Food and drink · County · Rhode Island
Restaurants and cafes in Kent County, RI
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Kent County, RI, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 53 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,053 of 2,405 scored counties
#1 of 5 scored counties in Rhode Island
- Listings
- 766
- 254 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 380
- +3.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $315.7M
- On food away from home · $4,334 a household
- Spending per listing
- $412K
- 11% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 105.2
- 4% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 173,495
- +1.8% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Kent 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 Kent 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 766 restaurants and cafes in Kent County. 254 of them (33%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 105.2 for every 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $4,334 per household (6% above the U.S. average), households in Kent County spend about $315.7M a year on food away from home. That works out to $412K per restaurant, 11% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Kent County was 380 in 2023, up 3.8% from 2019. That is one for every 192 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 45 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 18 SBA-backed loans worth $5.7M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Kent County.
Population estimates put the population change in Kent County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.8%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Kent County scores 53 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,053 of 2,405 scored counties and #1 of 5 scored counties in Rhode Island.
How Kent 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 | Kent County | Rhode Island | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 105.2 | 122.2 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $412K | $343K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 192 | 172 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.8% | +4.1% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.8% | +1.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,334 | $4,196 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $94,345 | $87,796 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 53 | 31 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 366 → 380+3.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 7,414
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $178.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 45Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 766254 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 851The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 18
- Amount
- $5.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Kent 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 Kent County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 173,495+1.8% since 2020
- Households
- 72,839
- Median age
- 44.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 169 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,017
- Median household income
- $94,345+28.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $119,389
- Median home value
- $366,100
- Jobs located here
- 79,114
- Daytime population
- 158,826Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Kent 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 Kent 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 Kent 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 Kent County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes53
- Sit-down restaurants53
- Fast food and sandwich shops70
- Pizza57
- Coffee shops and cafes47
- Bakeries and dessert shops39
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 Kent County, RI?
There are 766 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Kent County as of September 2026. 254 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 380 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 3.8% from 2019. Another 45 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Kent County, RI spend on food away from home?
About $315.7M a year, or $4,334 per household. That is 6% above the U.S. average (an index of 106, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 766 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $412K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 72,839 households in Kent County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Kent County, RI compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Kent County has 105.2 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $412K, 11% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Kent County would have about 851, against 766 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 3.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Kent County, RI growing?
Population estimates put Kent County at 173,495 people in 2025, up 1.8% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 72,839 households. The median household income in Kent County is $94,345 a year, 17% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.3% 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. Kent County scores 53 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #1,053 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kent 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 Kent County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Kent 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 Kent 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.