Food and drink · County · Virginia
Restaurants and cafes in Northampton County, VA
How Northampton 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 16 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,357 of 2,405 scored counties
#110 of 115 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 78
- 11 chain locations (14%)
- Official establishments
- 38
- +26.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $19.5M
- On food away from home · $3,587 a household
- Spending per listing
- $250K
- 33% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 143.5
- 31% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 11,879
- −2.8% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Northampton 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 Northampton 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
For restaurants and cafes, Northampton County has a Groundwork market score of 16 (low): #2,357 of 2,405 scored counties and #110 of 115 scored counties in Virginia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 78 restaurants and cafes in Northampton County. Chain locations make up 14% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That is 143.5 per 10,000 households, 31% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,587 per household (12% below the U.S. average), households in Northampton County spend about $19.5M a year on food away from home. That works out to $250K per restaurant, 33% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Northampton County was 38 in 2023, up 26.7% from 2019. That is one for every 143 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Population estimates show Northampton County declined 2.8% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Northampton 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 | Northampton County | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 143.5 | 97.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $250K | $447K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 143 | 211 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +26.7% | +4.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.8% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,587 | $4,372 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $61,632 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 16 | 71 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 30 → 38+26.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 428
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7811 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 53The 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 Northampton 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 Northampton County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 11,879−2.8% since 2020
- Households
- 5,437
- Median age
- 49.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 212 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 57
- Median household income
- $61,632+30.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $97,869
- Median home value
- $316,200
- Jobs located here
- 4,117
- Daytime population
- 10,746Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Northampton 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 Northampton 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 Northampton 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 |
| 110Northampton County, VA | 16 | 78 | 143.5 | $250K | −2.8% | #2,357 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Northampton County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes16
- Sit-down restaurants17
- Fast food and sandwich shops21
- Pizza30
- Coffee shops and cafes30
- Bakeries and dessert shops13
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 Northampton County, VA?
There are 78 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Northampton County as of September 2026. 11 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 38 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 26.7% from 2019. Another 6 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Northampton County, VA spend on food away from home?
About $19.5M a year, or $3,587 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 78 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $250K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 5,437 households in Northampton County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Northampton County, VA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Northampton County has 143.5 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 31% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $250K, 33% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Northampton County would have about 53, against 78 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 143 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 26.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Northampton County, VA growing?
Population estimates put Northampton County at 11,879 people in 2025, down 2.8% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 5,437 households. The median household income in Northampton County is $61,632 a year, 24% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.5% 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. Northampton County scores 16 for restaurants and cafes (low), #2,357 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Northampton 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 Northampton County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Northampton 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 Northampton 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.