Food and drink · County · Virginia
Restaurants and cafes in Lancaster County, VA
How Lancaster County, VA 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 25 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,194 of 2,405 scored counties
#102 of 115 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 78
- 15 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 35
- +34.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $20.9M
- On food away from home · $3,658 a household
- Spending per listing
- $267K
- 28% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 136.8
- 25% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 10,995
- +0.9% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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
The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Lancaster County is 25 (lower middle), #2,194 of 2,405 scored counties and #102 of 115 scored counties in Virginia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $3,658 per household (10% below the U.S. average), households in Lancaster County spend about $20.9M a year on food away from home. That is about $267K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 28% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Lancaster County has 78 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 15 of them (19%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 136.8 for every 10,000 households, 25% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 35 businesses with payroll in Lancaster County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 34.6% from 2019. That is one for every 163 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $580K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Lancaster County. Population estimates show Lancaster County grew 0.9% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Lancaster County 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 | Lancaster County | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 136.8 | 97.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $267K | $447K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 163 | 211 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +34.6% | +4.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.9% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,658 | $4,372 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $69,713 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 25 | 71 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 26 → 35+34.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 321
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7815 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 56The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $580K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Lancaster 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 Lancaster County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 10,995+0.9% since 2020
- Households
- 5,701
- Median age
- 57.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 81%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 133 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 82
- Median household income
- $69,713+29.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $102,227
- Median home value
- $327,000
- Jobs located here
- 4,634
- Daytime population
- 9,988Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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 Virginia
Every Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Virginia for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Virginia, with Lancaster County 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 |
| 102Lancaster County, VA | 25 | 78 | 136.8 | $267K | +0.9% | #2,194 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Lancaster County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes25
- Sit-down restaurants23
- Fast food and sandwich shops49
- Pizza
- Coffee shops and cafes32
- 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 Lancaster County, VA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 78 restaurants and cafes in Lancaster County. 15 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 35 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 34.6% from 2019. Official counts list 3 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Lancaster County, VA spend on food away from home?
About $20.9M a year, or $3,658 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 78 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $267K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 5,701 households in Lancaster County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lancaster County, VA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Lancaster County has 136.8 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 25% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $267K, 28% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Lancaster County would have about 56, against 78 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 163 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 34.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Lancaster County, VA growing?
Population estimates put Lancaster County at 10,995 people in 2025, up 0.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 5,701 households. Median household income in Lancaster County is $69,713, 14% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.8%, 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. Lancaster County scores 25 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #2,194 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lancaster 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 Lancaster County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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.