Food and drink · County · South Carolina
Restaurants and cafes in Charleston County, SC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Charleston County, SC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 39 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,677 of 2,405 scored counties
#33 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 2,842
- 828 chain locations (29%)
- Official establishments
- 1,194
- +6.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $763.5M
- On food away from home · $4,266 a household
- Spending per listing
- $269K
- 28% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 158.8
- 45% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 436,200
- +6.4% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Charleston 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 Charleston 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 2,842 restaurants and cafes in Charleston County. Chain locations make up 29% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 158.8 for every 10,000 households, 45% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $4,266 per household (5% above the U.S. average), households in Charleston County spend about $763.5M a year on food away from home. That is about $269K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 28% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Charleston County was 1,194 in 2023, up 6.2% from 2019. That is one for every 150 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 184 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 46 SBA-backed loans worth $33.7M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Charleston County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Charleston County grew 6.4%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Charleston County is 39 (lower middle), #1,677 of 2,405 scored counties and #33 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina.
How Charleston 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 | Charleston County | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 158.8 | 103.7 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $269K | $353K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 150 | 218 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +6.2% | +9.1% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.4% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,266 | $3,660 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $88,494 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 39 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,124 → 1,194+6.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 26,214
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $722.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 184Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2,842828 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,059The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 46
- Amount
- $33.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Charleston 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 Charleston County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 436,200+6.4% since 2020
- Households
- 178,975
- Median age
- 40.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 918 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 458
- Median household income
- $88,494+38.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $131,674
- Median home value
- $489,100
- Jobs located here
- 279,531
- Daytime population
- 508,326Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Charleston 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 Charleston 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 Charleston 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 |
| 33Charleston County, SC | 39 | 2,842 | 158.8 | $269K | +6.4% | #1,677 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Charleston County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes39
- Sit-down restaurants38
- Fast food and sandwich shops57
- Pizza64
- Coffee shops and cafes50
- Bakeries and dessert shops48
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 Charleston County, SC?
Charleston County has 2,842 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 828 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 1,194 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 6.2% from 2019. Another 184 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Charleston County, SC spend on food away from home?
About $763.5M a year, or $4,266 per household. That is 5% above the U.S. average (an index of 105, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,842 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $269K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 178,975 households in Charleston County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Charleston County, SC compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Charleston County has 158.8 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 45% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $269K, 28% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Charleston County would have about 2,059, against 2,842 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 150 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Charleston County, SC growing?
Population estimates put Charleston County at 436,200 people in 2025, up 6.4% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 178,975 households. The median household income in Charleston County is $88,494 a year, 10% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 38.2% 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. Charleston County scores 39 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,677 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Charleston 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 Charleston County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Charleston 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 Charleston 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.