Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Texas

Restaurants and cafes in Brown County, TX

The restaurants and cafes in Brown County, TX, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 27 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #2,127 of 2,405 scored counties
#127 of 162 scored counties in Texas

Listings
152
57 chain locations (38%)
Official establishments
71
+4.4% since 2019
Household spending a year
$48M
On food away from home · $3,208 a household
Spending per listing
$316K
15% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
101.5
8% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
38,711
+1.7% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Brown 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 Brown County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

For restaurants and cafes, Brown County has a Groundwork market score of 27 (lower middle): #2,127 of 2,405 scored counties and #127 of 162 scored counties in Texas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

As of September 2026, map listings count 152 restaurants and cafes in Brown County. Chain locations make up 38% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 101.5, 8% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Household spending on food away from home in Brown County comes to about $48M a year: $3,208 per household, 21% below the U.S. average. That works out to $316K per restaurant, 15% below the U.S. figure of $371K.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Brown County was 71 in 2023, up 4.4% from 2019. That is one for every 211 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $2.3M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Brown County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Brown County grew 1.7%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Brown County 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.

Restaurants and cafes in Brown County, TX compared with Texas and the U.S.
MeasureBrown CountyTexasU.S.
Listings per 10k households101.5120.5109.8
Spending per listing$316K$329K$371K
Households per official establishment211207209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+4.4%+12.4%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.7%+8.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,208$3,970$4,070
Median household income$57,470$78,476$80,734
Groundwork market score2745

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
68 → 71+4.4% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,379
Annual payroll, 2023
$26M
One-person businesses, 2023
23Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
15257 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
130The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
4
Amount
$2.3M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Brown 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 Brown County

Population, 2025 estimate
38,711+1.7% since 2020
Households
14,972
Median age
42.4
Homes lived in by their owners
68%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
945 sq. mi.
People per square mile
41
Median household income
$57,470+18.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$75,477
Median home value
$158,900
Jobs located here
14,839
Daytime population
36,518Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Brown 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 Brown County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Restaurants and cafes across Texas

Every Texas market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Texas for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Texas, with Brown County marked.

Top counties in Texas

Counties in Texas ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Guadalupe County, TX8653381.5$516K+15.8%#54 of 2,405
2Clay County, TX843172.3$534K+5.0%#78 of 2,405
3San Jacinto County, TX835651.5$666K+7.1%#85 of 2,405
4Wilson County, TX7915585.2$497K+12.2%#158 of 2,405
5Waller County, TX7918399.8$412K+21.9%#162 of 2,405
6Parker County, TX7851090.4$504K+23.5%#179 of 2,405
7Wise County, TX7525199.9$422K+21.5%#251 of 2,405
8Williamson County, TX742,51699.7$478K+22.3%#273 of 2,405
9Fannin County, TX7411791.6$404K+9.2%#282 of 2,405
10Randall County, TX7347383.3$477K+7.9%#319 of 2,405
127Brown County, TX27152101.5$316K+1.7%#2,127 of 2,405

Other business types in Brown County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Brown County, TX?

Brown County has 152 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 57 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 71 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 4.4% from 2019. Official counts list 23 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Brown County, TX spend on food away from home?

About $48M a year, or $3,208 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 152 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $316K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 14,972 households in Brown County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Brown County, TX compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Brown County has 101.5 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $316K, 15% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Brown County would have about 130, against 152 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 211 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Brown County, TX growing?

Population estimates put Brown County at 38,711 people in 2025, up 1.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 14,972 households. The median household income in Brown County is $57,470 a year, 29% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 18.8% 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. Brown County scores 27 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #2,127 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Brown 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 Brown County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Brown 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 Brown 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.