Food and drink · County · Utah
Restaurants and cafes in Salt Lake County, UT
How Salt Lake County, UT compares with other counties and the U.S. for restaurants and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 54 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,018 of 2,405 scored counties
#15 of 21 scored counties in Utah
- Listings
- 4,743
- 1,934 chain locations (41%)
- Official establishments
- 2,180
- +6.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.9B
- On food away from home · $4,422 a household
- Spending per listing
- $397K
- 7% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 111.3
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,220,916
- +2.9% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Salt Lake 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 Salt Lake 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 4,743 restaurants and cafes in Salt Lake County. 1,934 of them (41%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 111.3 per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in Salt Lake County spend about $1.9B a year on food away from home, or $4,422 per household, 9% above the U.S. average. That is about $397K 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 Salt Lake County was 2,180 in 2023, up 6.9% from 2019. That is one for every 196 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 376 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 150 SBA-backed loans worth $76.1M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Salt Lake County.
Population estimates put the population change in Salt Lake County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.9%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Salt Lake County has a Groundwork market score of 54 (upper middle): #1,018 of 2,405 scored counties and #15 of 21 scored counties in Utah.
How Salt Lake County compares
The same measures for Utah 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 | Salt Lake County | Utah | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 111.3 | 103.7 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $397K | $418K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 196 | 205 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +6.9% | +13.3% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.9% | +7.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,422 | $4,339 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $97,494 | $95,166 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 54 | 73 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 2,039 → 2,180+6.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 43,320
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $987M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 376Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4,7431,934 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 5,084The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 150
- Amount
- $76.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Salt Lake 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 Salt Lake County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,220,916+2.9% since 2020
- Households
- 426,245
- Median age
- 35.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 753 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,590
- Median household income
- $97,494+30.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $124,987
- Median home value
- $525,700
- Jobs located here
- 775,993
- Daytime population
- 1,357,402Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Salt Lake 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 Salt Lake 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 Utah
Every Utah market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Utah for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Utah, with Salt Lake County marked.
Top counties in Utah
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Morgan County, UT | 97 | 16 | 42.3 | $1.2M | +8.1% | #1 of 2,405 |
| 2Tooele County, UT | 88 | 176 | 73.6 | $609K | +19.2% | #37 of 2,405 |
| 3Box Elder County, UT | 79 | 139 | 71.1 | $554K | +12.7% | #152 of 2,405 |
| 4Davis County, UT | 77 | 920 | 79.4 | $591K | +4.8% | #193 of 2,405 |
| 5Cache County, UT | 73 | 358 | 80.6 | $490K | +8.5% | #317 of 2,405 |
| 6Wasatch County, UT | 73 | 140 | 108.7 | $459K | +9.9% | #322 of 2,405 |
| 7Emery County, UT | 70 | 29 | 84.0 | $435K | +3.4% | #413 of 2,405 |
| 8Weber County, UT | 69 | 841 | 89.3 | $463K | +5.8% | #434 of 2,405 |
| 9Utah County, UT | 69 | 1,985 | 97.8 | $459K | +14.5% | #437 of 2,405 |
| 10Duchesne County, UT | 68 | 65 | 94.5 | $407K | +6.3% | #464 of 2,405 |
| 15Salt Lake County, UT | 54 | 4,743 | 111.3 | $397K | +2.9% | #1,018 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Salt Lake County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes54
- Sit-down restaurants57
- Fast food and sandwich shops52
- Pizza65
- Coffee shops and cafes48
- Bakeries and dessert shops47
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 Salt Lake County, UT?
There are 4,743 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Salt Lake County as of September 2026. 1,934 of them (41%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 2,180 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 6.9% from 2019. Official counts also show 376 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Salt Lake County, UT spend on food away from home?
About $1.9B a year, or $4,422 per household. That is 9% above the U.S. average (an index of 109, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 4,743 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $397K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 426,245 households in Salt Lake County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Salt Lake County, UT compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Salt Lake County has 111.3 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $397K, 7% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Salt Lake County would have about 5,084, against 4,743 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 196 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Salt Lake County, UT growing?
Population estimates put Salt Lake County at 1,220,916 people in 2025, up 2.9% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 426,245 households. The median household income in Salt Lake County is $97,494 a year, 21% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.2% 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. Salt Lake County scores 54 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #1,018 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Salt Lake 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 Salt Lake County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Salt Lake 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 Salt Lake 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.