Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Pennsylvania

Restaurants and cafes in Franklin County, PA

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Franklin County, PA, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #342 of 2,405 scored counties
#7 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania

Listings
485
159 chain locations (33%)
Official establishments
224
+3.2% since 2019
Household spending a year
$243.2M
On food away from home · $3,829 a household
Spending per listing
$501K
35% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
76.4
30% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
160,652
+3.0% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Franklin 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 Franklin 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

Households in Franklin County spend about $243.2M a year on food away from home, or $3,829 per household, 6% below the U.S. average. That is about $501K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 35% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

Franklin County has 485 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 159 of them (33%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 76.4 for every 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

In 2023, official counts showed 224 businesses with payroll in Franklin County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 3.2% from 2019. That is one for every 284 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 39 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 9 SBA-backed loans worth $2.3M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Franklin County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Franklin County grew 3.0%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). Franklin County scores 72 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #342 of 2,405 scored counties and #7 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Franklin 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 Franklin County, PA compared with Pennsylvania and the U.S.
MeasureFranklin CountyPennsylvaniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households76.4100.2109.8
Spending per listing$501K$397K$371K
Households per official establishment284237209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+3.2%+1.5%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+3.0%+0.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,829$3,973$4,070
Median household income$77,003$77,971$80,734
Groundwork market score7261

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
217 → 224+3.2% over the period
Employees, 2023
3,901
Annual payroll, 2023
$69.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
39Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
485159 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
656The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
9
Amount
$2.3M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
160,652+3.0% since 2020
Households
63,510
Median age
42.8
Homes lived in by their owners
74%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
772 sq. mi.
People per square mile
204
Median household income
$77,003+21.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$97,696
Median home value
$249,800
Jobs located here
56,990
Daytime population
143,710Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Franklin 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 Franklin 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 Franklin 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

Other business types in Franklin County

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

Questions

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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 485 restaurants and cafes in Franklin County. 159 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 224 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 3.2% from 2019. Official counts list 39 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $243.2M a year, or $3,829 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 485 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $501K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 63,510 households in Franklin County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Franklin County has 76.4 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $501K, 35% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Franklin County would have about 656, against 485 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 284 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Franklin County, PA growing?

Population estimates put Franklin County at 160,652 people in 2025, up 3.0% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 63,510 households. Median household income in Franklin County is $77,003, 5% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 21.5%, 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. Franklin County scores 72 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #342 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Franklin 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 Franklin 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.