Food and drink · County · Virginia
Restaurants and cafes in Lee County, VA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Lee County, VA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 55 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #941 of 2,405 scored counties
#69 of 115 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 50
- 22 chain locations (44%)
- Official establishments
- 18
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $24.2M
- On food away from home · $2,841 a household
- Spending per listing
- $485K
- 31% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 58.6
- 47% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 21,642
- −2.1% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Lee 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 Lee 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
Household spending on food away from home in Lee County comes to about $24.2M a year: $2,841 per household, 30% below the U.S. average. That is about $485K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 31% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 50 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Lee County as of September 2026. Of those, 22 are chain locations, or 44%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 58.6 per 10,000 households, 47% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Official counts show 18 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Lee County in 2023. That is one for every 474 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 7 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates show Lee County declined 2.1% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Lee County is 55 (upper middle), #941 of 2,405 scored counties and #69 of 115 scored counties in Virginia.
How Lee 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 | Lee County | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 58.6 | 97.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $485K | $447K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 474 | 211 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +4.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.1% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $2,841 | $4,372 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $41,827 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 55 | 71 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 15 → 18
- Employees, 2023
- 243
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5022 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 65The 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 Lee 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 Lee County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 21,642−2.1% since 2020
- Households
- 8,527
- Median age
- 46.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 435 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 50
- Median household income
- $41,827+27.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $59,845
- Median home value
- $98,900
- Jobs located here
- 3,872
- Daytime population
- 18,154Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lee 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 Lee 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 Lee 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 |
| 69Lee County, VA | 55 | 50 | 58.6 | $485K | −2.1% | #941 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Lee County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes55
- Sit-down restaurants45
- Fast food and sandwich shops39
- Pizza28
- Coffee shops and cafes
- 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 Lee County, VA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 50 restaurants and cafes in Lee County. 22 of them (44%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 18 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023. Official counts also show 7 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Lee County, VA spend on food away from home?
About $24.2M a year, or $2,841 per household. That is 30% below the U.S. average (an index of 70, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 50 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $485K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 8,527 households in Lee County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lee County, VA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Lee County has 58.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 47% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $485K, 31% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Lee County would have about 65, against 50 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 474 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.
How fast is Lee County, VA growing?
Population estimates put Lee County at 21,642 people in 2025, down 2.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 8,527 households. Median household income in Lee County is $41,827, 48% 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. Lee County scores 55 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #941 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lee 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 Lee County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lee 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 Lee 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.