Food and drink · County · Virginia
Restaurants and cafes in Mecklenburg County, VA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Mecklenburg County, VA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,397 of 2,405 scored counties
#79 of 115 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 118
- 52 chain locations (44%)
- Official establishments
- 52
- −1.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $44.5M
- On food away from home · $3,281 a household
- Spending per listing
- $377K
- 2% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 87.0
- 21% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 30,747
- +1.5% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg 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 118 restaurants and cafes in Mecklenburg County. Of those, 52 are chain locations, or 44%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 87.0, 21% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,281 per household (19% below the U.S. average), households in Mecklenburg County spend about $44.5M a year on food away from home. That works out to $377K per restaurant, 2% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 52 businesses with payroll in Mecklenburg County classed as restaurants and other eating places, down 1.9% from 2019. That is one for every 261 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 9 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Mecklenburg County grew 1.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Mecklenburg County scores 45 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,397 of 2,405 scored counties and #79 of 115 scored counties in Virginia.
How Mecklenburg 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 | Mecklenburg County | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 87.0 | 97.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $377K | $447K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 261 | 211 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −1.9% | +4.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.5% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,281 | $4,372 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $57,045 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 45 | 71 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 53 → 52−1.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,009
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $19.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 9Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 11852 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 120The 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 Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 30,747+1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 13,569
- Median age
- 47.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 625 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 49
- Median household income
- $57,045+32.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $81,783
- Median home value
- $192,600
- Jobs located here
- 10,820
- Daytime population
- 28,099Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg 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 |
| 79Mecklenburg County, VA | 45 | 118 | 87.0 | $377K | +1.5% | #1,397 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Mecklenburg County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes45
- Sit-down restaurants47
- Fast food and sandwich shops25
- Pizza23
- 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 Mecklenburg County, VA?
There are 118 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Mecklenburg County as of September 2026. 52 of them (44%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 52 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 1.9% from 2019. Another 9 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Mecklenburg County, VA spend on food away from home?
About $44.5M a year, or $3,281 per household. That is 19% below the U.S. average (an index of 81, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 118 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $377K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 13,569 households in Mecklenburg County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Mecklenburg County, VA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Mecklenburg County has 87.0 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $377K, 2% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Mecklenburg County would have about 120, against 118 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 261 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 1.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Mecklenburg County, VA growing?
Population estimates put Mecklenburg County at 30,747 people in 2025, up 1.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 13,569 households. The median household income in Mecklenburg County is $57,045 a year, 29% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 32.0% 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. Mecklenburg County scores 45 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,397 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg 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.