Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Pennsylvania

Restaurants and cafes in Washington County, PA

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 63 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #632 of 2,405 scored counties
#15 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania

Listings
780
243 chain locations (31%)
Official establishments
337
+3.7% since 2019
Household spending a year
$352.1M
On food away from home · $3,978 a household
Spending per listing
$451K
22% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
88.1
20% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
210,802
+0.7% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Washington 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 Washington 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

Household spending on food away from home in Washington County comes to about $352.1M a year: $3,978 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. That works out to $451K per restaurant, 22% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

Washington County has 780 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 31% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 88.1 for every 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Washington County was 337 in 2023, up 3.7% from 2019. That is one for every 263 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 52 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 21 SBA-backed loans worth $9.1M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Washington County.

Population estimates put the population change in Washington County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.7%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Washington County scores 63 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #632 of 2,405 scored counties and #15 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania.

How Washington 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 Washington County, PA compared with Pennsylvania and the U.S.
MeasureWashington CountyPennsylvaniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households88.1100.2109.8
Spending per listing$451K$397K$371K
Households per official establishment263237209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+3.7%+1.5%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.7%+0.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,978$3,973$4,070
Median household income$78,958$77,971$80,734
Groundwork market score6361

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
325 → 337+3.7% over the period
Employees, 2023
5,889
Annual payroll, 2023
$117.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
52Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
780243 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
950The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
21
Amount
$9.1M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
210,802+0.7% since 2020
Households
88,505
Median age
44.7
Homes lived in by their owners
76%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
857 sq. mi.
People per square mile
245
Median household income
$78,958+24.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$105,512
Median home value
$228,500
Jobs located here
86,923
Daytime population
199,845Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington 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
15Washington County, PA6378088.1$451K+0.7%#632 of 2,405

Other business types in Washington County

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

Questions

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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 780 restaurants and cafes in Washington County. 243 of them (31%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 337 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 3.7% from 2019. Another 52 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

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

About $352.1M a year, or $3,978 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 780 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $451K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 88,505 households in Washington County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Washington County has 88.1 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $451K, 22% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Washington County would have about 950, against 780 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 263 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Washington County, PA growing?

Population estimates put Washington County at 210,802 people in 2025, up 0.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 88,505 households. Median household income in Washington County is $78,958, 2% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.3%, 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. Washington County scores 63 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #632 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Washington 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 Washington 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.