Food and drink · County · Rhode Island
Restaurants and cafes in Newport County, RI
How Newport 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 29 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,068 of 2,405 scored counties
#5 of 5 scored counties in Rhode Island
- Listings
- 541
- 105 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 262
- +5.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $170M
- On food away from home · $4,610 a household
- Spending per listing
- $314K
- 15% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 146.7
- 34% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 83,051
- −2.9% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Newport 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 Newport 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
The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Newport County is 29 (lower middle), #2,068 of 2,405 scored counties and #5 of 5 scored counties in Rhode Island. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 541 restaurants and cafes in Newport County. Of those, 105 are chain locations, or 19%, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 146.7 for every 10,000 households, 34% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $4,610 per household (13% above the U.S. average), households in Newport County spend about $170M a year on food away from home. That is about $314K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 15% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 262 businesses with payroll in Newport County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 5.7% from 2019. That is one for every 141 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 17 SBA-backed loans worth $5.4M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Newport County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Newport County declined 2.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Newport 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 | Newport County | Rhode Island | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 146.7 | 122.2 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $314K | $343K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 141 | 172 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.7% | +4.1% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.9% | +1.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,610 | $4,196 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $103,514 | $87,796 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 29 | 31 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 248 → 262+5.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,337
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $149.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 20Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 541105 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 458The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 17
- Amount
- $5.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Newport 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 Newport County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 83,051−2.9% since 2020
- Households
- 36,868
- Median age
- 46.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 102 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 826
- Median household income
- $103,514+30.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $138,641
- Median home value
- $609,700
- Jobs located here
- 36,087
- Daytime population
- 83,890Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Newport 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 Newport 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 Newport 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 Newport County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes29
- Sit-down restaurants28
- Fast food and sandwich shops57
- Pizza48
- Coffee shops and cafes30
- Bakeries and dessert shops29
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 Newport County, RI?
Newport County has 541 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 105 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 262 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 5.7% from 2019. Official counts also show 20 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Newport County, RI spend on food away from home?
About $170M a year, or $4,610 per household. That is 13% above the U.S. average (an index of 113, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 541 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $314K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 36,868 households in Newport County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Newport County, RI compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Newport County has 146.7 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 34% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $314K, 15% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Newport County would have about 458, against 541 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 141 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Newport County, RI growing?
Population estimates put Newport County at 83,051 people in 2025, down 2.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 36,868 households. The median household income in Newport County is $103,514 a year, 28% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.3% 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. Newport County scores 29 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #2,068 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Newport 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 Newport County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Newport 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 Newport 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.