Food and drink · County · Texas
Restaurants and cafes in Hidalgo County, TX
The restaurants and cafes in Hidalgo County, TX, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 31 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,005 of 2,405 scored counties
#119 of 162 scored counties in Texas
- Listings
- 4,116
- 1,340 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 1,131
- +14.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $858.3M
- On food away from home · $3,176 a household
- Spending per listing
- $209K
- 44% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 152.3
- 39% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 921,549
- +5.6% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Hidalgo 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 Hidalgo 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, Hidalgo County has a Groundwork market score of 31 (lower middle): #2,005 of 2,405 scored counties and #119 of 162 scored counties in Texas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $3,176 per household (22% below the U.S. average), households in Hidalgo County spend about $858.3M a year on food away from home. That is about $209K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 44% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Hidalgo County has 4,116 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 1,340 of them (33%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 152.3 for every 10,000 households, 39% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 1,131 businesses with payroll in Hidalgo County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 14.5% from 2019. That is one for every 239 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 31 SBA-backed loans worth $10.6M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Hidalgo County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Hidalgo County grew 5.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Hidalgo 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 | Hidalgo County | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 152.3 | 120.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $209K | $329K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 239 | 207 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +14.5% | +12.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.6% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,176 | $3,970 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $54,338 | $78,476 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 31 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 988 → 1,131+14.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 25,547
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $495.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 997Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4,1161,340 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,315The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 31
- Amount
- $10.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Hidalgo 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 Hidalgo County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 921,549+5.6% since 2020
- Households
- 270,210
- Median age
- 31.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,571 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 568
- Median household income
- $54,338+35.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $74,309
- Median home value
- $140,900
- Jobs located here
- 292,679
- Daytime population
- 862,027Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Hidalgo 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 Hidalgo 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 Hidalgo 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 |
| 119Hidalgo County, TX | 31 | 4,116 | 152.3 | $209K | +5.6% | #2,005 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Hidalgo County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes31
- Sit-down restaurants33
- Fast food and sandwich shops32
- Pizza53
- Coffee shops and cafes40
- Bakeries and dessert shops31
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 Hidalgo County, TX?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 4,116 restaurants and cafes in Hidalgo County. 1,340 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 1,131 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 14.5% from 2019. Official counts list 997 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Hidalgo County, TX spend on food away from home?
About $858.3M a year, or $3,176 per household. That is 22% below the U.S. average (an index of 78, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 4,116 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $209K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 270,210 households in Hidalgo County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Hidalgo County, TX compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Hidalgo County has 152.3 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 39% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $209K, 44% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Hidalgo County would have about 2,315, against 4,116 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 239 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 14.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Hidalgo County, TX growing?
Population estimates put Hidalgo County at 921,549 people in 2025, up 5.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 270,210 households. Median household income in Hidalgo County is $54,338, 33% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 35.8%, 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. Hidalgo County scores 31 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #2,005 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Hidalgo 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 Hidalgo County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Hidalgo 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 Hidalgo 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.