Food and drink · County · South Carolina
Restaurants and cafes in Fairfield County, SC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Fairfield County, SC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 61 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #703 of 2,405 scored counties
#14 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 46
- 19 chain locations (41%)
- Official establishments
- 19
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $27.9M
- On food away from home · $3,122 a household
- Spending per listing
- $606K
- 63% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 51.5
- 53% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 20,340
- −2.6% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Fairfield 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 Fairfield 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 46 restaurants and cafes in Fairfield County. Chain locations make up 41% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 51.5 for every 10,000 households, 53% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in Fairfield County spend about $27.9M a year on food away from home, or $3,122 per household, 23% below the U.S. average. Spread across 46 restaurants and cafes, that is $606K per restaurant, 63% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 19 businesses with payroll in Fairfield County classed as restaurants and other eating places. That is one for every 470 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 6 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates put the population change in Fairfield County from 2020 to 2025 at −2.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For restaurants and cafes, Fairfield County has a Groundwork market score of 61 (upper middle): #703 of 2,405 scored counties and #14 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina.
How Fairfield 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 | Fairfield County | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 51.5 | 103.7 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $606K | $353K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 470 | 218 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +9.1% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.6% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,122 | $3,660 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $47,885 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 61 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 17 → 19
- Employees, 2023
- 191
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4619 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 75The 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 Fairfield 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 Fairfield County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 20,340−2.6% since 2020
- Households
- 8,930
- Median age
- 47.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 686 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 30
- Median household income
- $47,885+25.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $72,061
- Median home value
- $151,200
- Jobs located here
- 6,065
- Daytime population
- 16,748Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Fairfield 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 Fairfield 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 Fairfield 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 |
| 14Fairfield County, SC | 61 | 46 | 51.5 | $606K | −2.6% | #703 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Fairfield County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes61
- Sit-down restaurants58
- Fast food and sandwich shops46
- Pizza54
- Coffee shops and cafes
- Bakeries and dessert shops
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 Fairfield County, SC?
There are 46 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Fairfield County as of September 2026. 19 of them (41%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 19 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023. Another 6 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Fairfield County, SC spend on food away from home?
About $27.9M a year, or $3,122 per household. That is 23% below the U.S. average (an index of 77, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 46 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $606K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 8,930 households in Fairfield County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Fairfield County, SC compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Fairfield County has 51.5 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 53% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $606K, 63% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Fairfield County would have about 75, against 46 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 470 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.
How fast is Fairfield County, SC growing?
Population estimates put Fairfield County at 20,340 people in 2025, down 2.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 8,930 households. The median household income in Fairfield County is $47,885 a year, 41% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.3% 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. Fairfield County scores 61 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #703 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Fairfield 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 Fairfield County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Fairfield 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 Fairfield 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.