
| 9Stillwater, OK | 32 | 368 | 112.9 | $281K | +2.8% | #447 of 538 |
| 10Weatherford, OK | 31 | 151 | 99.5 | $335K | −0.7% | #451 of 538 |
Other business types in the Tahlequah area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes48
- Sit-down restaurants39
- Fast food and sandwich shops54
- Pizza56
- Coffee shops and cafes48
- Bakeries and dessert shops71
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 the Tahlequah, OK area?
There are 186 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Tahlequah area as of September 2026. 63 of them (34%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 70 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 11.1% from 2019. Another 12 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Tahlequah, OK area spend on food away from home?
About $59M a year, or $3,156 per household. That is 22% below the U.S. average (an index of 78, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 186 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $317K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 18,698 households in the Tahlequah area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Tahlequah, OK area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Tahlequah area has 99.5 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $317K, 14% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Tahlequah area would have about 159, against 186 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 267 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 11.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Tahlequah, OK area growing?
Population estimates put the Tahlequah area at 49,196 people in 2025, up 4.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 18,698 households. The median household income in the Tahlequah area is $53,218 a year, 34% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.4% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Tahlequah area scores 48 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #284 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Tahlequah area. 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 the Tahlequah area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Tahlequah area?
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 the Tahlequah area. 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.