Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Virginia

Restaurants and cafes in Orange County, VA

The restaurants and cafes in Orange County, VA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 75 out of 100: High

Ranked #246 of 2,405 scored counties
#32 of 115 scored counties in Virginia

Listings
119
36 chain locations (30%)
Official establishments
66
+24.5% since 2019
Household spending a year
$63.7M
On food away from home · $4,285 a household
Spending per listing
$535K
44% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
80.1
27% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
40,083
+10.1% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Orange 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 Orange County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

As of September 2026, map listings count 119 restaurants and cafes in Orange County. 36 of them (30%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 80.1 per 10,000 households, 27% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

At $4,285 per household (5% above the U.S. average), households in Orange County spend about $63.7M a year on food away from home. That is about $535K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 44% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Orange County was 66 in 2023, up 24.5% from 2019. That is one for every 225 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 8 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $819K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Orange County.

Population estimates put the population change in Orange County from 2020 to 2025 at +10.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Orange County has a Groundwork market score of 75 (high): #246 of 2,405 scored counties and #32 of 115 scored counties in Virginia. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Orange 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.

Restaurants and cafes in Orange County, VA compared with Virginia and the U.S.
MeasureOrange CountyVirginiaU.S.
Listings per 10k households80.197.9109.8
Spending per listing$535K$447K$371K
Households per official establishment225211209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+24.5%+4.2%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+10.1%+2.8%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$4,285$4,372$4,070
Median household income$94,008$93,170$80,734
Groundwork market score7571

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
53 → 66+24.5% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,030
Annual payroll, 2023
$23.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
8Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
11936 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
172The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$819K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Orange 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 Orange County

Population, 2025 estimate
40,083+10.1% since 2020
Households
14,856
Median age
42.7
Homes lived in by their owners
79%
Vehicles per household
2.2
Land area
341 sq. mi.
People per square mile
111
Median household income
$94,008+31.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$115,533
Median home value
$364,200
Jobs located here
9,522
Daytime population
31,111Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Orange 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 Orange County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Restaurants 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 Orange County marked.

Top counties in Virginia

Counties in Virginia ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Goochland County, VA965654.1$930K+17.4%#3 of 2,405
2Fluvanna County, VA943634.9$1.2M+6.2%#4 of 2,405
3Caroline County, VA936352.6$773K+11.3%#9 of 2,405
4Powhatan County, VA925952.1$895K+7.0%#11 of 2,405
5New Kent County, VA925761.5$783K+21.2%#12 of 2,405
6Louisa County, VA928554.6$745K+13.6%#14 of 2,405
7King George County, VA916665.1$731K+10.5%#18 of 2,405
8Frederick County, VA9024569.2$636K+8.8%#28 of 2,405
9Stafford County, VA8936970.5$758K+8.3%#29 of 2,405
10Dinwiddie County, VA873936.6$1M+3.6%#38 of 2,405
32Orange County, VA7511980.1$535K+10.1%#246 of 2,405

Other business types in Orange County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Orange County, VA?

Orange County has 119 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 36 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 66 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 24.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 8 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Orange County, VA spend on food away from home?

About $63.7M a year, or $4,285 per household. That is 5% above the U.S. average (an index of 105, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 119 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $535K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 14,856 households in Orange County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Orange County, VA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Orange County has 80.1 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 27% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $535K, 44% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Orange County would have about 172, against 119 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 225 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 24.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Orange County, VA growing?

Population estimates put Orange County at 40,083 people in 2025, up 10.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 14,856 households. The median household income in Orange County is $94,008 a year, 16% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.4% 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. Orange County scores 75 for restaurants and cafes (high), #246 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Orange 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 Orange County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Orange 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 Orange 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.