Food and drink · Small-town market · Texas
Restaurants and cafes in the Brenham, TX area
How the Brenham, TX area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for restaurants and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #286 of 538 scored small-town markets
#11 of 41 scored small-town markets based in Texas
- Listings
- 203
- 57 chain locations (28%)
- Official establishments
- 73
- −3.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $58.7M
- On food away from home · $3,794 a household
- Spending per listing
- $289K
- 22% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 131.1
- 19% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 38,288
- +7.0% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Brenham 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 Brenham 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 203 restaurants and cafes in the Brenham area. Of those, 57 are chain locations, or 28%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 131.1, 19% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,794 per household (7% below the U.S. average), households in the Brenham area spend about $58.7M a year on food away from home. That is about $289K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 22% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 73 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Brenham area in 2023, down 3.9% from 2019. That is one for every 212 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 24 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates show the Brenham area grew 7.0% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, the Brenham area has a Groundwork market score of 48 (lower middle): #286 of 538 scored small-town markets and #11 of 41 scored small-town markets based in Texas.
How the Brenham 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 | Brenham area | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 131.1 | 120.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $289K | $329K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 212 | 207 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −3.9% | +12.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.0% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,794 | $3,970 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $77,825 | $78,476 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 73−3.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,141
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $24.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 24Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 20357 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 158The 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 the Brenham 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 Brenham area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 38,288+7.0% since 2020
- Households
- 15,481
- Median age
- 42.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 604 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 61
- Median household income
- $77,825+41.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $105,165
- Median home value
- $288,100
- Jobs located here
- 16,640
- Daytime population
- 34,059Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Brenham area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Brenham 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 small-town markets in Texas for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Texas, with the Brenham area marked.
Top small-town markets in Texas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Bonham, TX | 85 | 117 | 91.6 | $404K | +9.2% | #14 of 538 |
| 2Granbury, TX | 72 | 255 | 99.9 | $408K | +13.6% | #70 of 538 |
| 3Andrews, TX | 68 | 65 | 95.0 | $403K | +1.6% | #95 of 538 |
| 4Jacksonville, TX | 66 | 172 | 94.6 | $359K | +5.4% | #115 of 538 |
| 5Corsicana, TX | 64 | 191 | 100.3 | $343K | +8.2% | #136 of 538 |
| 6Huntsville, TX | 54 | 250 | 96.1 | $321K | +9.5% | #230 of 538 |
| 7Gainesville, TX | 51 | 199 | 120.4 | $319K | +6.5% | #257 of 538 |
| 8Paris, TX | 49 | 254 | 101.6 | $329K | +2.6% | #271 of 538 |
| 9Sulphur Springs, TX | 49 | 158 | 112.8 | $317K | +6.1% | #272 of 538 |
| 10Athens, TX | 48 | 365 | 108.7 | $320K | +7.5% | #282 of 538 |
| 11Brenham, TX | 48 | 203 | 131.1 | $289K | +7.0% | #286 of 538 |
Other business types in the Brenham area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes48
- Sit-down restaurants46
- Fast food and sandwich shops63
- Pizza73
- Coffee shops and cafes76
- 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 the Brenham, TX area?
There are 203 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Brenham area as of September 2026. 57 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 73 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 3.9% from 2019. Another 24 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Brenham, TX area spend on food away from home?
About $58.7M a year, or $3,794 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 203 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $289K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 15,481 households in the Brenham area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Brenham, TX area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Brenham area has 131.1 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 19% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $289K, 22% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Brenham area would have about 158, against 203 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 212 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Brenham, TX area growing?
Population estimates put the Brenham area at 38,288 people in 2025, up 7.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 15,481 households. The median household income in the Brenham area is $77,825 a year, 4% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 41.6% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Brenham area scores 48 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #286 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Brenham 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 Brenham area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Brenham 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 Brenham 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.