Food and drink · County · Virginia
Restaurants and cafes in Nelson County, VA
How Nelson 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 62 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #697 of 2,405 scored counties
#59 of 115 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 70
- 7 chain locations (10%)
- Official establishments
- 12
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $24.9M
- On food away from home · $3,918 a household
- Spending per listing
- $356K
- 4% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 110.0
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 14,920
- +1.2% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Nelson 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 Nelson 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
Households in Nelson County spend about $24.9M a year on food away from home, or $3,918 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. That is about $356K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 4% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Nelson County has 70 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 10% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That is 110.0 per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Nelson County in 2023. That is one for every 530 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 5 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates show Nelson County grew 1.2% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Nelson County is 62 (upper middle), #697 of 2,405 scored counties and #59 of 115 scored counties in Virginia.
How Nelson 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 | Nelson County | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 110.0 | 97.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $356K | $447K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 530 | 211 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +4.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.2% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,918 | $4,372 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $72,589 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 62 | 71 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 15 → 12
- Employees, 2023
- 254
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $10.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 707 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 67The 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 Nelson 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 Nelson County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 14,920+1.2% since 2020
- Households
- 6,364
- Median age
- 49.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 80%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 471 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 31
- Median household income
- $72,589+12.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $104,122
- Median home value
- $321,700
- Jobs located here
- 3,841
- Daytime population
- 12,142Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Nelson 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 Nelson 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 Nelson 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 |
| 59Nelson County, VA | 62 | 70 | 110.0 | $356K | +1.2% | #697 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Nelson County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes62
- Sit-down restaurants72
- Fast food and sandwich shops
- Pizza
- Coffee shops and cafes45
- 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 Nelson County, VA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 70 restaurants and cafes in Nelson County. 7 of them (10%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023. Official counts also show 5 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Nelson County, VA spend on food away from home?
About $24.9M a year, or $3,918 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 70 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $356K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 6,364 households in Nelson County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Nelson County, VA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Nelson County has 110.0 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $356K, 4% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Nelson County would have about 67, against 70 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 530 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.
How fast is Nelson County, VA growing?
Population estimates put Nelson County at 14,920 people in 2025, up 1.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 6,364 households. Median household income in Nelson County is $72,589, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 12.9%, 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. Nelson County scores 62 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #697 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Nelson 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 Nelson County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Nelson 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 Nelson 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.