Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Pennsylvania

Restaurants and cafes in Northampton County, PA

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 55 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #978 of 2,405 scored counties
#28 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania

Listings
1,334
311 chain locations (23%)
Official establishments
579
+2.8% since 2019
Household spending a year
$516.8M
On food away from home · $4,214 a household
Spending per listing
$387K
4% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
108.8
In line with the U.S.
Population, 2025
324,411
+3.7% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Northampton 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 Northampton 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

At $4,214 per household (4% above the U.S. average), households in Northampton County spend about $516.8M a year on food away from home. Spread across 1,334 restaurants and cafes, that is $387K per restaurant, 4% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

Northampton County has 1,334 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 23% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 108.8, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Official counts show 579 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Northampton County in 2023, up 2.8% from 2019. That is one for every 212 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 118 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 22 SBA-backed loans worth $13.6M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Northampton County.

Population estimates show Northampton County grew 3.7% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Northampton County is 55 (upper middle), #978 of 2,405 scored counties and #28 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania.

How Northampton 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 Northampton County, PA compared with Pennsylvania and the U.S.
MeasureNorthampton CountyPennsylvaniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households108.8100.2109.8
Spending per listing$387K$397K$371K
Households per official establishment212237209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+2.8%+1.5%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+3.7%+0.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$4,214$3,973$4,070
Median household income$89,184$77,971$80,734
Groundwork market score5561

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
563 → 579+2.8% over the period
Employees, 2023
8,600
Annual payroll, 2023
$182.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
118Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
1,334311 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
1,394The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
22
Amount
$13.6M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
324,411+3.7% since 2020
Households
122,624
Median age
42.7
Homes lived in by their owners
71%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
370 sq. mi.
People per square mile
862
Median household income
$89,184+26.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$115,853
Median home value
$308,600
Jobs located here
123,291
Daytime population
291,374Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Northampton 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 Northampton 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 Northampton 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
28Northampton County, PA551,334108.8$387K+3.7%#978 of 2,405

Other business types in Northampton County

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

Questions

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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,334 restaurants and cafes in Northampton County. 311 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 579 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 2.8% from 2019. Official counts list 118 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $516.8M a year, or $4,214 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,334 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $387K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 122,624 households in Northampton County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Northampton County has 108.8 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $387K, 4% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Northampton County would have about 1,394, against 1,334 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 212 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Northampton County, PA growing?

Population estimates put Northampton County at 324,411 people in 2025, up 3.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 122,624 households. Median household income in Northampton County is $89,184, 10% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.6%, 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. Northampton County scores 55 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #978 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Northampton 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 Northampton 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.