Food and drink · County · Vermont
Restaurants and cafes in Franklin County, VT
The restaurants and cafes in Franklin County, VT, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 75 out of 100: High
Ranked #245 of 2,405 scored counties
#2 of 12 scored counties in Vermont
- Listings
- 146
- 26 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 65
- −3.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $78.1M
- On food away from home · $3,913 a household
- Spending per listing
- $535K
- 44% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 73.1
- 33% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 51,177
- +2.3% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Franklin 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 Franklin 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 146 restaurants and cafes in Franklin County. 26 of them (18%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 73.1, 33% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Franklin County comes to about $78.1M a year: $3,913 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. Spread across 146 restaurants and cafes, that is $535K per restaurant, 44% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 65 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Franklin County in 2023, down 3.0% from 2019. That is one for every 307 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 15 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $365K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Franklin County.
Population estimates put the population change in Franklin County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Franklin County scores 75 (high) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #245 of 2,405 scored counties and #2 of 12 scored counties in Vermont. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Franklin County compares
The same measures for Vermont 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 | Franklin County | Vermont | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 73.1 | 115.1 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $535K | $349K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 307 | 227 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −3.0% | −1.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | +0.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,913 | $4,013 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $81,313 | $81,203 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 75 | 40 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 67 → 65−3.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 820
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $18.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 15Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 14626 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 211The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $365K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Franklin 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 Franklin County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 51,177+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 19,963
- Median age
- 41.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 631 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 80
- Median household income
- $81,313+24.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $98,753
- Median home value
- $306,700
- Jobs located here
- 17,183
- Daytime population
- 43,124Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Franklin 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 Franklin 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 Vermont
Every Vermont market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Vermont for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Vermont, with Franklin County marked.
Top counties in Vermont
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Orange County, VT | 83 | 78 | 61.2 | $644K | +2.4% | #87 of 2,405 |
| 2Franklin County, VT | 75 | 146 | 73.1 | $535K | +2.3% | #245 of 2,405 |
| 3Addison County, VT | 67 | 134 | 89.5 | $461K | +1.8% | #485 of 2,405 |
| 4Orleans County, VT | 61 | 104 | 86.1 | $423K | +0.7% | #721 of 2,405 |
| 5Caledonia County, VT | 49 | 125 | 95.5 | $383K | +0.8% | #1,232 of 2,405 |
| 6Chittenden County, VT | 45 | 883 | 123.6 | $356K | +0.4% | #1,410 of 2,405 |
| 7Washington County, VT | 45 | 312 | 120.7 | $334K | −0.2% | #1,422 of 2,405 |
| 8Windsor County, VT | 44 | 280 | 110.7 | $362K | −0.7% | #1,459 of 2,405 |
| 9Lamoille County, VT | 28 | 216 | 181.2 | $216K | +1.4% | #2,114 of 2,405 |
| 10Rutland County, VT | 25 | 318 | 125.6 | $290K | −1.4% | #2,188 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Franklin County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes75
- Sit-down restaurants76
- Fast food and sandwich shops82
- Pizza83
- Coffee shops and cafes62
- Bakeries and dessert shops48
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 Franklin County, VT?
There are 146 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Franklin County as of September 2026. 26 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 65 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 3.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 15 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Franklin County, VT spend on food away from home?
About $78.1M a year, or $3,913 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 146 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $535K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 19,963 households in Franklin County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Franklin County, VT compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Franklin County has 73.1 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 33% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $535K, 44% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Franklin County would have about 211, against 146 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 307 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Franklin County, VT growing?
Population estimates put Franklin County at 51,177 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 19,963 households. The median household income in Franklin County is $81,313 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.2% 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. Franklin County scores 75 for restaurants and cafes (high), #245 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Franklin 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 Franklin County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Franklin 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 Franklin 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.