Food and drink · Metro area · Texas
Restaurants and cafes in the Abilene, TX metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in the Abilene, TX metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 31 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #329 of 387 scored metro areas
#18 of 26 scored metro areas based in Texas
- Listings
- 718
- 296 chain locations (41%)
- Official establishments
- 328
- +13.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $232.4M
- On food away from home · $3,517 a household
- Spending per listing
- $324K
- 13% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 108.6
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 185,429
- +4.8% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Abilene metro area
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 the Abilene metro area. 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 the Abilene metro area is 31 (lower middle), #329 of 387 scored metro areas and #18 of 26 scored metro areas based in Texas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
As of September 2026, map listings count 718 restaurants and cafes in the Abilene metro area. 296 of them (41%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 108.6 for every 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in the Abilene metro area comes to about $232.4M a year: $3,517 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. That is about $324K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 13% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Abilene metro area was 328 in 2023, up 13.1% from 2019. That is one for every 201 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 16 SBA-backed loans worth $10.9M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Abilene metro area. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Abilene metro area grew 4.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Abilene metro area compares
The same measures for Texas 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 | Abilene metro area | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 108.6 | 120.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $324K | $329K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 201 | 207 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +13.1% | +12.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.8% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,517 | $3,970 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $67,328 | $78,476 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 31 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 328+13.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 6,864
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $139.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 61Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 718296 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 627The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 16
- Amount
- $10.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Abilene metro area, 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 the Abilene metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 185,429+4.8% since 2020
- Households
- 66,088
- Median age
- 36.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 2,744 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 66
- Median household income
- $67,328+28.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $88,398
- Median home value
- $178,700
- Jobs located here
- 70,670
- Daytime population
- 177,263Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Abilene metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Abilene metro area. 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 Texas
Every Texas market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Texas for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Texas, with the Abilene metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Texas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 66 | 11,883 | 120.1 | $379K | +14.0% | #90 of 387 |
| 2Sherman-Denison, TX | 56 | 632 | 114.4 | $325K | +12.8% | #151 of 387 |
| 3Midland, TX | 55 | 820 | 117.8 | $369K | +9.8% | #158 of 387 |
| 4Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 52 | 34,506 | 119.3 | $359K | +10.6% | #181 of 387 |
| 5Killeen-Temple, TX | 52 | 1,763 | 99.2 | $357K | +7.2% | #182 of 387 |
| 6Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 49 | 32,354 | 121.6 | $338K | +10.3% | #201 of 387 |
| 7Odessa, TX | 48 | 685 | 106.1 | $348K | +5.0% | #204 of 387 |
| 8San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 44 | 11,594 | 119.8 | $323K | +9.5% | #234 of 387 |
| 9Wichita Falls, TX | 40 | 546 | 96.2 | $364K | +0.7% | #259 of 387 |
| 10Longview, TX | 35 | 1,166 | 107.8 | $324K | +3.8% | #299 of 387 |
| 18Abilene, TX | 31 | 718 | 108.6 | $324K | +4.8% | #329 of 387 |
Other business types in the Abilene metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes31
- Sit-down restaurants39
- Fast food and sandwich shops24
- Pizza33
- Coffee shops and cafes37
- Bakeries and dessert shops27
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 the Abilene, TX metro area?
The Abilene metro area has 718 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 296 of them (41%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 328 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 13.1% from 2019. Official counts list 61 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Abilene, TX metro area spend on food away from home?
About $232.4M a year, or $3,517 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 718 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $324K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 66,088 households in the Abilene metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Abilene, TX metro area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Abilene metro area has 108.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $324K, 13% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Abilene metro area would have about 627, against 718 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 201 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 13.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Abilene, TX metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Abilene metro area at 185,429 people in 2025, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 66,088 households. The median household income in the Abilene metro area is $67,328 a year, 17% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.2% 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. The Abilene metro area scores 31 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #329 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Abilene metro area. 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 the Abilene metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Abilene metro area?
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 the Abilene metro area. 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.