Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Vermont

Restaurants and cafes in Windsor County, VT

How Windsor County, VT 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 44 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,459 of 2,405 scored counties
#8 of 12 scored counties in Vermont

Listings
280
27 chain locations (10%)
Official establishments
113
−5.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$101.4M
On food away from home · $4,009 a household
Spending per listing
$362K
2% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
110.7
In line with the U.S.
Population, 2025
57,312
−0.7% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Windsor 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 Windsor 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

At $4,009 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in Windsor County spend about $101.4M a year on food away from home. That is about $362K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 2% below the U.S. figure of $371K.

Windsor County has 280 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 27 are chain locations, or 10%, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 110.7 for every 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Windsor County was 113 in 2023, down 5.0% from 2019. That is one for every 224 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 15 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $805K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Windsor County.

Population estimates put the population change in Windsor County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For restaurants and cafes, Windsor County has a Groundwork market score of 44 (lower middle): #1,459 of 2,405 scored counties and #8 of 12 scored counties in Vermont.

How Windsor 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.

Restaurants and cafes in Windsor County, VT compared with Vermont and the U.S.
MeasureWindsor CountyVermontU.S.
Listings per 10k households110.7115.1109.8
Spending per listing$362K$349K$371K
Households per official establishment224227209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−5.0%−1.2%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.7%+0.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$4,009$4,013$4,070
Median household income$77,594$81,203$80,734
Groundwork market score4440

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
119 → 113−5.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,327
Annual payroll, 2023
$33.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
15Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
28027 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
274The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$805K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
57,312−0.7% since 2020
Households
25,293
Median age
47.4
Homes lived in by their owners
75%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
969 sq. mi.
People per square mile
60
Median household income
$77,594+27.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$109,025
Median home value
$296,400
Jobs located here
27,956
Daytime population
59,345Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

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Restaurants 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 Windsor County marked.

Top counties in Vermont

Counties in Vermont ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Orange County, VT837861.2$644K+2.4%#87 of 2,405
2Franklin County, VT7514673.1$535K+2.3%#245 of 2,405
3Addison County, VT6713489.5$461K+1.8%#485 of 2,405
4Orleans County, VT6110486.1$423K+0.7%#721 of 2,405
5Caledonia County, VT4912595.5$383K+0.8%#1,232 of 2,405
6Chittenden County, VT45883123.6$356K+0.4%#1,410 of 2,405
7Washington County, VT45312120.7$334K−0.2%#1,422 of 2,405
8Windsor County, VT44280110.7$362K−0.7%#1,459 of 2,405
9Lamoille County, VT28216181.2$216K+1.4%#2,114 of 2,405
10Rutland County, VT25318125.6$290K−1.4%#2,188 of 2,405

Other business types in Windsor County

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

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Windsor County, VT?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 280 restaurants and cafes in Windsor County. 27 of them (10%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 113 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 5.0% from 2019. Official counts list 15 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Windsor County, VT spend on food away from home?

About $101.4M a year, or $4,009 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 280 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $362K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 25,293 households in Windsor County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Windsor County, VT compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Windsor County has 110.7 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $362K, 2% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Windsor County would have about 274, against 280 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 224 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Windsor County, VT growing?

Population estimates put Windsor County at 57,312 people in 2025, down 0.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 25,293 households. Median household income in Windsor County is $77,594, 4% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.2%, 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. Windsor County scores 44 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,459 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Windsor 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 Windsor 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.