Food and drink · County · Texas
Restaurants and cafes in Clay County, TX
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Clay County, TX, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 84 out of 100: High
Ranked #78 of 2,405 scored counties
#2 of 162 scored counties in Texas
- Listings
- 31
- 11 chain locations (35%)
- Official establishments
- 8
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $16.5M
- On food away from home · $3,858 a household
- Spending per listing
- $534K
- 44% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 72.3
- 34% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 10,764
- +5.0% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Clay 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 Clay 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
For restaurants and cafes, Clay County has a Groundwork market score of 84 (high): #78 of 2,405 scored counties and #2 of 162 scored counties in Texas. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for restaurants and cafes.
Households in Clay County spend about $16.5M a year on food away from home, or $3,858 per household, 5% below the U.S. average. Spread across 31 restaurants and cafes, that is $534K per restaurant, 44% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 31 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Clay County as of September 2026. Of those, 11 are chain locations, or 35%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 72.3 per 10,000 households, 34% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Clay County was 8 in 2023. That is one for every 536 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Clay County grew 5.0%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Clay 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.
| Measure | Clay County | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 72.3 | 120.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $534K | $329K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 536 | 207 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +12.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.0% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,858 | $3,970 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $80,114 | $78,476 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 84 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6 → 8
- Employees, 2023
- 107
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3111 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 45The 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 Clay 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 Clay County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 10,764+5.0% since 2020
- Households
- 4,289
- Median age
- 46.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 84%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.3
- Land area
- 1,089 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 10
- Median household income
- $80,114+43.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $96,547
- Median home value
- $171,500
- Jobs located here
- 1,387
- Daytime population
- 6,701Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Clay 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 Clay 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 Texas
Every Texas market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Texas for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Texas, with Clay County marked.
Top counties in Texas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Guadalupe County, TX | 86 | 533 | 81.5 | $516K | +15.8% | #54 of 2,405 |
| 2Clay County, TX | 84 | 31 | 72.3 | $534K | +5.0% | #78 of 2,405 |
| 3San Jacinto County, TX | 83 | 56 | 51.5 | $666K | +7.1% | #85 of 2,405 |
| 4Wilson County, TX | 79 | 155 | 85.2 | $497K | +12.2% | #158 of 2,405 |
| 5Waller County, TX | 79 | 183 | 99.8 | $412K | +21.9% | #162 of 2,405 |
| 6Parker County, TX | 78 | 510 | 90.4 | $504K | +23.5% | #179 of 2,405 |
| 7Wise County, TX | 75 | 251 | 99.9 | $422K | +21.5% | #251 of 2,405 |
| 8Williamson County, TX | 74 | 2,516 | 99.7 | $478K | +22.3% | #273 of 2,405 |
| 9Fannin County, TX | 74 | 117 | 91.6 | $404K | +9.2% | #282 of 2,405 |
| 10Randall County, TX | 73 | 473 | 83.3 | $477K | +7.9% | #319 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Clay County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes84
- Sit-down restaurants81
- Fast food and sandwich shops
- Pizza
- Coffee shops and cafes
- Bakeries and dessert shops50
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 Clay County, TX?
As of September 2026, map listings count 31 restaurants and cafes in Clay County. 11 of them (35%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 8 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023. Another 5 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Clay County, TX spend on food away from home?
About $16.5M a year, or $3,858 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 31 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $534K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 4,289 households in Clay County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Clay County, TX compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Clay County has 72.3 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 34% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $534K, 44% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Clay County would have about 45, against 31 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 536 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.
How fast is Clay County, TX growing?
Population estimates put Clay County at 10,764 people in 2025, up 5.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 4,289 households. Median household income in Clay County is $80,114, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 43.1%, 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. Clay County scores 84 for restaurants and cafes (high), #78 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Clay 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 Clay County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Clay 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 Clay 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.