Food and drink · County · Texas
Restaurants and cafes in Dallas County, TX
The restaurants and cafes in Dallas County, TX, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 34 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,886 of 2,405 scored counties
#111 of 162 scored counties in Texas
- Listings
- 13,114
- 4,873 chain locations (37%)
- Official establishments
- 5,390
- +6.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $3.9B
- On food away from home · $3,933 a household
- Spending per listing
- $295K
- 21% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 133.4
- 21% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 2,661,397
- +1.9% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Dallas 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 Dallas 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, Dallas County has a Groundwork market score of 34 (lower middle): #1,886 of 2,405 scored counties and #111 of 162 scored counties in Texas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 13,114 restaurants and cafes in Dallas County. Of those, 4,873 are chain locations, or 37%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 133.4, 21% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,933 per household (3% below the U.S. average), households in Dallas County spend about $3.9B a year on food away from home. That is about $295K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 21% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Dallas County was 5,390 in 2023, up 6.8% from 2019. That is one for every 182 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 224 SBA-backed loans worth $170.3M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Dallas County. Population estimates put the population change in Dallas County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Dallas 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 | Dallas County | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 133.4 | 120.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $295K | $329K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 182 | 207 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +6.8% | +12.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.9% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,933 | $3,970 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $76,547 | $78,476 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 34 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5,046 → 5,390+6.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 110,804
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.9B
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,813Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 13,1144,873 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 10,425The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 224
- Amount
- $170.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Dallas 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 Dallas County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 2,661,397+1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 982,737
- Median age
- 35.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 51%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 873 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 3,002
- Median household income
- $76,547+28.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $112,403
- Median home value
- $303,000
- Jobs located here
- 1,894,804
- Daytime population
- 3,279,819Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dallas 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 Dallas 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 Dallas 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 |
| 111Dallas County, TX | 34 | 13,114 | 133.4 | $295K | +1.9% | #1,886 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Dallas County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes34
- Sit-down restaurants35
- Fast food and sandwich shops40
- Pizza55
- Coffee shops and cafes48
- Bakeries and dessert shops36
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 Dallas County, TX?
Dallas County has 13,114 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 4,873 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 5,390 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 6.8% from 2019. Official counts also show 1,813 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Dallas County, TX spend on food away from home?
About $3.9B a year, or $3,933 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 13,114 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $295K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 982,737 households in Dallas County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dallas County, TX compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Dallas County has 133.4 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 21% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $295K, 21% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Dallas County would have about 10,425, against 13,114 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 182 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Dallas County, TX growing?
Population estimates put Dallas County at 2,661,397 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 982,737 households. The median household income in Dallas County is $76,547 a year, 5% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.4% 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. Dallas County scores 34 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,886 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dallas 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 Dallas County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dallas 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 Dallas 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.