Food and drink · County · Rhode Island
Restaurants and cafes in Bristol County, RI
How Bristol County, RI 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 44 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,437 of 2,405 scored counties
#2 of 5 scored counties in Rhode Island
- Listings
- 245
- 45 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 121
- +10.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $97.9M
- On food away from home · $4,871 a household
- Spending per listing
- $400K
- 8% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 121.9
- 11% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 50,001
- −1.5% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Bristol 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 Bristol 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 245 restaurants and cafes in Bristol County. 45 of them (18%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 121.9 per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in Bristol County spend about $97.9M a year on food away from home, or $4,871 per household, 20% above the U.S. average. Spread across 245 restaurants and cafes, that is $400K per restaurant, 8% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 121 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Bristol County in 2023, up 10.0% from 2019. That is one for every 166 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 12 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 10 SBA-backed loans worth $4.4M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Bristol County.
Population estimates show Bristol County declined 1.5% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. Bristol County scores 44 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,437 of 2,405 scored counties and #2 of 5 scored counties in Rhode Island.
How Bristol County compares
The same measures for Rhode Island 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 | Bristol County | Rhode Island | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 121.9 | 122.2 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $400K | $343K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 166 | 172 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +10.0% | +4.1% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.5% | +1.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,871 | $4,196 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $114,490 | $87,796 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 44 | 31 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 110 → 121+10.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,674
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $43.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 12Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 24545 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 264The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 10
- Amount
- $4.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Bristol 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 Bristol County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 50,001−1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 20,104
- Median age
- 44.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 24 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 2,092
- Median household income
- $114,490+37.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $151,035
- Median home value
- $513,800
- Jobs located here
- 14,997
- Daytime population
- 43,058Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Bristol 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 Bristol 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 Rhode Island
Every Rhode Island market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Rhode Island for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Rhode Island, with Bristol County marked.
Top counties in Rhode Island
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Kent County, RI | 53 | 766 | 105.2 | $412K | +1.8% | #1,053 of 2,405 |
| 2Bristol County, RI | 44 | 245 | 121.9 | $400K | −1.5% | #1,437 of 2,405 |
| 3Providence County, RI | 39 | 3,114 | 120.1 | $328K | +2.8% | #1,663 of 2,405 |
| 4Washington County, RI | 37 | 732 | 139.3 | $338K | 0.0% | #1,743 of 2,405 |
| 5Newport County, RI | 29 | 541 | 146.7 | $314K | −2.9% | #2,068 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Bristol County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes44
- Sit-down restaurants43
- Fast food and sandwich shops70
- Pizza57
- Coffee shops and cafes36
- Bakeries and dessert shops30
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 Bristol County, RI?
Bristol County has 245 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 45 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 121 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 10.0% from 2019. Another 12 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Bristol County, RI spend on food away from home?
About $97.9M a year, or $4,871 per household. That is 20% above the U.S. average (an index of 120, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 245 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $400K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 20,104 households in Bristol County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Bristol County, RI compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Bristol County has 121.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $400K, 8% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Bristol County would have about 264, against 245 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 166 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 10.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Bristol County, RI growing?
Population estimates put Bristol County at 50,001 people in 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 20,104 households. The median household income in Bristol County is $114,490 a year, 42% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 37.8% 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. Bristol County scores 44 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,437 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Bristol 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 Bristol County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Bristol 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 Bristol 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.