Food and drink · County · Virginia
Restaurants and cafes in Portsmouth city, VA
The restaurants and cafes in Portsmouth city, VA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 50 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,171 of 2,405 scored counties
#74 of 115 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 298
- 112 chain locations (38%)
- Official establishments
- 148
- +1.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $133.6M
- On food away from home · $3,316 a household
- Spending per listing
- $448K
- 21% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 74.0
- 33% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 96,777
- −1.2% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 298 restaurants and cafes in Portsmouth city. Chain locations make up 38% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 74.0, 33% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,316 per household (19% below the U.S. average), households in Portsmouth city spend about $133.6M a year on food away from home. That is about $448K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 21% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 148 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Portsmouth city in 2023, up 1.4% from 2019. That is one for every 272 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 32 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $322K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Portsmouth city.
Population estimates show Portsmouth city declined 1.2% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. For restaurants and cafes, Portsmouth city has a Groundwork market score of 50 (upper middle): #1,171 of 2,405 scored counties and #74 of 115 scored counties in Virginia.
How Portsmouth 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 | Portsmouth city | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 74.0 | 97.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $448K | $447K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 272 | 211 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.4% | +4.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.2% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,316 | $4,372 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $60,491 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 50 | 71 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 146 → 148+1.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,351
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $45.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 32Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 298112 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 360The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $322K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth city
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 96,777−1.2% since 2020
- Households
- 40,288
- Median age
- 37.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 58%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 33 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 2,919
- Median household income
- $60,491+15.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $77,856
- Median home value
- $246,900
- Jobs located here
- 32,664
- Daytime population
- 87,378Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth 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 |
| 74Portsmouth city, VA | 50 | 298 | 74.0 | $448K | −1.2% | #1,171 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Portsmouth city
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes50
- Sit-down restaurants51
- Fast food and sandwich shops31
- Pizza44
- Coffee shops and cafes58
- Bakeries and dessert shops64
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 Portsmouth city, VA?
Portsmouth city has 298 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 112 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 148 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 1.4% from 2019. Official counts also show 32 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Portsmouth city, VA spend on food away from home?
About $133.6M a year, or $3,316 per household. That is 19% below the U.S. average (an index of 81, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 298 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $448K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 40,288 households in Portsmouth city and national spending patterns by income.
How does Portsmouth city, VA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Portsmouth city has 74.0 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 33% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $448K, 21% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Portsmouth city would have about 360, against 298 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 272 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Portsmouth city, VA growing?
Population estimates put Portsmouth city at 96,777 people in 2025, down 1.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 40,288 households. The median household income in Portsmouth city is $60,491 a year, 25% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 15.9% 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. Portsmouth city scores 50 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #1,171 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth city
Screening a site or an acquisition in Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth 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.