Food and drink · County · Pennsylvania
Restaurants and cafes in Dauphin County, PA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Dauphin County, PA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,285 of 2,405 scored counties
#37 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania
- Listings
- 1,331
- 390 chain locations (29%)
- Official establishments
- 527
- +4.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $468.4M
- On food away from home · $3,859 a household
- Spending per listing
- $352K
- 5% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 109.7
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 293,351
- +2.3% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Dauphin 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 Dauphin 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,331 restaurants and cafes in Dauphin County. Of those, 390 are chain locations, or 29%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 109.7 per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Dauphin County comes to about $468.4M a year: $3,859 per household, 5% below the U.S. average. Spread across 1,331 restaurants and cafes, that is $352K per restaurant, 5% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Dauphin County was 527 in 2023, up 4.8% from 2019. That is one for every 230 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 139 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 15 SBA-backed loans worth $9.3M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Dauphin County.
Population estimates show Dauphin County grew 2.3% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Dauphin County has a Groundwork market score of 48 (lower middle): #1,285 of 2,405 scored counties and #37 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania.
How Dauphin 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.
| Measure | Dauphin County | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 109.7 | 100.2 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $352K | $397K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 230 | 237 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.8% | +1.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | +0.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,859 | $3,973 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $76,242 | $77,971 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 61 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 503 → 527+4.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 8,557
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $179.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 139Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,331390 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,263The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 15
- Amount
- $9.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Dauphin 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 Dauphin County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 293,351+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 121,358
- Median age
- 39.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 63%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 525 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 552
- Median household income
- $76,242+25.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $101,388
- Median home value
- $236,400
- Jobs located here
- 201,933
- Daytime population
- 355,122Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dauphin 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 Dauphin 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 Pennsylvania
Every Pennsylvania market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Pennsylvania for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Pennsylvania, with Dauphin County marked.
Top counties in Pennsylvania
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Pike County, PA | 83 | 181 | 74.6 | $534K | +7.2% | #95 of 2,405 |
| 2Perry County, PA | 82 | 103 | 56.3 | $685K | +2.1% | #101 of 2,405 |
| 3Chester County, PA | 77 | 1,940 | 94.7 | $549K | +4.2% | #199 of 2,405 |
| 4Lebanon County, PA | 75 | 405 | 71.4 | $541K | +2.2% | #243 of 2,405 |
| 5York County, PA | 75 | 1,502 | 82.7 | $488K | +3.6% | #248 of 2,405 |
| 6Butler County, PA | 74 | 674 | 83.4 | $507K | +3.2% | #269 of 2,405 |
| 7Franklin County, PA | 72 | 485 | 76.4 | $501K | +3.0% | #342 of 2,405 |
| 8Juniata County, PA | 71 | 43 | 47.6 | $741K | −0.3% | #355 of 2,405 |
| 9Fulton County, PA | 70 | 38 | 59.9 | $586K | −0.6% | #393 of 2,405 |
| 10Lancaster County, PA | 68 | 1,883 | 88.5 | $467K | +1.9% | #452 of 2,405 |
| 37Dauphin County, PA | 48 | 1,331 | 109.7 | $352K | +2.3% | #1,285 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Dauphin County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes48
- Sit-down restaurants48
- Fast food and sandwich shops56
- Pizza49
- Coffee shops and cafes65
- Bakeries and dessert shops47
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 Dauphin County, PA?
Dauphin County has 1,331 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 390 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 527 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 4.8% from 2019. Another 139 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Dauphin County, PA spend on food away from home?
About $468.4M a year, or $3,859 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,331 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $352K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 121,358 households in Dauphin County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dauphin County, PA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Dauphin County has 109.7 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $352K, 5% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Dauphin County would have about 1,263, against 1,331 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 230 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Dauphin County, PA growing?
Population estimates put Dauphin County at 293,351 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 121,358 households. The median household income in Dauphin County is $76,242 a year, 6% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.6% 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. Dauphin County scores 48 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,285 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dauphin 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 Dauphin County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dauphin 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 Dauphin 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.