Food and drink · County · South Carolina
Restaurants and cafes in Clarendon County, SC
The restaurants and cafes in Clarendon County, SC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 43 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,504 of 2,405 scored counties
#31 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 109
- 46 chain locations (42%)
- Official establishments
- 35
- −7.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $37.8M
- On food away from home · $3,059 a household
- Spending per listing
- $347K
- 6% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 88.2
- 20% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 31,043
- +0.7% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Clarendon 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 Clarendon 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
Households in Clarendon County spend about $37.8M a year on food away from home, or $3,059 per household, 25% below the U.S. average. That works out to $347K per restaurant, 6% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 109 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Clarendon County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 42% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That is 88.2 per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 35 businesses with payroll in Clarendon County classed as restaurants and other eating places, down 7.9% from 2019. That is one for every 353 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 14 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Clarendon County grew 0.7%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Clarendon County is 43 (lower middle), #1,504 of 2,405 scored counties and #31 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina.
How Clarendon 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 | Clarendon County | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 88.2 | 103.7 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $347K | $353K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 353 | 218 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −7.9% | +9.1% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.7% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,059 | $3,660 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $52,401 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 43 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 38 → 35−7.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 618
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 14Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 10946 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 102The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Clarendon 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 Clarendon County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 31,043+0.7% since 2020
- Households
- 12,356
- Median age
- 46.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 607 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 51
- Median household income
- $52,401+28.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $70,670
- Median home value
- $158,000
- Jobs located here
- 6,942
- Daytime population
- 25,933Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Clarendon 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 Clarendon 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 Clarendon 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 |
| 31Clarendon County, SC | 43 | 109 | 88.2 | $347K | +0.7% | #1,504 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Clarendon County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes43
- Sit-down restaurants35
- Fast food and sandwich shops34
- Pizza36
- Coffee shops and cafes50
- 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 Clarendon County, SC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 109 restaurants and cafes in Clarendon County. 46 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 35 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 7.9% from 2019. Official counts also show 14 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Clarendon County, SC spend on food away from home?
About $37.8M a year, or $3,059 per household. That is 25% below the U.S. average (an index of 75, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 109 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $347K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 12,356 households in Clarendon County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Clarendon County, SC compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Clarendon County has 88.2 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $347K, 6% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Clarendon County would have about 102, against 109 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 353 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 7.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Clarendon County, SC growing?
Population estimates put Clarendon County at 31,043 people in 2025, up 0.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 12,356 households. Median household income in Clarendon County is $52,401, 35% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.1%, 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. Clarendon County scores 43 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,504 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Clarendon 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 Clarendon County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Clarendon 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 Clarendon 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.