Food and drink · Metro area · Virginia
Restaurants and cafes in the Richmond, VA metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in the Richmond, VA metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 75 out of 100: High
Ranked #37 of 387 scored metro areas
#1 of 9 scored metro areas based in Virginia
- Listings
- 5,084
- 1,986 chain locations (39%)
- Official establishments
- 2,350
- +2.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $2.2B
- On food away from home · $4,170 a household
- Spending per listing
- $438K
- 18% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 95.3
- 13% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,389,338
- +5.5% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Richmond metro area
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 the Richmond metro area. 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 Richmond metro area scores 75 (high) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #37 of 387 scored metro areas and #1 of 9 scored metro areas based in Virginia. That puts it in the top 10% of metro areas for restaurants and cafes.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 5,084 restaurants and cafes in the Richmond metro area. 1,986 of them (39%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 95.3 per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in the Richmond metro area spend about $2.2B a year on food away from home, or $4,170 per household, 2% above the U.S. average. Spread across 5,084 restaurants and cafes, that is $438K per restaurant, 18% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 2,350 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Richmond metro area in 2023, up 2.0% from 2019. That is one for every 227 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 62 SBA-backed loans worth $32.1M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Richmond metro area. Population estimates put the population change in the Richmond metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +5.5%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Richmond metro area 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 | Richmond metro area | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 95.3 | 97.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $438K | $447K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 227 | 211 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.0% | +4.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.5% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,170 | $4,372 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $86,679 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 75 | 71 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 2,350+2.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 45,531
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.1B
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 527Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5,0841,986 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 5,999The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 62
- Amount
- $32.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Richmond metro area, 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 the Richmond metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,389,338+5.5% since 2020
- Households
- 533,430
- Median age
- 40.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 4,368 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 307
- Median household income
- $86,679+26.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $117,479
- Median home value
- $353,500
- Jobs located here
- 693,750
- Daytime population
- 1,389,666Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Richmond metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Richmond metro area. 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 metro areas in Virginia for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Virginia (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Richmond metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Richmond, VA | 75 | 5,084 | 95.3 | $438K | +5.5% | #37 of 387 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 71 | 25,241 | 106.4 | $483K | +3.3% | #50 of 387 |
| 2Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA | 69 | 446 | 85.4 | $423K | +3.2% | #64 of 387 |
| 3Winchester, VA-WV | 63 | 575 | 103.6 | $392K | +6.5% | #110 of 387 |
| 4Lynchburg, VA | 55 | 942 | 91.1 | $389K | +2.9% | #156 of 387 |
| Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA | 54 | 1,082 | 82.6 | $399K | +2.3% | #160 of 387 |
| 5Roanoke, VA | 50 | 1,195 | 90.9 | $399K | +0.4% | #191 of 387 |
| 6Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | 48 | 7,088 | 100.2 | $401K | +0.9% | #202 of 387 |
| 7Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA | 47 | 648 | 92.2 | $389K | −0.1% | #208 of 387 |
| 8Charlottesville, VA | 45 | 1,121 | 123.9 | $352K | +3.1% | #223 of 387 |
Other business types in the Richmond metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes75
- Sit-down restaurants58
- Fast food and sandwich shops71
- Pizza77
- Coffee shops and cafes86
- Bakeries and dessert shops84
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 the Richmond, VA metro area?
There are 5,084 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Richmond metro area as of September 2026. 1,986 of them (39%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 2,350 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 2.0% from 2019. Official counts list 527 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Richmond, VA metro area spend on food away from home?
About $2.2B a year, or $4,170 per household. That is 2% above the U.S. average (an index of 102, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 5,084 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $438K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 533,430 households in the Richmond metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Richmond, VA metro area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Richmond metro area has 95.3 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $438K, 18% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Richmond metro area would have about 5,999, against 5,084 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 227 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Richmond, VA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Richmond metro area at 1,389,338 people in 2025, up 5.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 533,430 households. The median household income in the Richmond metro area is $86,679 a year, 7% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.5% 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. The Richmond metro area scores 75 for restaurants and cafes (high), #37 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Richmond metro area. 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 the Richmond metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Richmond metro area?
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 the Richmond metro area. 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.