Food and drink · County · South Carolina
Restaurants and cafes in Aiken County, SC
The restaurants and cafes in Aiken County, SC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 66 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #522 of 2,405 scored counties
#12 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 596
- 283 chain locations (47%)
- Official establishments
- 266
- +6.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $256.1M
- On food away from home · $3,663 a household
- Spending per listing
- $430K
- 16% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 85.2
- 22% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 181,515
- +7.3% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Aiken 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 Aiken 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
Household spending on food away from home in Aiken County comes to about $256.1M a year: $3,663 per household, 10% below the U.S. average. That works out to $430K per restaurant, 16% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
Aiken County has 596 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 283 of them (47%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 85.2 for every 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Official counts show 266 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Aiken County in 2023, up 6.0% from 2019. That is one for every 263 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 60 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 9 SBA-backed loans worth $5.3M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Aiken County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Aiken County grew 7.3%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Aiken County has a Groundwork market score of 66 (upper middle): #522 of 2,405 scored counties and #12 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Aiken County compares
The same measures for South Carolina 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 | Aiken County | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 85.2 | 103.7 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $430K | $353K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 263 | 218 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +6.0% | +9.1% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.3% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,663 | $3,660 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $70,609 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 66 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 251 → 266+6.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 5,271
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $97M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 60Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 596283 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 691The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 9
- Amount
- $5.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Aiken 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 Aiken County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 181,515+7.3% since 2020
- Households
- 69,916
- Median age
- 42.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,071 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 163
- Median household income
- $70,609+37.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $93,371
- Median home value
- $218,000
- Jobs located here
- 65,453
- Daytime population
- 171,299Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Aiken 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 Aiken 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 South Carolina
Every South Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in South Carolina for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in South Carolina, with Aiken County marked.
Top counties in South Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Edgefield County, SC | 88 | 52 | 53.2 | $671K | +16.1% | #35 of 2,405 |
| 2Berkeley County, SC | 83 | 731 | 78.0 | $505K | +18.7% | #97 of 2,405 |
| 3Lancaster County, SC | 82 | 289 | 72.0 | $546K | +18.3% | #110 of 2,405 |
| 4Kershaw County, SC | 79 | 170 | 63.2 | $561K | +11.6% | #150 of 2,405 |
| 5York County, SC | 76 | 947 | 83.2 | $507K | +8.1% | #221 of 2,405 |
| 6Dorchester County, SC | 76 | 520 | 82.3 | $473K | +10.1% | #225 of 2,405 |
| 7Oconee County, SC | 73 | 234 | 67.8 | $516K | +6.3% | #305 of 2,405 |
| 8Calhoun County, SC | 72 | 27 | 43.7 | $757K | +0.6% | #327 of 2,405 |
| 9Laurens County, SC | 71 | 162 | 60.1 | $528K | +6.2% | #366 of 2,405 |
| 10Saluda County, SC | 71 | 47 | 61.3 | $518K | +4.1% | #368 of 2,405 |
| 12Aiken County, SC | 66 | 596 | 85.2 | $430K | +7.3% | #522 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Aiken County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes66
- Sit-down restaurants61
- Fast food and sandwich shops52
- Pizza66
- Coffee shops and cafes85
- Bakeries and dessert shops81
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 Aiken County, SC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 596 restaurants and cafes in Aiken County. 283 of them (47%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 266 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 6.0% from 2019. Official counts list 60 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Aiken County, SC spend on food away from home?
About $256.1M a year, or $3,663 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 596 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $430K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 69,916 households in Aiken County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Aiken County, SC compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Aiken County has 85.2 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $430K, 16% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Aiken County would have about 691, against 596 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 6.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Aiken County, SC growing?
Population estimates put Aiken County at 181,515 people in 2025, up 7.3% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 69,916 households. Median household income in Aiken County is $70,609, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 37.4%, 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. Aiken County scores 66 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #522 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Aiken 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 Aiken County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Aiken 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 Aiken 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.