Food and drink · County · South Carolina
Restaurants and cafes in Cherokee County, SC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Cherokee County, SC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 50 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,189 of 2,405 scored counties
#25 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 179
- 72 chain locations (40%)
- Official establishments
- 71
- −1.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $66.9M
- On food away from home · $3,034 a household
- Spending per listing
- $374K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 81.1
- 26% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 58,275
- +3.7% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Cherokee 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 Cherokee 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
At $3,034 per household (25% below the U.S. average), households in Cherokee County spend about $66.9M a year on food away from home. Spread across 179 restaurants and cafes, that is $374K per restaurant, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K.
Cherokee County has 179 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 40% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 81.1, 26% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Official counts show 71 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Cherokee County in 2023, down 1.4% from 2019. That is one for every 311 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 33 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $2.7M has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Cherokee County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Cherokee County grew 3.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Cherokee County has a Groundwork market score of 50 (upper middle): #1,189 of 2,405 scored counties and #25 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina.
How Cherokee 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 | Cherokee County | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 81.1 | 103.7 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $374K | $353K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 311 | 218 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −1.4% | +9.1% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.7% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,034 | $3,660 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $50,288 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 50 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 72 → 71−1.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,448
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $26.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 33Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 17972 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 181The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $2.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Cherokee 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 Cherokee County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 58,275+3.7% since 2020
- Households
- 22,063
- Median age
- 39.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 393 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 144
- Median household income
- $50,288+36.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $67,479
- Median home value
- $142,000
- Jobs located here
- 18,680
- Daytime population
- 47,816Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cherokee 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 Cherokee 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 Cherokee 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 |
| 25Cherokee County, SC | 50 | 179 | 81.1 | $374K | +3.7% | #1,189 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Cherokee County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes50
- Sit-down restaurants44
- Fast food and sandwich shops37
- Pizza54
- Coffee shops and cafes70
- Bakeries and dessert shops56
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 Cherokee County, SC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 179 restaurants and cafes in Cherokee County. 72 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 71 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 1.4% from 2019. Official counts list 33 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Cherokee County, SC spend on food away from home?
About $66.9M a year, or $3,034 per household. That is 25% below the U.S. average (an index of 75, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 179 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $374K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 22,063 households in Cherokee County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cherokee County, SC compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Cherokee County has 81.1 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $374K, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Cherokee County would have about 181, against 179 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 311 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 1.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Cherokee County, SC growing?
Population estimates put Cherokee County at 58,275 people in 2025, up 3.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 22,063 households. Median household income in Cherokee County is $50,288, 38% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 36.3%, 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. Cherokee County scores 50 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #1,189 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cherokee 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 Cherokee County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cherokee 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 Cherokee 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.