Food and drink · County · South Carolina
Restaurants and cafes in Lexington County, SC
How Lexington County, SC compares with other counties and the U.S. for restaurants and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 58 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #844 of 2,405 scored counties
#16 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 1,162
- 552 chain locations (48%)
- Official establishments
- 557
- +12.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $462.1M
- On food away from home · $3,788 a household
- Spending per listing
- $398K
- 7% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 95.3
- 13% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 317,588
- +7.7% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Lexington 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 Lexington 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 Lexington County spend about $462.1M a year on food away from home, or $3,788 per household, 7% below the U.S. average. That is about $398K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 7% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 1,162 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Lexington County as of September 2026. Of those, 552 are chain locations, or 48%, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 95.3 for every 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 557 businesses with payroll in Lexington County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 12.1% from 2019. That is one for every 219 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 108 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 15 SBA-backed loans worth $10.3M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Lexington County.
Population estimates show Lexington County grew 7.7% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Lexington County scores 58 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #844 of 2,405 scored counties and #16 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina.
How Lexington 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 | Lexington County | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 95.3 | 103.7 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $398K | $353K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 219 | 218 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +12.1% | +9.1% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.7% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,788 | $3,660 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $77,408 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 58 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 497 → 557+12.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 12,429
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $228.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 108Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,162552 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,246The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 15
- Amount
- $10.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Lexington 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 Lexington County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 317,588+7.7% since 2020
- Households
- 121,964
- Median age
- 40.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 699 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 436
- Median household income
- $77,408+26.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $97,803
- Median home value
- $234,500
- Jobs located here
- 142,688
- Daytime population
- 310,908Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lexington 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 Lexington 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 Lexington 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 |
| 16Lexington County, SC | 58 | 1,162 | 95.3 | $398K | +7.7% | #844 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Lexington County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes58
- Sit-down restaurants55
- Fast food and sandwich shops46
- Pizza63
- Coffee shops and cafes79
- Bakeries and dessert shops77
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 Lexington County, SC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,162 restaurants and cafes in Lexington County. 552 of them (48%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 557 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 12.1% from 2019. Official counts list 108 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Lexington County, SC spend on food away from home?
About $462.1M a year, or $3,788 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,162 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $398K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 121,964 households in Lexington County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lexington County, SC compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Lexington County has 95.3 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $398K, 7% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Lexington County would have about 1,246, against 1,162 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 219 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 12.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Lexington County, SC growing?
Population estimates put Lexington County at 317,588 people in 2025, up 7.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 121,964 households. Median household income in Lexington County is $77,408, 4% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.5%, 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. Lexington County scores 58 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #844 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lexington 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 Lexington County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lexington 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 Lexington 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.