Food and drink · County · South Carolina
Restaurants and cafes in Lee County, SC
The restaurants and cafes in Lee County, SC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 33 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,911 of 2,405 scored counties
#35 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 52
- 21 chain locations (40%)
- Official establishments
- 15
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $17.1M
- On food away from home · $2,695 a household
- Spending per listing
- $329K
- 11% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 81.9
- 25% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 15,730
- −5.0% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Lee 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 Lee 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
The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Lee County is 33 (lower middle), #1,911 of 2,405 scored counties and #35 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Lee County spend about $17.1M a year on food away from home, or $2,695 per household, 34% below the U.S. average. That is about $329K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 11% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Lee County has 52 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 40% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 81.9 for every 10,000 households, 25% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 15 businesses with payroll in Lee County classed as restaurants and other eating places. That is one for every 423 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Population estimates show Lee County declined 5.0% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Lee 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 | Lee County | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 81.9 | 103.7 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $329K | $353K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 423 | 218 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +9.1% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −5.0% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $2,695 | $3,660 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $44,760 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 33 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 15 → 15
- Employees, 2023
- 209
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5221 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 46The 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 Lee 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 Lee County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 15,730−5.0% since 2020
- Households
- 6,351
- Median age
- 43.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 410 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 39
- Median household income
- $44,760+38.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $56,408
- Median home value
- $104,600
- Jobs located here
- 3,773
- Daytime population
- 12,067Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lee 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 Lee 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 Lee 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 |
| 35Lee County, SC | 33 | 52 | 81.9 | $329K | −5.0% | #1,911 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Lee County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes33
- Sit-down restaurants40
- Fast food and sandwich shops20
- Pizza26
- 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 Lee County, SC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 52 restaurants and cafes in Lee County. 21 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 15 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023. Official counts list 4 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Lee County, SC spend on food away from home?
About $17.1M a year, or $2,695 per household. That is 34% below the U.S. average (an index of 66, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 52 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $329K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 6,351 households in Lee County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lee County, SC compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Lee County has 81.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 25% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $329K, 11% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Lee County would have about 46, against 52 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 423 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.
How fast is Lee County, SC growing?
Population estimates put Lee County at 15,730 people in 2025, down 5.0% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 6,351 households. Median household income in Lee County is $44,760, 45% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 38.3%, 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. Lee County scores 33 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,911 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lee 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 Lee County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lee 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 Lee 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.