Food and drink · Small-town market · Texas
Restaurants and cafes in the Port Lavaca, TX area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in the Port Lavaca, TX area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 37 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #399 of 538 scored small-town markets
#20 of 41 scored small-town markets based in Texas
- Listings
- 100
- 33 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 46
- +21.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $33.3M
- On food away from home · $3,844 a household
- Spending per listing
- $333K
- 10% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 115.3
- 5% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 19,599
- −2.3% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Port Lavaca area
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 the Port Lavaca area. 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 100 restaurants and cafes in the Port Lavaca area. Chain locations make up 33% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 115.3, 5% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,844 per household (6% below the U.S. average), households in the Port Lavaca area spend about $33.3M a year on food away from home. That is about $333K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 10% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 46 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Port Lavaca area in 2023, up 21.1% from 2019. That is one for every 188 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 21 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Port Lavaca area declined 2.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Port Lavaca area scores 37 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #399 of 538 scored small-town markets and #20 of 41 scored small-town markets based in Texas.
How the Port Lavaca area 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 | Port Lavaca area | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 115.3 | 120.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $333K | $329K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 188 | 207 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +21.1% | +12.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.3% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,844 | $3,970 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $79,959 | $78,476 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 37 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 46+21.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 542
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 21Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 10033 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 90The 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 the Port Lavaca area, 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 the Port Lavaca area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 19,599−2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 8,670
- Median age
- 40.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 507 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 39
- Median household income
- $79,959+36.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $102,381
- Median home value
- $171,200
- Jobs located here
- 10,873
- Daytime population
- 22,043Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Port Lavaca area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Port Lavaca area. 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 small-town markets in Texas for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Texas, with the Port Lavaca area marked.
Top small-town markets in Texas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Bonham, TX | 85 | 117 | 91.6 | $404K | +9.2% | #14 of 538 |
| 2Granbury, TX | 72 | 255 | 99.9 | $408K | +13.6% | #70 of 538 |
| 3Andrews, TX | 68 | 65 | 95.0 | $403K | +1.6% | #95 of 538 |
| 4Jacksonville, TX | 66 | 172 | 94.6 | $359K | +5.4% | #115 of 538 |
| 5Corsicana, TX | 64 | 191 | 100.3 | $343K | +8.2% | #136 of 538 |
| 6Huntsville, TX | 54 | 250 | 96.1 | $321K | +9.5% | #230 of 538 |
| 7Gainesville, TX | 51 | 199 | 120.4 | $319K | +6.5% | #257 of 538 |
| 8Paris, TX | 49 | 254 | 101.6 | $329K | +2.6% | #271 of 538 |
| 9Sulphur Springs, TX | 49 | 158 | 112.8 | $317K | +6.1% | #272 of 538 |
| 10Athens, TX | 48 | 365 | 108.7 | $320K | +7.5% | #282 of 538 |
| 20Port Lavaca, TX | 37 | 100 | 115.3 | $333K | −2.3% | #399 of 538 |
Other business types in the Port Lavaca area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes37
- Sit-down restaurants28
- Fast food and sandwich shops60
- Pizza
- Coffee shops and cafes64
- Bakeries and dessert shops56
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 the Port Lavaca, TX area?
The Port Lavaca area has 100 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 33 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 46 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 21.1% from 2019. Official counts list 21 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Port Lavaca, TX area spend on food away from home?
About $33.3M a year, or $3,844 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 100 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $333K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 8,670 households in the Port Lavaca area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Port Lavaca, TX area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Port Lavaca area has 115.3 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $333K, 10% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Port Lavaca area would have about 90, against 100 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 188 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 21.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Port Lavaca, TX area growing?
Population estimates put the Port Lavaca area at 19,599 people in 2025, down 2.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 8,670 households. The median household income in the Port Lavaca area is $79,959 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 36.0% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Port Lavaca area scores 37 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #399 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Port Lavaca area. 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 the Port Lavaca area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Port Lavaca area?
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 the Port Lavaca area. 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.