Food and drink · County · Virginia
Restaurants and cafes in Southampton County, VA
The restaurants and cafes in Southampton County, VA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 78 out of 100: High
Ranked #163 of 2,405 scored counties
#26 of 115 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 20
- 9 chain locations (45%)
- Official establishments
- 4
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $24.4M
- On food away from home · $3,555 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.2M
- 3.3 times the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 29.1
- 73% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 18,110
- +0.9% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Southampton 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 Southampton 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
The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Southampton County is 78 (high), #163 of 2,405 scored counties and #26 of 115 scored counties in Virginia. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for restaurants and cafes.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 20 restaurants and cafes in Southampton County. Of those, 9 are chain locations, or 45%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 29.1 per 10,000 households, 73% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,555 per household (13% below the U.S. average), households in Southampton County spend about $24.4M a year on food away from home. That is about $1.2M of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 3.3 times the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 4 businesses with payroll in Southampton County classed as restaurants and other eating places. That is one for every 1,717 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Population estimates show Southampton County grew 0.9% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Southampton 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 | Southampton County | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 29.1 | 97.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.2M | $447K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,717 | 211 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +4.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.9% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,555 | $4,372 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $70,795 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 78 | 71 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4 → 4
- Employees, 2023
- 55
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $926K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 209 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 66The 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 Southampton 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 Southampton County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 18,110+0.9% since 2020
- Households
- 6,868
- Median age
- 47.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.3
- Land area
- 599 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 30
- Median household income
- $70,795+15.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $85,838
- Median home value
- $216,200
- Jobs located here
- 3,775
- Daytime population
- 14,076Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Southampton 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 Southampton 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 Southampton 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 |
| 26Southampton County, VA | 78 | 20 | 29.1 | $1.2M | +0.9% | #163 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Southampton County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
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 Southampton County, VA?
There are 20 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Southampton County as of September 2026. 9 of them (45%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023.
How much do households in Southampton County, VA spend on food away from home?
About $24.4M a year, or $3,555 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 20 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $1.2M per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 6,868 households in Southampton County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Southampton County, VA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Southampton County has 29.1 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 73% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $1.2M, 3.3 times the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Southampton County would have about 66, against 20 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,717 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.
How fast is Southampton County, VA growing?
Population estimates put Southampton County at 18,110 people in 2025, up 0.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 6,868 households. The median household income in Southampton County is $70,795 a year, 12% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 15.4% 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. Southampton County scores 78 for restaurants and cafes (high), #163 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Southampton 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 Southampton County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Southampton 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 Southampton 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.