Food and drink · County · Texas
Restaurants and cafes in Willacy County, TX
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Willacy County, TX, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 25 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,200 of 2,405 scored counties
#136 of 162 scored counties in Texas
- Listings
- 73
- 18 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- 21
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $17.6M
- On food away from home · $3,100 a household
- Spending per listing
- $242K
- 35% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 128.3
- 17% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 19,971
- −0.8% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Willacy 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 Willacy 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, Willacy County has a Groundwork market score of 25 (lower middle): #2,200 of 2,405 scored counties and #136 of 162 scored counties in Texas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 73 restaurants and cafes in Willacy County. Of those, 18 are chain locations, or 25%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 128.3 per 10,000 households, 17% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in Willacy County spend about $17.6M a year on food away from home, or $3,100 per household, 24% below the U.S. average. That is about $242K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 35% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 21 businesses with payroll in Willacy County classed as restaurants and other eating places. That is one for every 271 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $40K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Willacy County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Willacy County declined 0.8%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Willacy 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 | Willacy County | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 128.3 | 120.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $242K | $329K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 271 | 207 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +12.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.8% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,100 | $3,970 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $54,180 | $78,476 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 25 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 17 → 21
- Employees, 2023
- 246
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 14Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7318 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 48The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $40K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Willacy 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 Willacy County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 19,971−0.8% since 2020
- Households
- 5,691
- Median age
- 36.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 591 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 34
- Median household income
- $54,180+52.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $71,310
- Median home value
- $73,600
- Jobs located here
- 3,193
- Daytime population
- 16,399Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Willacy 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 Willacy 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 Willacy 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 |
| 136Willacy County, TX | 25 | 73 | 128.3 | $242K | −0.8% | #2,200 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Willacy County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes25
- Sit-down restaurants20
- Fast food and sandwich shops21
- Pizza
- Coffee shops and cafes
- Bakeries and dessert shops
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 Willacy County, TX?
Willacy County has 73 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 18 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 21 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023. Another 14 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Willacy County, TX spend on food away from home?
About $17.6M a year, or $3,100 per household. That is 24% below the U.S. average (an index of 76, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 73 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $242K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 5,691 households in Willacy County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Willacy County, TX compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Willacy County has 128.3 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 17% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $242K, 35% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Willacy County would have about 48, against 73 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 271 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.
How fast is Willacy County, TX growing?
Population estimates put Willacy County at 19,971 people in 2025, down 0.8% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 5,691 households. The median household income in Willacy County is $54,180 a year, 33% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 52.5% 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. Willacy County scores 25 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #2,200 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Willacy 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 Willacy County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Willacy 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 Willacy 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.