Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Texas

Restaurants and cafes in Rockwall County, TX

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Rockwall County, TX, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 62 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #689 of 2,405 scored counties
#34 of 162 scored counties in Texas

Listings
506
250 chain locations (49%)
Official establishments
254
+30.9% since 2019
Household spending a year
$210M
On food away from home · $5,093 a household
Spending per listing
$415K
12% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
122.7
12% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
140,738
+28.9% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Rockwall 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 Rockwall County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Map listings as of September 2026 show 506 restaurants and cafes in Rockwall County. Chain locations make up 49% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 122.7, 12% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Household spending on food away from home in Rockwall County comes to about $210M a year: $5,093 per household, 25% above the U.S. average. That is about $415K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 12% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Rockwall County was 254 in 2023, up 30.9% from 2019. That is one for every 162 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 67 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 23 SBA-backed loans worth $20.4M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Rockwall County.

Population estimates show Rockwall County grew 28.9% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Rockwall County scores 62 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #689 of 2,405 scored counties and #34 of 162 scored counties in Texas.

How Rockwall 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.

Restaurants and cafes in Rockwall County, TX compared with Texas and the U.S.
MeasureRockwall CountyTexasU.S.
Listings per 10k households122.7120.5109.8
Spending per listing$415K$329K$371K
Households per official establishment162207209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+30.9%+12.4%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+28.9%+8.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$5,093$3,970$4,070
Median household income$127,981$78,476$80,734
Groundwork market score6245

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
194 → 254+30.9% over the period
Employees, 2023
5,605
Annual payroll, 2023
$132M
One-person businesses, 2023
67Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
506250 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
566The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
23
Amount
$20.4M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Rockwall 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 Rockwall County

Population, 2025 estimate
140,738+28.9% since 2020
Households
41,237
Median age
38.1
Homes lived in by their owners
83%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
127 sq. mi.
People per square mile
972
Median household income
$127,981+26.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$162,868
Median home value
$415,500
Jobs located here
39,609
Daytime population
101,261Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Rockwall 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 Rockwall County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Restaurants 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 Rockwall County marked.

Top counties in Texas

Counties in Texas ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Guadalupe County, TX8653381.5$516K+15.8%#54 of 2,405
2Clay County, TX843172.3$534K+5.0%#78 of 2,405
3San Jacinto County, TX835651.5$666K+7.1%#85 of 2,405
4Wilson County, TX7915585.2$497K+12.2%#158 of 2,405
5Waller County, TX7918399.8$412K+21.9%#162 of 2,405
6Parker County, TX7851090.4$504K+23.5%#179 of 2,405
7Wise County, TX7525199.9$422K+21.5%#251 of 2,405
8Williamson County, TX742,51699.7$478K+22.3%#273 of 2,405
9Fannin County, TX7411791.6$404K+9.2%#282 of 2,405
10Randall County, TX7347383.3$477K+7.9%#319 of 2,405
34Rockwall County, TX62506122.7$415K+28.9%#689 of 2,405

Other business types in Rockwall County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Rockwall County, TX?

There are 506 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Rockwall County as of September 2026. 250 of them (49%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 254 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 30.9% from 2019. Official counts also show 67 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Rockwall County, TX spend on food away from home?

About $210M a year, or $5,093 per household. That is 25% above the U.S. average (an index of 125, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 506 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $415K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 41,237 households in Rockwall County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Rockwall County, TX compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Rockwall County has 122.7 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $415K, 12% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Rockwall County would have about 566, against 506 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 162 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 30.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Rockwall County, TX growing?

Population estimates put Rockwall County at 140,738 people in 2025, up 28.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 41,237 households. The median household income in Rockwall County is $127,981 a year, 59% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.8% 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. Rockwall County scores 62 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #689 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Rockwall 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 Rockwall County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Rockwall 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 Rockwall 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.