Food and drink · County · Virginia
Restaurants and cafes in Harrisonburg city, VA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Harrisonburg city, VA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 12 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,387 of 2,405 scored counties
#113 of 115 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 396
- 170 chain locations (43%)
- Official establishments
- 184
- +1.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $59.6M
- On food away from home · $3,431 a household
- Spending per listing
- $150K
- 59% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 228.1
- 2.1 times the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 50,839
- −1.7% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Harrisonburg city
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 Harrisonburg city. 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
The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Harrisonburg city is 12 (low), #2,387 of 2,405 scored counties and #113 of 115 scored counties in Virginia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Harrisonburg city spend about $59.6M a year on food away from home, or $3,431 per household, 16% below the U.S. average. That is about $150K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 59% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 396 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Harrisonburg city as of September 2026. 170 of them (43%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 228.1 for every 10,000 households, 2.1 times the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Official counts show 184 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Harrisonburg city in 2023, up 1.1% from 2019. That is one for every 94 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in Harrisonburg city from 2020 to 2025 at −1.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Harrisonburg city compares
The same measures for Virginia 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 | Harrisonburg city | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 228.1 | 97.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $150K | $447K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 94 | 211 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.1% | +4.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.7% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,431 | $4,372 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $62,254 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 12 | 71 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 182 → 184+1.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,348
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $87.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 25Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 396170 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 161The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Harrisonburg city, 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 Harrisonburg city
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 50,839−1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 17,360
- Median age
- 31.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 39%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 17 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 2,964
- Median household income
- $62,254+33.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $82,014
- Median home value
- $299,100
- Jobs located here
- 34,193
- Daytime population
- 64,079Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Harrisonburg city?
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 Harrisonburg city. 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 Virginia
Every Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Virginia for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Virginia, with Harrisonburg city marked.
Top counties in Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Goochland County, VA | 96 | 56 | 54.1 | $930K | +17.4% | #3 of 2,405 |
| 2Fluvanna County, VA | 94 | 36 | 34.9 | $1.2M | +6.2% | #4 of 2,405 |
| 3Caroline County, VA | 93 | 63 | 52.6 | $773K | +11.3% | #9 of 2,405 |
| 4Powhatan County, VA | 92 | 59 | 52.1 | $895K | +7.0% | #11 of 2,405 |
| 5New Kent County, VA | 92 | 57 | 61.5 | $783K | +21.2% | #12 of 2,405 |
| 6Louisa County, VA | 92 | 85 | 54.6 | $745K | +13.6% | #14 of 2,405 |
| 7King George County, VA | 91 | 66 | 65.1 | $731K | +10.5% | #18 of 2,405 |
| 8Frederick County, VA | 90 | 245 | 69.2 | $636K | +8.8% | #28 of 2,405 |
| 9Stafford County, VA | 89 | 369 | 70.5 | $758K | +8.3% | #29 of 2,405 |
| 10Dinwiddie County, VA | 87 | 39 | 36.6 | $1M | +3.6% | #38 of 2,405 |
| 113Harrisonburg city, VA | 12 | 396 | 228.1 | $150K | −1.7% | #2,387 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Harrisonburg city
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes12
- Sit-down restaurants12
- Fast food and sandwich shops11
- Pizza18
- Coffee shops and cafes10
- Bakeries and dessert shops10
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 Harrisonburg city, VA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 396 restaurants and cafes in Harrisonburg city. 170 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 184 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 1.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 25 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Harrisonburg city, VA spend on food away from home?
About $59.6M a year, or $3,431 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 396 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $150K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 17,360 households in Harrisonburg city and national spending patterns by income.
How does Harrisonburg city, VA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Harrisonburg city has 228.1 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 2.1 times the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $150K, 59% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Harrisonburg city would have about 161, against 396 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 94 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Harrisonburg city, VA growing?
Population estimates put Harrisonburg city at 50,839 people in 2025, down 1.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 17,360 households. Median household income in Harrisonburg city is $62,254, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 33.4%, 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. Harrisonburg city scores 12 for restaurants and cafes (low), #2,387 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Harrisonburg city. 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 Harrisonburg city
Screening a site or an acquisition in Harrisonburg city?
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 Harrisonburg city. 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.