Food and drink · County · Virginia
Restaurants and cafes in Salem city, VA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Salem city, VA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 26 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,170 of 2,405 scored counties
#99 of 115 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 146
- 70 chain locations (48%)
- Official establishments
- 71
- −2.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $37.6M
- On food away from home · $3,665 a household
- Spending per listing
- $257K
- 31% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 142.4
- 30% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 25,816
- +1.7% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Salem 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 Salem 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
The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Salem city is 26 (lower middle), #2,170 of 2,405 scored counties and #99 of 115 scored counties in Virginia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 146 restaurants and cafes in Salem city. 70 of them (48%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 142.4 per 10,000 households, 30% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Salem city comes to about $37.6M a year: $3,665 per household, 10% below the U.S. average. Spread across 146 restaurants and cafes, that is $257K per restaurant, 31% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 71 businesses with payroll in Salem city classed as restaurants and other eating places, down 2.7% from 2019. That is one for every 144 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in Salem city from 2020 to 2025 at +1.7%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Salem 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 | Salem city | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 142.4 | 97.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $257K | $447K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 144 | 211 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.7% | +4.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.7% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,665 | $4,372 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $66,725 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 26 | 71 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 73 → 71−2.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,456
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $30.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 8Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 14670 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 101The 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 Salem 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 Salem city
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 25,816+1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 10,256
- Median age
- 41.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 63%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 15 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,765
- Median household income
- $66,725+16.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $96,247
- Median home value
- $258,600
- Jobs located here
- 21,974
- Daytime population
- 36,320Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Salem 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 Salem 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 Salem 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 |
| 99Salem city, VA | 26 | 146 | 142.4 | $257K | +1.7% | #2,170 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Salem city
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes26
- Sit-down restaurants27
- Fast food and sandwich shops23
- Pizza23
- Coffee shops and cafes48
- Bakeries and dessert shops42
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 Salem city, VA?
Salem city has 146 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 70 of them (48%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 71 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 2.7% from 2019. Another 8 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Salem city, VA spend on food away from home?
About $37.6M a year, or $3,665 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 146 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $257K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 10,256 households in Salem city and national spending patterns by income.
How does Salem city, VA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Salem city has 142.4 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 30% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $257K, 31% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Salem city would have about 101, against 146 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 144 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Salem city, VA growing?
Population estimates put Salem city at 25,816 people in 2025, up 1.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 10,256 households. The median household income in Salem city is $66,725 a year, 17% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 16.7% 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. Salem city scores 26 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #2,170 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Salem 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 Salem city
Screening a site or an acquisition in Salem 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 Salem 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.