Food and drink · County · Virginia
Restaurants and cafes in Norfolk city, VA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Norfolk city, VA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 20 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,284 of 2,405 scored counties
#106 of 115 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 1,158
- 412 chain locations (36%)
- Official establishments
- 550
- +4.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $339.3M
- On food away from home · $3,573 a household
- Spending per listing
- $293K
- 21% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 121.9
- 11% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 231,013
- −2.9% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Norfolk 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 Norfolk 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 Norfolk city is 20 (low), #2,284 of 2,405 scored counties and #106 of 115 scored counties in Virginia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on food away from home in Norfolk city comes to about $339.3M a year: $3,573 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. That is about $293K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 21% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 1,158 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Norfolk city as of September 2026. 412 of them (36%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 121.9 per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 550 businesses with payroll in Norfolk city classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 4.2% from 2019. That is one for every 173 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 11 SBA-backed loans worth $3.5M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Norfolk city. Population estimates put the population change in Norfolk city from 2020 to 2025 at −2.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Norfolk 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 | Norfolk city | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 121.9 | 97.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $293K | $447K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 173 | 211 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.2% | +4.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.9% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,573 | $4,372 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $66,109 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 20 | 71 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 528 → 550+4.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 8,722
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $182.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 82Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,158412 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 915The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 11
- Amount
- $3.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Norfolk 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 Norfolk city
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 231,013−2.9% since 2020
- Households
- 94,965
- Median age
- 35.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 46%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 53 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 4,385
- Median household income
- $66,109+28.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $91,610
- Median home value
- $289,900
- Jobs located here
- 130,869
- Daytime population
- 273,887Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Norfolk 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 Norfolk 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 Norfolk 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 |
| 106Norfolk city, VA | 20 | 1,158 | 121.9 | $293K | −2.9% | #2,284 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Norfolk city
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes20
- Sit-down restaurants20
- Fast food and sandwich shops22
- Pizza34
- Coffee shops and cafes34
- Bakeries and dessert shops44
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 Norfolk city, VA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,158 restaurants and cafes in Norfolk city. 412 of them (36%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 550 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 4.2% from 2019. Official counts list 82 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Norfolk city, VA spend on food away from home?
About $339.3M a year, or $3,573 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,158 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $293K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 94,965 households in Norfolk city and national spending patterns by income.
How does Norfolk city, VA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Norfolk city has 121.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $293K, 21% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Norfolk city would have about 915, against 1,158 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 173 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Norfolk city, VA growing?
Population estimates put Norfolk city at 231,013 people in 2025, down 2.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 94,965 households. Median household income in Norfolk city is $66,109, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.1%, 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. Norfolk city scores 20 for restaurants and cafes (low), #2,284 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Norfolk 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 Norfolk city
Screening a site or an acquisition in Norfolk 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 Norfolk 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.