Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Pennsylvania

Restaurants and cafes in Monroe County, PA

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 30 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #2,036 of 2,405 scored counties
#62 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania

Listings
827
198 chain locations (24%)
Official establishments
319
+6.3% since 2019
Household spending a year
$244.3M
On food away from home · $3,991 a household
Spending per listing
$295K
20% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
135.1
23% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
167,179
−0.7% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Monroe 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 Monroe 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

For restaurants and cafes, Monroe County has a Groundwork market score of 30 (lower middle): #2,036 of 2,405 scored counties and #62 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Map listings as of September 2026 show 827 restaurants and cafes in Monroe County. 198 of them (24%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 135.1 per 10,000 households, 23% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Households in Monroe County spend about $244.3M a year on food away from home, or $3,991 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. That works out to $295K per restaurant, 20% below the U.S. figure of $371K.

In 2023, official counts showed 319 businesses with payroll in Monroe County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 6.3% from 2019. That is one for every 192 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 10 SBA-backed loans worth $2.9M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Monroe County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Monroe County declined 0.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Monroe 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 Monroe County, PA compared with Pennsylvania and the U.S.
MeasureMonroe CountyPennsylvaniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households135.1100.2109.8
Spending per listing$295K$397K$371K
Households per official establishment192237209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+6.3%+1.5%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.7%+0.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,991$3,973$4,070
Median household income$83,565$77,971$80,734
Groundwork market score3061

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
300 → 319+6.3% over the period
Employees, 2023
4,461
Annual payroll, 2023
$95M
One-person businesses, 2023
74Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
827198 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
659The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
10
Amount
$2.9M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
167,179−0.7% since 2020
Households
61,212
Median age
44.0
Homes lived in by their owners
80%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
608 sq. mi.
People per square mile
275
Median household income
$83,565+30.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$102,906
Median home value
$267,600
Jobs located here
50,869
Daytime population
150,408Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Monroe 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 Monroe 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 Monroe 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
62Monroe County, PA30827135.1$295K−0.7%#2,036 of 2,405

Other business types in Monroe County

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

Questions

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

There are 827 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Monroe County as of September 2026. 198 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 319 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 6.3% from 2019. Official counts list 74 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $244.3M a year, or $3,991 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 827 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $295K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 61,212 households in Monroe County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Monroe County has 135.1 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 23% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $295K, 20% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Monroe County would have about 659, against 827 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 192 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Monroe County, PA growing?

Population estimates put Monroe County at 167,179 people in 2025, down 0.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 61,212 households. The median household income in Monroe County is $83,565 a year, 4% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.7% 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. Monroe County scores 30 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #2,036 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Monroe 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 Monroe 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.