Food and drink · County · Texas
Restaurants and cafes in Polk County, TX
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Polk County, TX, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 62 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #694 of 2,405 scored counties
#35 of 162 scored counties in Texas
- Listings
- 167
- 67 chain locations (40%)
- Official establishments
- 60
- +27.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $66.1M
- On food away from home · $3,388 a household
- Spending per listing
- $396K
- 7% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 85.6
- 22% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 53,434
- +5.9% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Polk 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 Polk 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 167 restaurants and cafes in Polk County. 67 of them (40%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 85.6 per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Polk County comes to about $66.1M a year: $3,388 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. That is about $396K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 7% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Polk County was 60 in 2023, up 27.7% from 2019. That is one for every 325 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 27 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $104K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Polk County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Polk County grew 5.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Polk County has a Groundwork market score of 62 (upper middle): #694 of 2,405 scored counties and #35 of 162 scored counties in Texas.
How Polk 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 | Polk County | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 85.6 | 120.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $396K | $329K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 325 | 207 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +27.7% | +12.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.9% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,388 | $3,970 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $62,259 | $78,476 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 62 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 47 → 60+27.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 977
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $19.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 27Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 16767 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 178The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $104K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Polk 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 Polk County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 53,434+5.9% since 2020
- Households
- 19,517
- Median age
- 43.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,057 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 50
- Median household income
- $62,259+26.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,481
- Median home value
- $184,800
- Jobs located here
- 11,638
- Daytime population
- 47,308Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Polk 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 Polk 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 Polk 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 |
| 35Polk County, TX | 62 | 167 | 85.6 | $396K | +5.9% | #694 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Polk County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes62
- Sit-down restaurants56
- Fast food and sandwich shops52
- Pizza75
- Coffee shops and cafes62
- Bakeries and dessert shops58
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 Polk County, TX?
Polk County has 167 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 67 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 60 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 27.7% from 2019. Official counts list 27 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Polk County, TX spend on food away from home?
About $66.1M a year, or $3,388 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 167 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $396K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 19,517 households in Polk County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Polk County, TX compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Polk County has 85.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $396K, 7% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Polk County would have about 178, against 167 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 325 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 27.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Polk County, TX growing?
Population estimates put Polk County at 53,434 people in 2025, up 5.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 19,517 households. The median household income in Polk County is $62,259 a year, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.3% 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. Polk County scores 62 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #694 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Polk 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 Polk County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Polk 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 Polk 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.