Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Pennsylvania

Restaurants and cafes in Jefferson County, PA

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 30 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #2,009 of 2,405 scored counties
#61 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania

Listings
160
47 chain locations (29%)
Official establishments
85
+16.4% since 2019
Household spending a year
$60.1M
On food away from home · $3,276 a household
Spending per listing
$376K
In line with the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
87.2
21% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
43,255
−2.8% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey 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 Jefferson County is 30 (lower middle), #2,009 of 2,405 scored counties and #61 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

As of September 2026, map listings count 160 restaurants and cafes in Jefferson County. 47 of them (29%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 87.2 per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

At $3,276 per household (20% below the U.S. average), households in Jefferson County spend about $60.1M a year on food away from home. Spread across 160 restaurants and cafes, that is $376K per restaurant, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K.

Official counts show 85 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Jefferson County in 2023, up 16.4% from 2019. That is one for every 216 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Population estimates show Jefferson County declined 2.8% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Jefferson 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 Jefferson County, PA compared with Pennsylvania and the U.S.
MeasureJefferson CountyPennsylvaniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households87.2100.2109.8
Spending per listing$376K$397K$371K
Households per official establishment216237209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+16.4%+1.5%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−2.8%+0.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,276$3,973$4,070
Median household income$58,686$77,971$80,734
Groundwork market score3061

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
73 → 85+16.4% over the period
Employees, 2023
878
Annual payroll, 2023
$13.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
16Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
16047 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
162The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
0
Amount
$0

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

Population, 2025 estimate
43,255−2.8% since 2020
Households
18,344
Median age
44.2
Homes lived in by their owners
75%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
653 sq. mi.
People per square mile
67
Median household income
$58,686+23.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$76,614
Median home value
$139,700
Jobs located here
14,700
Daytime population
40,828Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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 Jefferson 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
61Jefferson County, PA3016087.2$376K−2.8%#2,009 of 2,405

Other business types in Jefferson County

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

Questions

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

Jefferson County has 160 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 47 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 85 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 16.4% from 2019. Official counts also show 16 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $60.1M a year, or $3,276 per household. That is 20% below the U.S. average (an index of 80, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 160 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $376K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 18,344 households in Jefferson County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Jefferson County has 87.2 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $376K, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Jefferson County would have about 162, against 160 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 216 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 16.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Jefferson County, PA growing?

Population estimates put Jefferson County at 43,255 people in 2025, down 2.8% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 18,344 households. The median household income in Jefferson County is $58,686 a year, 27% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.3% 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. Jefferson County scores 30 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #2,009 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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.