Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Pennsylvania

Restaurants and cafes in Somerset County, PA

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,448 of 2,405 scored counties
#42 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania

Listings
261
70 chain locations (27%)
Official establishments
92
−4.2% since 2019
Household spending a year
$98.1M
On food away from home · $3,342 a household
Spending per listing
$376K
In line with the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
88.9
19% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
72,004
−2.7% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Somerset 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 Somerset 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

As of September 2026, map listings count 261 restaurants and cafes in Somerset County. 70 of them (27%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 88.9 for every 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

At $3,342 per household (18% below the U.S. average), households in Somerset County spend about $98.1M a year on food away from home. That is about $376K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K.

In 2023, official counts showed 92 businesses with payroll in Somerset County classed as restaurants and other eating places, down 4.2% from 2019. That is one for every 319 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 16 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $228K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Somerset County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Somerset County declined 2.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Somerset County is 44 (lower middle), #1,448 of 2,405 scored counties and #42 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania.

How Somerset 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 Somerset County, PA compared with Pennsylvania and the U.S.
MeasureSomerset CountyPennsylvaniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households88.9100.2109.8
Spending per listing$376K$397K$371K
Households per official establishment319237209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−4.2%+1.5%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−2.7%+0.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,342$3,973$4,070
Median household income$61,446$77,971$80,734
Groundwork market score4461

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
96 → 92−4.2% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,268
Annual payroll, 2023
$20.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
16Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
26170 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
265The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
2
Amount
$228K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
72,004−2.7% since 2020
Households
29,344
Median age
46.7
Homes lived in by their owners
80%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
1,075 sq. mi.
People per square mile
68
Median household income
$61,446+25.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$78,574
Median home value
$150,600
Jobs located here
23,480
Daytime population
64,960Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Somerset 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 Somerset 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 Somerset 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
42Somerset County, PA4426188.9$376K−2.7%#1,448 of 2,405

Other business types in Somerset County

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

Questions

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

Somerset County has 261 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 70 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 92 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 4.2% from 2019. Another 16 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

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

About $98.1M a year, or $3,342 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 261 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $376K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 29,344 households in Somerset County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Somerset County has 88.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 19% 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, Somerset County would have about 265, against 261 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 319 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 4.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Somerset County, PA growing?

Population estimates put Somerset County at 72,004 people in 2025, down 2.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 29,344 households. The median household income in Somerset County is $61,446 a year, 24% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.2% 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. Somerset County scores 44 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,448 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Somerset 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 Somerset 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.