Food and drink · County · Pennsylvania
Restaurants and cafes in Lehigh County, PA
How Lehigh County, PA compares with other counties and the U.S. for restaurants and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 58 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #841 of 2,405 scored counties
#20 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania
- Listings
- 1,450
- 480 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 617
- +0.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $584.7M
- On food away from home · $4,049 a household
- Spending per listing
- $403K
- 9% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 100.4
- 9% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 384,383
- +2.7% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Lehigh 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 Lehigh 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
At $4,049 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in Lehigh County spend about $584.7M a year on food away from home. Spread across 1,450 restaurants and cafes, that is $403K per restaurant, 9% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
Lehigh County has 1,450 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 480 are chain locations, or 33%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 100.4, 9% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 617 businesses with payroll in Lehigh County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 0.5% from 2019. That is one for every 234 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 165 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 23 SBA-backed loans worth $10.6M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Lehigh County.
Population estimates put the population change in Lehigh County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.7%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Lehigh County has a Groundwork market score of 58 (upper middle): #841 of 2,405 scored counties and #20 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania.
How Lehigh 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 | Lehigh County | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 100.4 | 100.2 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $403K | $397K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 234 | 237 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +0.5% | +1.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.7% | +0.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,049 | $3,973 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $80,079 | $77,971 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 58 | 61 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 614 → 617+0.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 10,284
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $219.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 165Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,450480 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,577The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 23
- Amount
- $10.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Lehigh 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 Lehigh County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 384,383+2.7% since 2020
- Households
- 144,386
- Median age
- 40.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 345 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,097
- Median household income
- $80,079+25.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $110,753
- Median home value
- $300,400
- Jobs located here
- 215,511
- Daytime population
- 411,839Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lehigh 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 Lehigh 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 Lehigh 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 |
| 20Lehigh County, PA | 58 | 1,450 | 100.4 | $403K | +2.7% | #841 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Lehigh County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes58
- Sit-down restaurants57
- Fast food and sandwich shops61
- Pizza56
- Coffee shops and cafes74
- Bakeries and dessert shops52
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 Lehigh County, PA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,450 restaurants and cafes in Lehigh County. 480 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 617 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 0.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 165 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Lehigh County, PA spend on food away from home?
About $584.7M a year, or $4,049 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,450 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $403K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 144,386 households in Lehigh County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lehigh County, PA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Lehigh County has 100.4 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $403K, 9% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Lehigh County would have about 1,577, against 1,450 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 234 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 0.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Lehigh County, PA growing?
Population estimates put Lehigh County at 384,383 people in 2025, up 2.7% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 144,386 households. Median household income in Lehigh County is $80,079, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.3%, 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. Lehigh County scores 58 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #841 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lehigh 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 Lehigh County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lehigh 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 Lehigh 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.