Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Pennsylvania

Restaurants and cafes in Adams County, PA

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 67 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #487 of 2,405 scored counties
#11 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania

Listings
355
81 chain locations (23%)
Official establishments
167
+13.6% since 2019
Household spending a year
$163.5M
On food away from home · $4,003 a household
Spending per listing
$461K
24% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
86.9
21% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
107,594
+3.6% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Adams 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 Adams 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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 355 restaurants and cafes in Adams County. Of those, 81 are chain locations, or 23%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 86.9, 21% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

At $4,003 per household (2% below the U.S. average), households in Adams County spend about $163.5M a year on food away from home. Spread across 355 restaurants and cafes, that is $461K per restaurant, 24% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

In 2023, official counts showed 167 businesses with payroll in Adams County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 13.6% from 2019. That is one for every 245 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 28 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $1.2M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Adams County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Adams County grew 3.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Adams County has a Groundwork market score of 67 (upper middle): #487 of 2,405 scored counties and #11 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Adams County compares

The same measures for Pennsylvania 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 Adams County, PA compared with Pennsylvania and the U.S.
MeasureAdams CountyPennsylvaniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households86.9100.2109.8
Spending per listing$461K$397K$371K
Households per official establishment245237209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+13.6%+1.5%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+3.6%+0.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$4,003$3,973$4,070
Median household income$84,092$77,971$80,734
Groundwork market score6761

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
147 → 167+13.6% over the period
Employees, 2023
2,529
Annual payroll, 2023
$52.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
28Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
35581 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
441The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$1.2M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
107,594+3.6% since 2020
Households
40,841
Median age
44.1
Homes lived in by their owners
79%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
519 sq. mi.
People per square mile
205
Median household income
$84,092+25.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$102,363
Median home value
$268,500
Jobs located here
31,894
Daytime population
87,195Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

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Restaurants and cafes across Pennsylvania

Every Pennsylvania market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Pennsylvania for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Pennsylvania, with Adams County marked.

Top counties in Pennsylvania

Counties in Pennsylvania ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Pike County, PA8318174.6$534K+7.2%#95 of 2,405
2Perry County, PA8210356.3$685K+2.1%#101 of 2,405
3Chester County, PA771,94094.7$549K+4.2%#199 of 2,405
4Lebanon County, PA7540571.4$541K+2.2%#243 of 2,405
5York County, PA751,50282.7$488K+3.6%#248 of 2,405
6Butler County, PA7467483.4$507K+3.2%#269 of 2,405
7Franklin County, PA7248576.4$501K+3.0%#342 of 2,405
8Juniata County, PA714347.6$741K−0.3%#355 of 2,405
9Fulton County, PA703859.9$586K−0.6%#393 of 2,405
10Lancaster County, PA681,88388.5$467K+1.9%#452 of 2,405
11Adams County, PA6735586.9$461K+3.6%#487 of 2,405

Other business types in Adams County

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

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Adams County, PA?

There are 355 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Adams County as of September 2026. 81 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 167 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 13.6% from 2019. Official counts also show 28 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Adams County, PA spend on food away from home?

About $163.5M a year, or $4,003 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 355 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $461K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 40,841 households in Adams County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Adams County, PA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Adams County has 86.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $461K, 24% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Adams County would have about 441, against 355 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 245 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 13.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Adams County, PA growing?

Population estimates put Adams County at 107,594 people in 2025, up 3.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 40,841 households. The median household income in Adams County is $84,092 a year, 4% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.0% 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. Adams County scores 67 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #487 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Adams 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 Adams 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.