Food and drink · County · Virginia
Restaurants and cafes in Roanoke County, VA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Roanoke County, VA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 74 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #258 of 2,405 scored counties
#35 of 115 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 270
- 123 chain locations (46%)
- Official establishments
- 126
- −2.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $158.6M
- On food away from home · $3,991 a household
- Spending per listing
- $587K
- 58% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 68.0
- 38% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 97,150
- +0.2% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Roanoke 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 Roanoke 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
Households in Roanoke County spend about $158.6M a year on food away from home, or $3,991 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. Spread across 270 restaurants and cafes, that is $587K per restaurant, 58% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
Roanoke County has 270 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 46% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 68.0 for every 10,000 households, 38% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Official counts show 126 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Roanoke County in 2023, down 2.3% from 2019. That is one for every 315 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 28 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $9.4M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Roanoke County.
Population estimates show Roanoke County grew 0.2% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Roanoke County scores 74 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #258 of 2,405 scored counties and #35 of 115 scored counties in Virginia. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Roanoke 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 | Roanoke County | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 68.0 | 97.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $587K | $447K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 315 | 211 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.3% | +4.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.2% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,991 | $4,372 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $83,709 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 74 | 71 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 129 → 126−2.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,375
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $52M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 28Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 270123 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 428The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $9.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Roanoke 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 Roanoke County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 97,150+0.2% since 2020
- Households
- 39,725
- Median age
- 44.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 251 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 387
- Median household income
- $83,709+21.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $108,750
- Median home value
- $286,000
- Jobs located here
- 38,065
- Daytime population
- 88,794Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Roanoke 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 Roanoke 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 Roanoke 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 |
| 35Roanoke County, VA | 74 | 270 | 68.0 | $587K | +0.2% | #258 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Roanoke County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes74
- Sit-down restaurants71
- Fast food and sandwich shops66
- Pizza70
- Coffee shops and cafes75
- Bakeries and dessert shops75
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 Roanoke County, VA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 270 restaurants and cafes in Roanoke County. 123 of them (46%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 126 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 2.3% from 2019. Official counts also show 28 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Roanoke County, VA spend on food away from home?
About $158.6M a year, or $3,991 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 270 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $587K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 39,725 households in Roanoke County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Roanoke County, VA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Roanoke County has 68.0 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 38% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $587K, 58% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Roanoke County would have about 428, against 270 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 315 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Roanoke County, VA growing?
Population estimates put Roanoke County at 97,150 people in 2025, up 0.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 39,725 households. Median household income in Roanoke County is $83,709, 4% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 21.4%, 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. Roanoke County scores 74 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #258 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Roanoke 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 Roanoke County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Roanoke 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 Roanoke 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.