Food and drink · Metro area · Rhode Island
Restaurants and cafes in the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area
The restaurants and cafes in the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #220 of 387 scored metro areas
The only scored metro area based in Rhode Island
- Listings
- 7,489
- 2,004 chain locations (27%)
- Official establishments
- 3,670
- +4.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $2.8B
- On food away from home · $4,185 a household
- Spending per listing
- $377K
- 2% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 110.9
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,708,161
- +2.1% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Providence-Warwick metro area
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 the Providence-Warwick metro area. 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
At $4,185 per household (3% above the U.S. average), households in the Providence-Warwick metro area spend about $2.8B a year on food away from home. Spread across 7,489 restaurants and cafes, that is $377K per restaurant, 2% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 7,489 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Providence-Warwick metro area as of September 2026. 2,004 of them (27%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 110.9 per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 3,670 businesses with payroll in the Providence-Warwick metro area classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 4.0% from 2019. That is one for every 184 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 566 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 186 SBA-backed loans worth $64.3M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Providence-Warwick metro area.
Population estimates show the Providence-Warwick metro area grew 2.1% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, the Providence-Warwick metro area has a Groundwork market score of 45 (lower middle): #220 of 387 scored metro areas and the only scored metro area based in Rhode Island.
How the Providence-Warwick metro area 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 | Providence-Warwick metro area | Rhode Island | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 110.9 | 122.2 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $377K | $343K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 184 | 172 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.0% | +4.1% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.1% | +1.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,185 | $4,196 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $87,040 | $87,796 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 45 | 31 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3,670+4.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 60,360
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.6B
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 566Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7,4892,004 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 7,622The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 186
- Amount
- $64.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Providence-Warwick metro area, 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 the Providence-Warwick metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,708,161+2.1% since 2020
- Households
- 675,395
- Median age
- 41.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 63%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 1,587 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,061
- Median household income
- $87,040+28.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $113,866
- Median home value
- $422,500
- Jobs located here
- 710,441
- Daytime population
- 1,584,744Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Providence-Warwick metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Providence-Warwick metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardOther business types in the Providence-Warwick metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes45
- Sit-down restaurants45
- Fast food and sandwich shops72
- Pizza47
- Coffee shops and cafes37
- Bakeries and dessert shops31
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 the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 7,489 restaurants and cafes in the Providence-Warwick metro area. 2,004 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 3,670 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 4.0% from 2019. Official counts list 566 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area spend on food away from home?
About $2.8B a year, or $4,185 per household. That is 3% above the U.S. average (an index of 103, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 7,489 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $377K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 675,395 households in the Providence-Warwick metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Providence-Warwick metro area has 110.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $377K, 2% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Providence-Warwick metro area would have about 7,622, against 7,489 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 184 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Providence-Warwick metro area at 1,708,161 people in 2025, up 2.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 675,395 households. Median household income in the Providence-Warwick metro area is $87,040, 8% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.3%, 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. The Providence-Warwick metro area scores 45 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #220 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Providence-Warwick metro area. 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 the Providence-Warwick metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Providence-Warwick metro area?
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 the Providence-Warwick metro area. 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.